JDay, DJ, Others Pull out of Olympics, Rickie, Others Still Going

[Golfingdad]

45 minutes ago, Aflighter said:

Theres gonna be swimmers swimming in dirty water and these guys wont even play golf.That tells you what these guys think about the olympics.I guess if they were to get paid theyd go huh.By the way im just making an observation compared to others that plan on going in any of the sports.Theres alot of pro golfers that seem like theyre entitled.

Pretty sure the swimmers are swimming in chlorine. ;)  (I think it's the rowers that have to deal with the poop)

23 minutes ago, Valleygolfer said:

No sport is worth jeopardizing your life, money or no money. Gold medal only has value to the individual. At this point the whole thing is losing steam fast. Losing Day and Rory as well as Johnson and some others just shows you are better than whomever felt like showing up rather than the best in the world. "The best in the world" in their perspective sports is the way I have always perceived the Olympics. In this case, not so much. It is just another tournament where the nay sayers are going to be say, "If so and such was here, what would the outcome had been?"

Plus, I would pass if I had to swim in sewage.

 

I partially agree, and am wondering how much of a snowball effect there might be.  Maybe Spieth would have gone but now that he won't be able to say he beat Rory, DJ, or JD, then maybe THAT becomes his reason for bailing?

But at the same time ... A gold medal is a gold medal.  We all remember Carl Lewis in '84, but is there an asterisk next to his records because all of the Communist block countries bailed?  I don't think so.

[Valleygolfer]

2 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

I partially agree, and am wondering how much of a snowball effect there might be.  Maybe Spieth would have gone but now that he won't be able to say he beat Rory, DJ, or JD, then maybe THAT becomes his reason for bailing?

But at the same time ... A gold medal is a gold medal.  We all remember Carl Lewis in '84, but is there an asterisk next to his records because all of the Communist block countries bailed?  I don't think so.

I would pass if I was Spieth, but I don't think he will back out.

I don't think Lewis had any worries from the CCCP like there would be with golf. I would know I didn't beat the best. I guess as long as you are happy winning "by default", I am happy for you GD

[Golfingdad]

7 minutes ago, Valleygolfer said:

I would pass if I was Spieth, but I don't think he will back out.

I don't think Lewis had any worries from the CCCP like there would be with golf. I would know I didn't beat the best. I guess as long as you are happy winning "by default", I am happy for you GD

Lol.  If it was me, I'd certainly prefer the best be there, but at the same time you can only control what you can control.  I wouldn't feel bad about winning just because I beat a weaker field.

[Jeremie Boop]

I feel like, had the Olympics been in another location that doesn't seem as fraught with different possible risks, there wouldn't be all these golfers backing out of competing. Why should we expect them to take risks with their health and well being? The only people who can decide if the risk is worth the reward is them. It's not your or my decision to make for them. If you want to condemn them for making what they feel is the right choice  for them then go for it. I, personally, applaud them for being strong enough to not let others pressure them into something they aren't comfortable doing.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Jeremie Boop

[ChrisP]

44 minutes ago, Jeremie Boop said:

I feel like, had the Olympics been in another location that doesn't seem as fraught with different possible risks, there wouldn't be all these golfers backing out of competing. Why should we expect them to take risks with their health and well being? The only people who can decide if the risk is worth the reward is them. It's not your or my decision to make for them. If you want to condemn them for making what they feel is the right choice  for them then go for it. I, personally, applaud them for being strong enough to not let others pressure them into something they aren't comfortable doing.

It's a combination of things. Location is part of it. The schedule is another part. Security is probably the biggest part. And there's the Zika thing. But waking up in the morning and reading about dead people washing ashore of Rio de Janeiro probably isn't helping those that are on the fence to go.

[rkim291968]

Zika is a lame excuse.  All Dustin needs to do is not get his wife pregnant right after his return from Brazil, as a precaution.    Did Dustin even read about Zika before using it as an excuse? 

[boogielicious]

I've been to Brazil four times in the last three years (Sao Paulo state). I assume the virus has been there the whole time but is now getting a lot more press due to the birth defects. I do not begrudge any player who is in the midst of family planning from not going. Family and the health of children far out weighs and Olympic medal.

[Jeremie Boop]

11 hours ago, rkim291968 said:

Zika is a lame excuse.  All Dustin needs to do is not get his wife pregnant right after his return from Brazil, as a precaution.    Did Dustin even read about Zika before using it as an excuse? 

Not for nothing, but it's not your decision when they try to have a kid. Maybe they are already actively trying to have another kid. I know if she were my wife I'd definitely be working my baby making skills on her 

Seriously, the fact that some people think that it's OK to dictate to another person what should be important to them when it comes to their health and/or family is interesting.

12 hours ago, ChrisP said:

It's a combination of things. Location is part of it. The schedule is another part. Security is probably the biggest part. And there's the Zika thing. But waking up in the morning and reading about dead people washing ashore of Rio de Janeiro probably isn't helping those that are on the fence to go.

That's true, when I read about bodies washing ashore the other day I had a feeling there may be more people backing out in the near future. 

[Valleygolfer]

The thought of going through and requiring so much security; Concern about food and water; General waning importance of the Olympics is starting to wear on the player's psyche.

[newtogolf]

14 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

Pretty sure the swimmers are swimming in chlorine. ;)  (I think it's the rowers that have to deal with the poop)

I could be wrong, but I believe in addition to the events in the pool there are open water swim events that will be in the poop filled water.  

[Machine528]

If I was a major winner with multi million dollar contracts and a 8 figure bank account you would never find me in Brazil!  The police head just issued a statement the other day about not cracking down on the violent criminals enough.  They literally had a hit squad go through last year and take out some of the most violent.  Bodies are washing up on their shores.  I think the Olympics should be held at different venues but it's not fair for the athletes to deal with such a crime ridden and polluted place.  

[Golfingdad]

15 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

I could be wrong, but I believe in addition to the events in the pool there are open water swim events that will be in the poop filled water.  

Yeah I thought about that afterwards ... Triathlon maybe? :)

[rkim291968]

What do you think about 10s of thousands athletes and coaches who are going to Rio?    Most of those players have no chance at a medal, or windfall even with a good performance.   But they are going to Rio.  Are top male pro golfers so special or are they just self centered multi-millionaires?   Please note that you don't see this with LPGA players, and they should be more concerned about Zika.       Dustin, Jason, Rory, ..., if they had choice, I doubt if those boys would have enlisted in WW II if they were born in that era.   

[Valleygolfer]

4 minutes ago, rkim291968 said:

What do you think about 10s of thousands athletes and coaches who are going to Rio?    Most of those players have no chance at a medal, or windfall even with a good performance.   But they are going to Rio.  Are top male pro golfers so special or are they just self centered multi-millionaires?   Please note that you don't see this with LPGA players, and they should be more concerned about Zika.       Dustin, Jason, Rory, ..., if they had choice, I doubt if those boys would have enlisted in WW II if they were born in that era.   

Who cares. They are doing this because they chose to. No one has to play sports and the Olympics are no where near war.

[natureboy]

35 minutes ago, rkim291968 said:

Please note that you don't see this with LPGA players, and they should be more concerned about Zika.

I think it's more than simple patriotism for the women. The men's game already has pretty good international TV exposure and the women's tour is still working for more parity in prestige / audience. They also built in a more reasonable break in their schedule around the event.

The women also have a bit more international tour to start with. The limits on the number of players per country didn't weaken their field as much as the men from the get-go. That affects the OWGR field rating. Maintaining rank is a big deal for both men and women, because it affects all kinds of future playing opportunities in Major and non-Major events. Ranking also impacts sponsorship opportunities and income. Seems like if the tours want to support the Olympics they should build in a better schedule break every 4 years and give the event an attractive amount of minimum OWGR points so that top players feel like they can't miss it.

Liikelihood of contracting Zika is low, but the potential impact on one's life is large (fat-tailed risk). Long-term effects from mild cases are still relatively unknown and it attacks nerve tissue, so it's not equivalent to catching the common cold.

[newtogolf]

1 hour ago, rkim291968 said:

What do you think about 10s of thousands athletes and coaches who are going to Rio?    Most of those players have no chance at a medal, or windfall even with a good performance.   But they are going to Rio.  Are top male pro golfers so special or are they just self centered multi-millionaires?   Please note that you don't see this with LPGA players, and they should be more concerned about Zika.       

You seem to be taking it pretty personal, no one is obligated to participate in the Olympics.  Everyone has the right to decide for themselves if the rewards warrant the risks.  The Olympics aren't as important to male professional golfers as it is to the ladies and other athletes.  

Some might say the other athletes are placing their lives at risk for fame and money.  

 

1 hour ago, rkim291968 said:

 Dustin, Jason, Rory, ..., if they had choice, I doubt if those boys would have enlisted in WW II if they were born in that era.   

Nor would  Muhammad Ali and many other athletes in other sports, whats your point?

[rkim291968]

Zika is no way life threatening.   Below is right out of an health site.   It's a flu, basically.  I think Dustin and others are using Zika as an excuse.   It's a bad excuse at that.   I would have respected their choice if they came out and said honestly "I don't want to go b/c I am self-centered, and there isn't big enough incentive to go to Rio."      Pardon me but the Olympic is far bigger than Ryder's cup and it only happens one every 4 years.   For the top players to ignore it at its return after about a century is being irresponsible, and ungrateful to golf which has made them wealthy beyond their imagination.   They owe it to golf, to their nation, and fans.   

• Many people infected with Zika virus won’t have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) for Zika virus disease is not known, but is likely to be a few days to a week.

 

 

If you must respond to this thread, please read about Zika before you say something about it.    

 

[Valleygolfer]

14 minutes ago, rkim291968 said:

They owe it to golf, to their nation, and fans.

I disagree. Golf has been here before Olympics and will go on. What is this going to do for our Nation? I'm still a fan of all the guys that bailed and the excuse is a cop out but I get it. Let's make you do something you don't really want to do. I bet if something is a hassle in your life with no personal reward AND costs you money, you would get out of it too.