Michell Kwan the greatest Olympic Athlete Ever. Are you kidding?

Seriously, how many little girls have Olympic dreams because they watched Kwan? Almost everyone of those girls will NEVER even make it to nationals, but they will learn a great deal from being involved in the sport.

Who the hell cares who means the most to the IOC?

She is the topic and she deserves the attention. Did you ever watch an NFL pregame show? They analyze the stupid game to death. All their experts make all kind of predictions that are meaningless. At least this is real news and her reaction is gracious.

Du Cahier Au Cinema wrote:

Hey, maybe Mr. U just got caught up in the moment

unlikely. he's too high profile and has to watch his words too closely to say anything he doesnt mean.

but here's another question. if you dont think michelle kwan has meant more to the USOC than any other athlete, then who has? and remember, this is NOT about the greatest olympian--it's about contributions to the USOC mission.

obviously, it cant just be about winning gold b/c hundreds of americans have won olympic gold but many probably mean little to the USOC.

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....

Jesse Owens was spurned by USOC after his amazing accomplishments in the 1936 Olympics. All racially motivated, and we were talking about Hitler's discrimination (although ours wasn't nearly to the extreme his was)

kwanjo wrote:

if you dont think michelle kwan has meant more to the USOC than any other athlete, then who has?

Mike Eruzione

For that matter, the entire 1980 hockey team deserves a vote.

After all, are they ever going to invite Michelle Kwan to light the calderon at a future Winter Olympics that we host? I highly doubt it. There is a reason why Muhammad Ali lit the torch in Atlanta and why the entire hockey team lit it in Salt Lake City. Its maybe the greatest honor for a former Olympian.

wejo wrote:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11311044/

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?

If the USOC had any sense the athletes that mean the most would include the unstoppable Edwin Moses, Jim Lightbody, and Billy Mills.

in 1998, after kwan won the silver, all olympians made the traditional post olympic trip to the white house. one olympian is always selected to present the president with some kind of souvenir. they selected kwan over tara lipinski and tara's mother made some comment like "how could they do that to tara?" the USOC has long held kwan in high regard, and obviously it hasnt been because she's won any gold.

at the 1984 olympics, they had jessie owen's grand daughter hand off the flame to rafer johnson. they gave the second to last honor of holding the flame to this woman because of who and what she represented.

but it doesnt really matter. sooner or later, the honor of lighting the olympic cauldron will go to the highest bidder.

As very specifically worded, Ueberoth's comment might be accurate. She's been a public relations boon to the USOC and is the standardbearer (gold medalist or not) in the Olympic sport that now means the most to little suburban girls and their parents. She happens to be a very gracious person.

come on everyone knows the most to olympic history is kurt angle, and if you dont believe me, just ask him.

I take it Ueberroth has never heard of Eric Heiden or Bonnie Blair?

Yoba wrote:

I take it Ueberroth has never heard of Eric Heiden or Bonnie Blair?

But what have they meant to the USOC?

To be fair, Kwan has won 9 national championships and 5 world champs in one of the highest profiled sports in the Olympics. The finals in 1992 (correct year?) was the 6th most watched TV program in the history of television. Michele has brought dignity and class back to the sport and has represented the US very well......which is something the US can never have enough of.

Somebody earlier hit it right on the head....Revenue. That's what she means to the USOC. I would think that Marty Liquori and Jim Ryun had similar impact in their failed bids for Olympic gold. Only trouble is, there were other track and field athletes who picked up the slack.

Here are some great athletes sometimes deified on this site who have never won gold medals..some have never even medaled...I am still big fans of them

Jim Ryun (not his politics though0

Renaldo Nehemiah

Daniel Komen

Steve Scott

Sydney Maree

"PRE"

Alberto Salazar

Henry Marsh

Bill Rodgers

Greg Foster

Paul Tergat

Khalid Khannouchi

nearly every if not every winner of teh Boston, New York, Chicago, London and Berlin Marathons for the past 10 plus years.

Nancy Kerrigan

Rosalyn Summers

Linda Fratiane (sp)

Tai Babalonia And Randy Gardner

Steve Mahre

the 2004 US Olympic Basketball team..oh wait..I'm not fans of them...

Who would win in a fight, Michelle Kwan vs Pirate/cat/gun girl vs Lance Armstrong vs 40 midgets vs a lion.

wejo wrote:

OK I guess the title is not correct, but has she really meant more than anyone to the USOC? No way.

If you look at it in the sense that a gal that can suck a cork out of a wine bottle means more to your average fraternity house than any other gal that happened to be remembered at that moment, then the guy has a point.

I read a blog about Michelle Kwan that I think was interesting. Here it is:

Michelle Kwan sucks! She is a distraction even though she says, "I dont want to be a distraction." She SUCKS! She is one spoiled little brat, one of those "cute" girls that thinks she can get anything she wants. First, well give me a spot on the team without trying out. Trust me, I can skate! Ooops! My groin is suddenly hurt again. Funny because I saw a clip of her practicing where she fell down, got up without a problem, and went to the sidelines and started crying not due to pain but because she was an embarrassement & she knew it. She was not READY, she took another girl's spot and she has now placed her replacement, who is very young, in a bad situation, having to fly from the US, mentally get prepare, fight jet lag, & just miss the whole experience of coming out with all the athletes. She is selfish & I believe that she didnt reinjure herself, rather that she got on the ice realized, oh I cant do this, cried her way and convinced the team to back her up, & withdrew herself. The media is spinning this on a positive note saying how great of her to give the other girl the opportunity. On her press conference, only one reporter had the balls to be upfront asking her why she didnt mention anything about this injury as she talked to the media after the alleged practice where she hurt herself. This is crap! I think that when she fell down she hit her head and realized she was in a dreamworld! She didnt want to HURT her CAREER not RE-HURT herself. If she goes out there right now she throws away all her chances, as dim as they are, of ever making it back to this level of competition because she would be making a fool of herself and people would see her as a HAS-BEEN. ----Michelle, HANG UP THE SKATES! Stop being a little brat and move on to your coaching career or "Skating Stars" show. That's it, I have waisted too much time of my life on this issue.

well the only one on that list who can eqaul kwan in terms of being at the top of his sport and earning the respect of non-experts and the general public, w/o earning an olympic gold, is PRE. he's remembered for not only his wins, but his attitude towards competition. so is kwan. but PRE was catapulted into legendary status in part b/c he had a tragic demise. had he gone to another olympics and only won silver, bronze, or nothing, would he still be idolized the way he is today?

and let's remember than kwan won silver and bronze at the olympics---THAT, on top of 5 world championships and 9 national cahmpionships, is nothing to sweep under the rug.

Ray wrote:

Somebody earlier hit it right on the head....Revenue. That's what she means to the USOC. I would think that Marty Liquori and Jim Ryun had similar impact in their failed bids for Olympic gold. Only trouble is, there were other track and field athletes who picked up the slack.

there's a reason why she brings in revenue--she's one of the most respected athletes--respected by both her peers, other athletes, and the general public.

she doesnt create drama, she isnt glamourous, she doesnt shoot her mouth off. she's really actually kind of boring. she doesnt give NBC anything salacious to work with to create a dramatic tabloid story. the only thing she offers is her athleticism and desire to compete--and to bring this to the olympics in 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006 means alot to any athlete and the USOC which represents them.

people are watching her to compete. not to see what she's gonna say next, what she's gonna wear, who her boyfriend is, etc, etc.

kwanjo wrote:

in 1998, after kwan won the silver, all olympians made the traditional post olympic trip to the white house. one olympian is always selected to present the president with some kind of souvenir. they selected kwan over tara lipinski and tara's mother made some comment like "how could they do that to tara?" the USOC has long held kwan in high regard, and obviously it hasnt been because she's won any gold.

at the 1984 olympics, they had jessie owen's grand daughter hand off the flame to rafer johnson. they gave the second to last honor of holding the flame to this woman because of who and what she represented.

oh please. they gave her those honors as a consolation prize for not winning the gold. yes she's done a lot and yes they wanted to honor her but main sentiment was, "poor michelle, she's so good but had to suffer another disappointment".

it was as obvious then as it is now.