Paying our athletes?

[M.Dancer]

Man, Porn Olympics..what a fantastic idea.

Which is why I have never been paid...I was an idealist and I didn't want to risk my amateur status...

[jawapunk]

hehe...What kind of endorsements would be available I wonder. Something completly ridiculous.

[Canuck E Stan]

Which is why I have never been paid...I was an idealist and I didn't want to risk my amateur status...

I bet when you lost it at the finish line..... it was by mere inches.

[M.Dancer]

I bet when you lost it at the finish line..... it was by mere inches.

Actually I can't remember the event..... but it was by a nose...

[mikedavid00]

Participaction did wonders for the kids yet it was cancelled

Proof?

Thought not.

[mikedavid00]

As I understand it, this isn't government money, it's private money from the Olympic Foundation?

No it's basically gov't money.

Or.. our money.

[guyser]

Proof?

Thought not.

The proof is right there in the mirror. Open your eyes and look. Look at the kids, pretty fat in general.

[mikedavid00]

The proof is right there in the mirror. Open your eyes and look. Look at the kids, pretty fat in general.

You said that a gov't program tax boondongle that created 30 second commercials did 'wonders' for our kids. Are you saying that kids during that time lost weight and became less obese?

Kids are obese becuase of the high sugar processed foods that hit the market in the 80's. That has been proven factually over and over.

Guyser those gov't programs don't work. They put our money in a few peoples pockets while we fill a gov't building with employees that make $60k a year. That's all they do. Those who work there then turn around and vote whoever will keep their funding going. The promises get made before closed doors. The threats to stop funding always comes before the election.

This is the kind of Pakistani style corrupt system we live in.

Lord we NEED TO GET non tax payers off the voting system. Only those who pay should be able to vote.

Edited November 21, 2007 by mikedavid00

[geoffrey]

So how many kids do you have who would like a try at the olympics, can you afford it. I know, for instance, that the Lees had to mortgage their home to get their girls anywhere near the olympics. Lots of kids never get the chance because it is too expensive. We can feed our poor and support our athletes

Paying athletes for performance does nothing to help them get to the Olympics.

This is a bad idea. The money could be better spent getting more youth involved in sport. The nations that have extraordinary results compared to populations aren't doing it because they pay their atheletes for medals, but because they have very active populations. If no kids start out, there will be no world class athletes.

Never the less, the government doesn't pay me to pursue my passions, so I've got to wonder why we pay athletes. Perhaps the Olympic teams should be self-funded through fundraising and whatever else, corporate sponsorship. I have a hard time paying for Olympic sport, despite skiing and biking with some team members regularly. It's a good role model to kids, yes, but I think the dollars are aimed in the wrong direction.

[M.Dancer]

Participaction did wonders for the kids yet it was cancelled and we saw the youth get fatter.

Background

ParticipACTION is a private, not-for-profit corporation. Originally established in 1971, ParticipACTION operated for nearly 30 years and was a leading catalyst to encourage healthy, active living for all Canadians. In late 2006, ParticipACTION received renewed commitment from the government (Sport Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada) and was revitalized in February 2007.

http://www.participaction.com/

[capricorn]

The money could be better spent getting more youth involved in sport. The nations that have extraordinary results compared to populations aren't doing it because they pay their atheletes for medals, but because they have very active populations. If no kids start out, there will be no world class athletes.

You hit on something important. Children gifted in athletics and sports must be given opportunities to hone their skills at a very young age. This is how the best rise to the top. In addition to parents enrolling their kids in organized sports, I see an increased role for our schools here. A secondary benefit of the school system involvement is to address the increasing obesity problem in our children. The fitter the body, the better children will succeed scholastically.

I still think we should pay our athletes for medals won.

[mikedavid00]

http://www.participaction.com/

Yes. it's another gov't funded agency with our tax dollars funding more white colar cushy union jobs. It does nothing for the kids, it's not proven to work. It actually doesn't work. It's just a gov't make work project.

The gov't has gone way too far.

[jawapunk]

Yes damn that evil government for trying to create a program that gets kids off their asses. Our kids have the right to be portly couch monkeys.

[Carinthia]

If we had paid our athletes who won gold, silver and bronze medals from the last winter games, it would have cost a total of $360,000. Whoopee ding!

I take great pride when our athletes demonstrate what their personal sacrifices, hard work, and personal expense can yeild in regards to representing Canada at the Worlds Olympics. Good grief, does everything always have to come down to politics, the poor, etc? Where is the sense of pride in just being Canadian? If this was $360 million, I might think differently but it is a mere token to give thanks to such fine representatives of our Country. Speaking of Canadians and self loathing...as per another thread on same. :angry:

Edited November 21, 2007 by Carinthia

[mikedavid00]

You hit on something important. Children gifted in athletics and sports must be given opportunities to hone their skills at a very young age.

As a tax payer that's not my problem. That's a person choice on someone else and should involve me in no way.

What's next, chess? Foosball? Sewing? and every other activity?

If they want sponsorship, companies can sponsor them.

The money doesn't fall out of the air. I'm always on the hook for this stuff and it has to stop.

[jawapunk]

It seems to me that there is an split here of opinions which is very much the same as in government. I'm sure this will have to be voted on and is not set in stone. If you feel that strongly you shoudl definitely contact your Member of Parliament and make those feelings known. Hell get a petition drawn up. And if nothing is done still then you always have your vote and those of the other petitioners in the next election for pay back.

I for one do not have a problem with it either way but do think it is a nice gesture and a way to reward the years of hard work that these men and women put in. I also think the longer you can keep corporations out of amateur sport the better. That is half the problem with the Olympics as it is.

Edited November 21, 2007 by jawapunk

[mikedavid00]

I for one do not have a problem with it either way but do think it is a nice gesture and a way to reward the years of hard work that these men and women put in.

It's not the money, it's the fact that the gov't feels it can give money to anyone they want.

How do you think the vote would turn out if only tax payers were voting?

That's right.

Since the money comes from us, we should be the only one saying on how its spent.

[Wilber]

It's not the money, it's the fact that the gov't feels it can give money to anyone they want.

How do you think the vote would turn out if only tax payers were voting?

That's right.

Since the money comes from us, we should be the only one saying on how its spent.

That is the function of government, to give away other peoples money.

[guyser]

It's not the money, it's the fact that the gov't feels it can give money to anyone they want.

How do you think the vote would turn out if only tax payers were voting?

That's right.

Since the money comes from us, we should be the only one saying on how its spent.

It is the COC not the govt.

Here is the last report I could find for Annual Report.

http://www.olympic.ca/EN/organization/publ.../2003report.pdf

[mikedavid00]

That is the function of government, to give away other peoples money.

That's right.

But what if people are NOT contributing that money? Why should they be allowed to have a say in how the money is spent?

Got ya there didn't I?

[August1991]

If we had paid our athletes who won gold, silver and bronze medals from the last winter games, it would have cost a total of $360,000. Whoopee ding!

I take great pride when our athletes demonstrate what their personal sacrifices, hard work, and personal expense can yeild in regards to representing Canada at the Worlds Olympics. Good grief, does everything always have to come down to politics, the poor, etc? Where is the sense of pride in just being Canadian? If this was $360 million, I might think differently but it is a mere token to give thanks to such fine representatives of our Country. Speaking of Canadians and self loathing...as per another thread on same. :angry:

If you want to send your own money to winning athletes, go ahead and do it.

But I fail to see why you should be able to take my money and send it to the athletes too. What gives you the right to spend my money in such a manner?

I also find curious that when I object to you doing this, you then accuse me of "self-loathing". You have a curious form of personal logic!

Edited November 22, 2007 by August1991

[August1991]

It is the COC not the govt.

The COC alone gets over $1 million each year from the federal government. Other sport organizations may also get money.

[Wilber]

That's right.

But what if people are NOT contributing that money? Why should they be allowed to have a say in how the money is spent?

Got ya there didn't I?

Most of the money government gives away is to those who are not contributing, otherwise they wouldn't need it. What makes you think you have a say because you contribute? Your vote isn't worth any more than someone's who doesn't.

[Carinthia]

If you want to send your own money to winning athletes, go ahead and do it.

But I fail to see why you should be able to take my money and send it to the athletes too. What gives you the right to spend my money in such a manner?

I also find curious that when I object to you doing this, you then accuse me of "self-loathing". You have a curious form of personal logic!

I am spending my own money...by the fact that I support the Government to spend my tax contributions in giving a mere token of it to our Canadian athletes for a job well done.

It's well known that Canadians do not celebrate their own. We are modest to a fault. We want the medals, we want the winners, but some of us are not willing to give support to our fellow Canadians who spend their youth working their butt off to make us all proud to be Canucks. The Olympics are one of the funner, nicer things in life for us all to enjoy. What is so wrong with spending money on things that inspire us and give us a lift? In my mind, there is no reason why we cannot spare a few bucks to give our young people an incentive to represent us. The Government has spent a lot more money on things like statues. Our athletes are symbols too, a symbol of our talent as a nation.

[M.Dancer]

I atheletes want to be paid let them win the stanley cup, or in the case of figure skaters, disney on ice.