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.
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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.
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.
The Roar’s countdown to the Rio Olympics
50 days to go: Australia’s first Olympian, Edwin Flack
49 days to go: Brazil capitulate at the 2012 Olympics
48 days to go: Blood in the water during the 1956 Melbourne Olympics
47 days to go: Daniel Carroll, the man who won rugby gold with Australia and America
46 days to go: Margaret Abbott – the golfer who didn’t know she had won gold
45 days to go: Where did all the amateurs go?
44 days to go: Australia’s oarsome foursome
43 days to go: When Korea stood as one
42 Days to go: Oscar Swahn, the oldest Olympian
41 days to go: Edith Bosch – the Olympian not known for her medals
40 days to go: Jane Saville’s heartbreaking Sydney Olympics
39 days to go: Herb Elliot dominates in Rome 1960
38 days to go: Teofilo Stevenson, the boxer who might have beaten Ali
37 days to go: Betty Cuthbert steals the show in Melbourne
36 days to go: Jesse Owens’ heroic performance in Berlin
35 days to go: Eric the Eel steals Sydney’s heart
34 days to go: What happened to Cassius Clay’s gold medal?
33 days to go: Australia’s equestrian brilliance at Barcelona
32 days to go: The Olympic sports which are no longer with us
31 days to go: Debbie Flintoff-King wins on the line
30 days to go: The dominance of basketball’s Dream Team
29 days to go: Nadia Comenaci scores gymnastics’ first-ever perfect score
28 days to go: The man who stopped for a duck
27 days to go: The upset of the Sydney Olympics
26 days to go: Murray Rose’s scintilating Melbourne performance
25 days to go: Greg Louganis’ heroic comeback win
24 days to go: Fencing turns to duelling in Paris
23 days to go: Dawn Fraser’s flag-stealing shenanigans
22 days to go: The most prolific Olympic competitor
21 days to go: Duncan Armstrong’s underdog win in Seoul
20 days to go: Johnny Weissmuller: A brilliant swimmer and Hollywood actor
19 days to go: Majorie Jackson – the Lithgow Flash
18 days to go: Larisa Latynina, the most successful female Olympian
17 days to go: Dimitrios Loundras, the child who won an Olympic medal
16 days to go: Roy Jones Jr is robbed of an Olympic gold
15 days to go: Shane Gould’s superstar performance in Munich
14 days to go: The Kookaburras finally fly to the top of the world
13 days to go: Matthew Mitcham’s historic dive
12 days to go: Even Olympians are prone to the odd fail
11 days to go: Abebe Bikila wins the Olympic marathon running in bare feet
10 days to go: Track cycling’s greatest rivalry
9 days to go: Kieran Perkins’ gold medal from lane eight
8 days to go: Sally Pearson’s awesome run in London
7 days to go: Mark Spitz’ perfect seven gold medals in ’72
6 days to go: Usain Bolt torches the field in Beijing
5 days to go: Michael Klim and Ian Thorpe help smash America’s 4x100m world record like a guitar
4 days to go: Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ defiant black power salute
3 days to go: Michael Phelps – the best to ever grace the Olympics
2 days to go: Cathy Freeman delivers with the weight of a country on her back
1 day to go: Ian Thorpe – Australia’s finest Olympian
Arky
Guest
Absolutely. Just like internships and such in the modern era. Puts up a barrier to entry so only the well-off can afford to participate. Class warfare by the rich (not that they ever acknowledge that they ever do such a thing).
Arky
Guest
Under 23s I think, and each team allowed a couple of over 23 players. On the one hand, to have the Olympic Games without the biggest sport in the world (and a sport where international competition is a big deal, unlike many other professional sports) seems ludicrous... except that the Olympics is not the biggest event in that sport, and they had to resort to the age-limit gimmick to try and give it some meaning. They already dropped baseball, they should just drop football (accepting that it is just too big a sport, and the World Cup too big an event, to contain in the Olympic movement), and drop golf and tennis because they clearly don't treat the Olympics like a big deal, they're individualistic sports. The only big professional sport where international competition is a big deal AND the Olympics is the biggest international event is basketball, so that can stay, Boxing... well, as long as it remains an Olympic sport I'd tend to agree it is silly to keep the professionals out. Almost every other sport has stopped making people choose between the Olympics and actually making a living from their talent.
peeeko
Guest
plenty of olympic sports stars have complained about lack of sponsorship and funding and they expect more. the government made a decision several years ago to cut funding to the olympics in favour of grass roots sports as was the wish of the australian people i dont begrudge anyone getting as much of what they can, i admit i will watch it because it is on but i think the government is better spending its money elsewhere as it has chosen to do so if the governent doesnt give them enough to compete i wont lose any sleep
Cugel
Roar Rookie
David Wallechinsky claims the amateur-only policy was more aimed at keeping the riff-raff i.e. the working classes out.
Johnno
Guest
Boxing now officially has, pro's can compete at Rio. The Olympic's I worry about it's long term survival. In the era or pro sport and sports having there own world championship I don't know the relevance of the Olympics so much anymore. The Olympics are no longer the pinnacle of many sports anymore if you know what I mean. Soccer is still under-23's with 3 senior players over 23 allowed.
Sam Walker
Roar Guru
Is the Soccer/football still under 21's or have they opened that up to all ages now? I know some sports still had a slight restriction on them for the Olympics but not sure if that is still the case. Boxing is one sport that is looking to overturn the rules so they can allow professionals compete.
jameswm
Roar Guru
"expect sponsorship and money for the next 4 years" Are you for real peeeko? So if you earn your company a lot of money by putting a deal together, it's wrong to expect reward for that? This is life - successful sportspeople who are positive role models have a value to sponsors. And that does not only apply to sportspeople. These athletes "expect" sponsorships, do they? Or do you mean they seek them out. Who wouldn't? You are kidding me, aren't you? There is something wrong with earning a crust, is there? If you mean Govt money, that is strictly regulated, and is not much anyway. For the top competitors only, it might just cover day to day living (though not if they have their own apartment). It wouldn't come close for those below the top. If there was no sponsorship, the athlete would have nothing when their sporting career finished. You admitted you love watching them for a week every 4 years, so how exactly are they supposed to have the means to train hard enough to go well without sponsorship money and support? You want to watch them do well, but begrudge the sponsor companies or Govt giving them the money to train hard to do exactly that? I really don't think you've thought this one through.
jameswm
Roar Guru
So the Olympics is the only swimming comp of interest, is it? What an incredibly naïve viewpoint. If you were a swimming fan (and I am not, particularly) you would know that there is an Olympic, world champ or Comm Games every year, plus a circuit. Yes, people like going and watching swimming live and on TV, as they do for athletics, for example. Should these athletes be studying to prepare for their life after competitive sport? Absolutely. However for the 10 or so years they are competitive at world level, let them compete. If sponsors want to pay them, that is their choice. If there is prize money, then they take it. These guys work hard and do not make a living out of the Olympics. They make a living, temporarily, out of being very good at their sport. The Olympics is the pinnacle, the top comp, but certainly not the only one.
Punter
Guest
Haha!!!! Yes you did!!!
delbeato
Roar Guru
Correct, Joe. This is why pro athletes were allowed into the Olympics. Amateur OIympians became a bigger deal than pro athletes who couldn't compete. Their sponsorships grew to amounts larger than pro athletes' wages and sponsorships. Basically the amateur/pro classifications were flipped on their head. The IOC had no choice but to allow pros into the Olympics.
peeeko
Guest
interesting angle there Jeff and i agree. basically we love them for a week whe they make us feel superior because we beat someone from another country (especially GB or USA) and then expect sponsorship and money for the next 4 years.
Gavin
Guest
Did I just read Jarryd Haynes name in the same sentence as Neymar and James? -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
joe
Guest
How many professional athletes were there back when the Olympics began or even in the early 20th century? So yeah,most were "amateur" simply because there wasn't a whole lot of professional sports leagues or individual athletes who were full time pro athletes in track,swimming or whatever else the Olympics has as events. So as time went on the best athletes began getting endorsements,especially by the 1970's onwards. Now a swimmer who in 1908 did nothing but swim occasionally while working a job is a full time swimmer who may be getting sponsored & endorsements from cereal & sporting companies as their income. The athletes are far better as a result of being full time professionals rather than part timers.Obviously technology,drugs & the general overall growth of the average human in the past century has been a big contribution to better athletes also. But getting worked up that athletes aren't legitimate amateurs seems pointless to me.I would rather watch a full time pro athlete than an amateur who isn't as good.
Jeff Morris
Guest
What is really annoying to me are these atheletes in sports that have zero, or near zero, interest outside of the Olympics who manage to make a lifelong career out of the Olympics. It was never intended to be that way. If your sport has no commercial appeal outside of the games, you should get a real job after one or two Olympics. That's what used to happen in the amateur era. A swimmer wouldn't come back for 3, 4, or 5 Olympics over 20 plus years, they would do one or two Olympics at the most, then move on with their lives and get a real job. Many former Olympians went on to have professional careers such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, or scientists. Sports helped build character and discipline they transfered to their personal and professional lives. Also, the incentive to cheat is so much greater with money on the line. Not that it didn't happen in the amateur era, but it seems to have increased exponentially in the professional era.
smell the fear
Guest
in how many countries is Hayne a household name?a few less than neymar and lebron