LeBron James. Neymar. Jarryd Hayne. Those are just a few of the household names who could find themselves at the Rio Olympics. But, as we continue our countdown to the Games, professional athletes are only a relatively new Olympic phenomenon.
When Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the late 1800s, it was decided that only amateurs could participate in the Games in an attempt to make sure anyone who wanted to compete could compete. While the idea was sound, the rule was at times enforced to a fault.
No-one could attest to that more than American Jim Thorpe, who won the decathlon and pentathlon in 1912 only to have his medals stripped from him because he accepted a little bit of money for playing semi-professional baseball as a college student.
The decision devastated Thorpe, and while his achievements were reinstated in 1983, it came for too late for him. He had passed away 30 years earlier.
Nowadays, professionals are commonplace, which has led to a significant improvement of the athletes on display.
But the cynics out there can’t help but point to the rise of professionals coinciding with the advent of television and increased commercialisation.
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Given how much the Olympics are now worth – the event was valued at $47.5 billion USD in the lead-up to the 2012 London Games – allowing professionals to compete has certainly paid off for the IOC. And, to be fair, most fans won’t complain given they now get to see even more of their favourite athletes.
But one can’t help but wonder what Pierre de Coubertin would make of the commercial behemoth the IOC has become.
Be sure to follow The Roar as we look back on some of the most memorable moments in Olympic history – be they weird and wacky or brilliant and significant – and count down the days until the Rio Olympics opening ceremony.