There has been a lot of discussion since Athens about foreign swimmers training in the United States. Most of them attend U.S. Universities, receive athletic scholarships, and compete at NCAA's. Some notable examples include Duje Draganja (Cal), Fred Bousquet and Kirsty Coventry (Auburn), Markus Rogan (Stanford), and the South African sprinters (Arizona). Some train in the U.S., but don't compete for a university (Inge de Bruijn). All of these athletes benefit from U.S. coaching, from training with U.S. swimmers, and in some cases, from financial support provided by U.S. entities (athletic scholarships). They all turn around and then win medals for other countries.
A couple questions: 1) What do you think about this arrangement generally? 2) Is it of benefit or detriment to U.S. swimming to have these foreign athletes training and competing here? 3) Should we be giving athletic scholarships, which are a scarce resource in swimming, to foreign athletes who will represent their own countries internationally instead of U.S.-born swimmers who will represent us internationally?
I'm sure there are other issues, but these come directly to mind.
Good Smith:
If only US kids should get US money, should we exclude making foreigners pay property taxes since property taxes, for the most part, fund local education?
And, just because an athlete doesn't thank the US in the 15 seconds he's interviewed post race, does that mean he/she isn't greatly appreciative? Maybe the next time someone who trains in the US but wins a gold medal for a foreign country is interviewed post race, they shouldn't thanks their parents or coaches but take the time to sincerely thank US taxpayers. I know that's who my kids will be thanking in the event of athletic success.
It still cracks me up that people refer to sports as war. Sports is a cakewalk, not war.
If competition and winning have nothing to do with a well rounded campus, why do all universities place such high emphasis on extra curricular sporting activities? Why even have IM on campus?
Good Smith:
If only US kids should get US money, should we exclude making foreigners pay property taxes since property taxes, for the most part, fund local education?
And, just because an athlete doesn't thank the US in the 15 seconds he's interviewed post race, does that mean he/she isn't greatly appreciative? Maybe the next time someone who trains in the US but wins a gold medal for a foreign country is interviewed post race, they shouldn't thanks their parents or coaches but take the time to sincerely thank US taxpayers. I know that's who my kids will be thanking in the event of athletic success.
It still cracks me up that people refer to sports as war. Sports is a cakewalk, not war.
If competition and winning have nothing to do with a well rounded campus, why do all universities place such high emphasis on extra curricular sporting activities? Why even have IM on campus?
