I'd post this in the Other Sports forum, but no one ever goes there.

The USA men's team just beat Lithuania. I'm going to do some research. If we add up the cumulative current NBA contracts for the USA team, will that be more or less than Lithuania's total GDP?


U.S. Beats Lithuania 120-84 in Basketball Game Before Olympics

By Aaron Pan

Aug. 1 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. men's basketball team routed Lithuania 120-84 in its second tune-up before the start of the Olympic Games.

Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 19 points and Dwight Howard added 17 points for the U.S. at the International Basketball Challenge in Macau, China. LeBron James scored 15 points, making 7 of his 9 field goal attempts for the U.S., which defeated Turkey yesterday 114-82.

Rimantas Kaukenas scored 17 points and was one of three players with double figures for Lithuania.

``Our defense set the tone for the game,'' U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters after the game. ``This group of guys is such a good team, it shows up in the defense.''

The U.S. is seeking its first Olympic gold medal since 2000 after claiming bronze at the 2004 Athens Games. The U.S. team dropped three of its eight games in Athens, its first losses since National Basketball Association players were permitted in the Olympics in 1992.

The U.S. now heads to Shanghai to play Russia and Australia before traveling to Beijing for the Olympic Games. The U.S. opens the Olympics against host China and center Yao Ming on Aug. 10.

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Pan in Macau at apan8@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: August 1, 2008 11:18 EDT

Something is just NOT right about professional athlete's participating in the Olympics... The Greeks, the original ones, have got be having fits with this...

What is worse having athletes who say they are amateur but go around gaining sponsors to pay the way or have rich dudes who do not care about that crap and just play. There have not been true US amateurs in a long time.

I'm going to tune in for the Women's Pole Jumping competition.

This post has been edited by AtomicTommy: Aug 4 2008, 10:38 AM

I disagree. I think the Olympics should be a showcase of the finest athletes on the planet. As such, it makes sense to have professionals compete.

Douchebag!

By the way...I looked up the GDP for Lithuania. $66B. I didn't bother looking up the NBA contracts since it wouldn't even be near that. I wonder if it cracks a billion though? With 12 players on the roster, that would average $83M a player. It might be close to that.

at the douche bag comment.

I looked up the GDP too, but didn't post it. I'd say that the players contracts do crack a billion though. That's crazy just to think about it.

HOT!


Gymnastics.

Hey! Don't you fucking start! I prefer to be referenced to as "Some asshole in the south pacific"

The games officially open on 08/08/08...but apparently women's soccer is on now.

(they're losing to Norway).

So, which events do you guys like? Personally, I enjoy any sport that doesn't involve subjectivity to determine the winner (ie gymnastics, diving).

I sorta like subjectivity sports…gymnastics and diving…Track and field is pretty boring for the most part…I mostly like the stuff you normally don’t see or care about outside of the Olympics – archery, fencing, table tennis, badminton…stuff like that…I love watching curling during the winter games….

My dads 60th birthday....

My favourite summer olympic events are boxing, Diving, Swimming...I don't mind Track and Gymnastics.

By day 3 of the Olympics...I'm always sick of swimming.

This is the last year for baseball and softball.

Last innings approach for Olympic baseball, softball

12 hours ago

BEIJING (AFP) — Baseball and softball are in their final innings as Olympic sports at Beijing, but they are going down swinging.

Both sports were voted out of the Games lineup by the International Olympic Committee and will not be staged at London in 2012, although each seeks a return for the 2016 Olympics in Tokyo, Madrid, Chicago or Rio de Janeiro.

"We're looking at Beijing as a world-class stage to prove we belong," US star pitcher Jennie Finch said. "We're not looking to be eliminated from the Games. We're hoping to be back for 2016."

Reinstatement will not be easy. Baseball and softball will compete with golf, rugby sevens, karate, squash and roller sports to prove worthy of inclusion in the Olympic lineup.

"I'm somewhat optimistic," International Softball Federation president Don Porter said.

Baseball and softball are each governed globally by Americans, with Porter guiding softball and Harvey Schiller serving as president of the International Baseball Federation.

Major League Baseball has refused to halt its season for the Olympics, instead staging its own event - the World Baseball Classic - to profit from an event similar to tournaments basketball and ice hockey stage at the Olympics.

That and doping issues surrounding stars in the US league gave the American pastime a black eye, but the lack of a clock made the sport tough for telecasters due to the possibility of games lasting several extra innings.

Schiller pushed through a controversial tie-breaker rule last month that would put runners on base to start the 11th inning or later and allow teams to open from anywhere in their batting order to make the game television friendly.

"The IOC president and others made it clear of the requirement to end games in a timely manner," Schiller said.

"We strive to bring baseball back to the Olympic programme and the Beijing Olympic Games are our last opportunity to collectively impress IOC members on the field.

"We must demonstrate to the International Olympic Committee that not only does our game belong alongside the other great sports of the world, but our sport is manageable from a television and operational standpoint."

US women have won every softball gold and even though federation officials are making a push to boost softball's exposure in Africa and the Middle East, US domination has hurt, American slugger Crystal Bustos said.

"There are people voting who don't understand the sport," she said. "I think some countries are like, 'We're never going to be like that.'"

Softball was ousted by the IOC 52-52 in 2005 and lost a reinstatement vote 47-43 in 2006. But US pitcher Cat Osterman, who would be 33 in 2016, has not lost hope.

"If we put on the best show of Olympic softball you've ever seen, they will say, 'There's no way this sport can't stay as part of the Olympics,'" she said.

I prefer the midget toss.

or the salad toss.

yeah that's a pretty good one too.