I'm sorry... my last post was probably harsher than it should have been, and I certainly did not mean to knock Sinsull or shanty singing, which I love.   

My problem is the negativity that seems to still rise here on Mudcat. Even the title of this thread smacks of a smarmyness that just doesn't help anything. I loath the fact that everything seems to be blamed on the U.S. and there is an air of superiority that comes across - as if our friends overseas were never guilty of crass commercialism.   I hate the fingerpointing at the expense of others.

Sinsull's comments, which I am sure were meant innocently, struck a nerve because out of all those atheletes from around the world - there are many hard working "kids" who work very hard to reach their goal. There always seems to be a snobbery about atheletes, and perhaps it is because of all the high profile clowns who tarnish the image, but at the heart of it - the Olympics is still about the kid down the street who excels at something and works hard to be a success.

Again, my apologies for my own addition to the bile that get spewed around around here. It did not help.