An Olympic problem (Men’s Basketball)

So a few times during this Olympic basketball coverage I’ve been hearing talk of changing the rules to an under 23 tournament like where the soccer has and the voices most likely have gotten louder to with the 30 point win for the US in the gold medal match.

Soccer was brought into the Olympics way back in 1908 at London and like the Olympics until the mid-1980s it was classed as an amateur sports with no paid athletes allowed to play. This was one of the main reasons why the World Cup was born in the late 1920s with soccer taking off at the club level and players wanting to represent their nation at the world tournament. So the World cup took off and is the biggest sporting event in the world was created. As professionalism spread around the world, the gap in quality between the World Cup and the Olympics widened. The countries that benefited most were the Soviet Bloc countries of Eastern Europe, where top athletes were state-sponsored while retaining their status as amateurs. Between 1948 and 1980, 23 out of 27 Olympic medals were won by Eastern Europe.

Things changed in the 80s with some small restrictions in play but most professional were allowed to join in playing in the Olympics. But in 1992 at the Barcelona games it turned into an under 23 only competition due to FIFA not wanting the Olympics over shadowing the World Cup. Then in 1996 the current format was added with it being an under 23 competition with an exception of 3 players.

And now back to basketball. The biggest problem with basketball in the Olympics is the USA Dream team that is always filled with NBA all-stars and almost every year since 1992 they have walked away with the gold medal.

This was not always the case with NBA players not allow to compete in the games until 1992 and before then the USA team only sent college players.

On the other hand other countries sent in their best players as their players were classified as "amateur" by FIBA by earning allowances instead of wages. Things changed after the 1988 Olympics and the Dream Team era began.

So let’s get to the point. Many key factors who would want this to happen.

For starters most NBA owners like Mark Cuban who watches there stars go and play in international play and come back injured like Paul George’s terrible injury back in 2014 that ruined the Indiana Pacers next season.

Almost every other team that plays but in saying that that is unfair because most players would want to compete against the best of the best and not get a free ride.

FIBA would want this to happen as it would make there tournament the World Championships more of a big deal.

It’s tough making the whole comp an under 23 tournament because most star player on other teams like the Gasol Brothers for Spain or Scola and Ginobili for Argentina are well over the age limit and you can’t just make the USA under 23 only UNLESS the Americans decide to adopt this but highly unlikely to happen.

An under 23 tournament for men’s Olympic basketball wouldn’t work for one main reason and that is soccer has the world cup and that is a major deal in the world. Basketball does have a World Championship but if you ask ANY international player and the main goal in basketball life is to play in the Olympics.

Unlike soccer where there is not just one great team that bullies a win wins every time, basketball have the USA and that is it and you can see where other fans can get upset but it’s not going to change it and I hope it doesn’t change and in saying that most fans that are not diehard fans go to watch the NBA players play.