Why I’m Glad Amateurism is Basically Dead in the Olympics

Amateurism officially died around the 70s, when the IOC dropped it from the charter. And I believe this was a change for the better. Let’s accept a simple fact: Amateurism just doesn’t work for the Olympics. And it’s not because cities can allegedly win hosting bids through lots of money. Keeping athletes from earning money from sports is simply unfair. The word amateur is actually French, meaning “lover of.” Thus the amateur ideal is someone who plays just for the love of the game, without expecting to win money. But I believe such an ideal is irrelevant in today’s world. I’m not saying Olympians nowadays no longer love their sports. I mean, only true passion will keep a person struggling through the... [Read more]