Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee:
"Michelle Kwan means more to the United States Olympic Committee than maybe any athlete that’s ever performed for the US"
I think this statement is ridiculous for someone who has never won a gold medal but could it be true?
Where does he call her the greatest Olympic athlete ever?
This reminds me of Mary Decker. Olympic disappointment after disappointment with the country's hopes pinned on her, just like Kwan, but you look at the way each of them handled everything.
They both competed for the love of the sport (unlike many of their peers who won gold then retired quickly thereafter). Neither needed to continue competing--they could have retired and been on top, but they loved to skate and run.
If Mary Decker represents the worst of the Olympics, throwing batons at Russians and lashing at Zola Budd, then Kwan represents the best of the Olympics.
Seriously, would it have been more impressive if Kwan won gold in 1998 and retired, or continued winning world/national champinoships year after year and competing at the Olympics.
If you wanted the best role model for aspriring Olympians, would you point to Tara Lipinski/Sarah Hughes (who contributed little to the sport), or Kwan, who's experienced every up and down there is in the world of competitive sports?
He said that about her after she withdrew from competition.
Laughable comment in my mind.
I guess PU doesn't remember Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz, Eric Heiden....and other multiple gold winners....
Who the hell is Michell?
I thought the same thing but heard that she actually brings in the most viewers than any other olympian in the past ten years...
PDX Track wrote:
He said that about her after she withdrew from competition.
Laughable comment in my mind.
I guess PU doesn't remember Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz, Eric Heiden....and other multiple gold winners....
He didnt call her the GREATEST athlete ever. he said she means more to the USOC than maybe any othe athlete. if he meant to call her the greatest olympic athlete ever, dont you think he's got the english skills to say exactly what he means?
It's not laughable, b/c millions would agree--have you heard all the generous comments from skaters who have known her? doesnt sound like they think of her as anything but an icon and legend. and the fact that kwan is the subject of multiple threads on letsrun, of all places, goes to show how far reaching her impact has been.
kwanjo wrote:
He didnt call her the GREATEST athlete ever. he said she means more to the USOC than maybe any othe athlete. if he meant to call her the greatest olympic athlete ever, dont you think he's got the english skills to say exactly what he means?
It's not laughable, b/c millions would agree--have you heard all the generous comments from skaters who have known her? doesnt sound like they think of her as anything but an icon and legend. and the fact that kwan is the subject of multiple threads on letsrun, of all places, goes to show how far reaching her impact has been.
I never said he did...Wejo did.
Yes, it's laughable.
Jesse Owens meant MUCH more....Spitz meant much more....
She's not an icon, nor a legend...well, I guess a "tragic" legend...never winning the gold and all.
Millions would agree that there are other people who meant much more to the USOC than Kwan. Even in her own sport. Fleming or Hammill come to mind. Other women? How about Retton? Or Benoit?
Kwan means a lot THIS YEAR...but not the stuff of legends...
She means a lot to the USOC this year, probably because they're concerned about TB ratings, and figure skating tends to have some of the highest ratings in the US - due to us usually having one of the gold-medal favorites.
Advertisers I'm sure are not happy about the turn of events with Kwan.
I'm also sure NBC will keep us all on the edge of our seats though. They'll hype Bode Miller more, along with our speedskaters (including short track).
Michelle Kwan = marketing value = $$$
The winter olympics are a marketing goldmine. The NFL season is over, March Madness has yet to start, and it's in the middle of February when there is hardly anything else to do but watch TV. And figure skating is the most popular competition in the whole Olympics... for some reason the masses are drawn to it. The statement seems ridiculous, but maybe it makes sense.
Admittedly, I spent an hour last night watching speed skating because I was snowed in--and the whole time I thought "I'd much rather watch a 5K run on the track". They showed heat after heat, whereas track and field gets such limited time on major networks.
Given that you're talking about figure skating, the only word I have a problem with is "athlete."
OK I guess the title is not correct, but has she really meant more than anyone to the USOC? No way.
And it's Michelle now Michell, my wireless keyboard sometimes misses keys.
PDX Track wrote:
I never said he did...Wejo did.
Yes, it's laughable.
Jesse Owens meant MUCH more....Spitz meant much more....
She's not an icon, nor a legend...well, I guess a "tragic" legend...never winning the gold and all.
Millions would agree that there are other people who meant much more to the USOC than Kwan. Even in her own sport. Fleming or Hammill come to mind. Other women? How about Retton? Or Benoit?
um, nine time US champion, 5 time world champion, olympic silver and bronze medalist? that IS legendary--she's won more championships than any other US skater in history, and there are few other athletes in other sports who can match her record.
in the end, it's not going to matter what the public thinks--b/c you and i are uninformed about the sport of skating and only pay attention every four years. if you listen to her peers (people like scott hamilton, brian boitano, etc), they have said year after year, not just now that she's down and out, that she has elevated the sport--and how can you deny that when you look at her wins over the past decade? i saw an interview with scott hamilton today--when asked who the greatest female skater ever is, he said some woman named janet lynn, who NEVER won olympic gold. i'll take his word over any of us.
paula radcliffe probably means more to british marathoning than any other athlete. she hasnt won gold.
as for benoit, mary lou, fleming, hamill, theyre definitely among the greatest olympic athletes of all time. but that's not the same as "meaning the most to the USOC." you have 300 winter american olymians and close to a thousand summer olympians each time they roll around--99% are not going to win gold. so why do they even bother showing up when theyre all gonna lose and fall flat on their faces and make fools of themselves? why is the USOC wasting all that money on these eventual losers?
who can the USOC point to as the best example of someone who embodies the very reason theyre at the olympics, even though most of them will not win gold?
Hey, maybe Mr. U just got caught up in the moment, but
for me, any event where JUDGING is involved is anethma.
wejo, he is off the mark on this one. Kwan has two Oly medals so her cupboard is not exactly bare. She can likely score a deal with Disney On Ice or something, then have a brief-lived TV show before heading of into doing TV commentary every 4 years.
correction, ok, maybe 99% isnt correct, probably more like 90-95% wont win gold.
Bush is the greatest president in the history of our nation
kwanjo wrote:
blah blah blah
who can the USOC point to as the best example of someone who embodies the very reason theyre at the olympics, even though most of them will not win gold?
Who?????
Are you kidding me?
They can point to Benoit, Retton and any number of other men and women who have worn the red, white and blue at the Olympics.
And there are tons of other non-medal winners that they could point to as well.
My point is that Kwan is relevant this year...but surely not the athlete that has meant the most to the USOC since the Olympics began.
You must've hit your head on the ice one too many times.
Either that, or you know you're wrong, but just like to argue.
Ueberoth made a ridiculous comment - he knows it, I know it, you know it, and Kwan is probably embarrassed by it.
Tell me why you think she's "meant the most" to the USOC - more than any other notable athletes.
its clearly Jesse Owens. Historically and athletically noone else i can think of is even close. Will anyone be talking about any of the people mentioned in this thread 70 years(and more) after they competed? I dont think in 2080 there will be Michelle Kwan movies and books and people wont still be discussing her. No offense to Kwan as she didnt say it and she is a great athlete but that statement is just silly(obviously).
Wejo, did they not teach you reading at that Ivy League school you attended?
As others noted, Ueberroth did not call her the greatest athlete ever. I would also say that Ueberroth is in a better position to know her contributions than you are. For instance, how many times did she do an appearance for the USOC to get a sponsorship deal done? She has carried herself with grace and class for her entire career.
Also, at times like this, you say nice things about a person even if it involves a little hyperbole. Do you think he has a ranking of the athletes and their contributions?
In a way many of the old school athletes did little for the USOC.
As for TV ratings that someone mentioned, figure skating will score high ratings with or without Kwan.
du sarcasme au cinema wrote:
Bush is the greatest president in the history of our nation
Finally someone out there sees the light and I get to agree with. Bush is THE man.
really, im suprised at the lack of reading comprehension around here.
i will NEVER win an olympic gold medal, but i DO HONESTLY BELIEVE that when my parents tell me i am the most important person to them.
i think peter ueberoth (ie 84 LA Olympic committe head and baseball commissioner and president of the USOC) is in the best position to tell us who he thinks is the most important athlete in THEIR Olympic family.
are we so stupid to believe that ueberoth doesnt craft his words carefully when the international/national sports media is always on him?