It’s been a while since I last had someone guest blog over at The Watering Hole but I guess this issue about Marion Jones’ Doping Guilt caused our very own b5media Business blogger Rico Mossesgeld of Contract Worker to question an athlete’s integrity whereas I only thought of the medals.
Rico raised a good point. Not that it has never been raised on every drug scandal, but I reckon the subject gets easily dropped in most conversations. I think we need to continue talking about it. Let’s raise awareness and call these athletes out. As sports fans, we believe in a …read more

So the speculation has ended: Marion Jones recently admitted to lying to federal agents, who were investigating her drug use. Still, Shaun Assael of ESPN writes that “Only the truly naive will believe this version of Jones’ story.
Jones’ confession follows Floyd Landis loss of his Tour de France title due to drug use. With all of these doping-related scandals, athletes and sports in general risk losing our trust.
Without a doubt, this is a bad thing. We all rage at the unfairness of life, at people who get ahead because they know the right people or invested in improvements like breast …read more

I remember being taught in Grade school that the Olympic motto was Citius, Altius, Fortius, which is Latin for Faster, Higher, Stronger. It’s a great phrase, signifying man’s struggle to push beyond his limitations.
Then, in 2000, we started hearing less of the motto and more of the IOC’s new advertising campaign: Celebrate Humanity. There was nothing wrong with Faster, Higher, Stronger. But apparently, with all the doping going on, many athletes took it literally, justifying the use of performance-enhancers as a part of winning at any cost.
And that’s why the Celebrate Humanity campaign is a huge success. It refocused the …read more

Let’s get the discussion going this Saturday as b5media’s Contract Worker Rico Mossesgeld shares his thoughts on the twist that happened to the Olympic’s original message, “Citius, Altius, Fortius”.
You want to know what it means? Well, you have to stay tuned with all the rest. Hehe.
Join us at The Watering Hole!
This is going to be interesting.
(Rico also wrote, “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 …read more

I always enjoy hearing a new voice in Light the Torch, that’s why I created the guest blogging series, The Watering Hole, here in this blog. I admit that it’s been pretty quiet these past few months, so, I’m quite happy that the ball’s still rolling.
Let’s welcome Rico Mossesgeld of The Smart PDA this coming Saturday, 16 September, and read about his thoughts on amateurism in the Olympics.
Hmmm.
This should be interesting, don’t you agree?
See you all then!
P.S. If you’re interested to guest blog here at Light the Torch, you should read this and then just drop me …read more

The Japanese port of Fukuoka formally announced on Tuesday its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The southern provincial city believes the era of big cities hosting the Games is over, but faces competition from the capital Toyko to go forward as Japanese bid.
“We regard the (2012) London Games as the last of the 20th-century-style Olympics,” world-renowned Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, executive producer of the Fukuoka bid, said. “After the 1936 ‘Nazi Games’, nearly 90 percent of the (Summer) Olympics have been held in capitals or big cities of similar size and used to boost the prestige of the …read more

Remember what I told you about The Watering Hole?
Well — fabulous news! I got my first official guest blogger. Hehehe.
What better way to kick things off but have an Olympian to contribute here at Light the Torch? Don’t bother answering. It’s a rhetorical question. Heh. Sorry. I’m just happy that’s all.
Can I help it if this blog has awesome connections? Hahaha. ;)
Here’s a hint: You can find him here and here.
Oh, alright.
Look out for Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist Scott Goldblatt tomorrow! :)

The Watering Hole. The guest blogging series.

Like I mentioned before, I am inviting readers to come on over and speak up. I like the idea that Light the Torch will be filled with varied voices and hopefully launch a festive atmosphere filled with discussions and occasional debates…