USA will cruise in Rio Olympics

USATeam USA Basketball heads into the Rio Olympics as overwhelming favourite to claim gold, as it always does. However, some eyebrows were raised when the team announced that it will be staying on board a docked luxury cruise liner and not in the Olympic village.

Olympic villages are a once every four years collective of the worlds athletes, who usually mix and turn it into a place of legends. Indeed, whenever an athlete or group decides to avoid the village, it causes surprise.

In terms of Team USA, it is worth mentioning two things. Firstly, the men’s basketball team has not stayed in the Olympic village since 1988. That was 28 years ago, so why would the team break with a near three decade tradition now? Secondly, the 2016 Olympic village is not like others, and these Rio Olympics are not like others.

A wave of news reports and a trending #rioproblems meme suggest this is the most troubled summer games for decades, long no before the USA opted to avoid the village. Dangers of facilities not being completed, a global security crisis, violent protests amongst Brazilians over the cost of the event, and the zika virus have all contributed to the issue.

And then there’s the village. Simply put, the facilities in the Olympic village are not of the highest standard, with athletes sending photo tweets showing broken fittings, leaking plumbing, and more. Australian basketball player Andrew Bogut needed to buy and install his own shower curtain, for example.

https://twitter.com/andrewbogut/status/760306520039026688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Sure, it is hardly a disaster, but these are not the games of luxury like London produced four years ago. It is arguable that they shouldn’t be, Brazil is a nation that has its fair share of third world poverty. So, is there really any surprise that the pampered NBA elite of Team USA have looked for something more upmarket? Crass it may be, but disrespectful or stupid it is not.

Simply put, the USA Basketball team will be treated like the multi-million dollar stars they are. That may not sit well in a games where economic divide has a spotlight on it, but it makes sense from a sporting perspective. Lest we forget, the Olympics are a sporting spectacle first and foremost.

These players are used to being treated like stars and having every whim catered to. If the team US forced its basketball team into the village it could produce a negative impact on the floor. Whether that is right or wrong is irrelevant in pursuit of the gold.

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