Hoops

Rise of Boomers over before it begun? U/22 rule?

The Olympics is an overall event that you cannot even begin to compare to worlds as far as spectator value is concerned, it's a whole different ball game hense why it gets prime time media coverage unlike world who got a halfarsed job by abc late into the night!

There are definitely some issues for NBA owners, who take all the risk of injury to their star player, whilst FIBA benefits commercially from having said star play in their tournament.

If FIBA is making a bunch of money off the World Cup, then I think its reasonable that they compensate NBA and other teams for the risk to their players. Hopefully the powers that be will see some sense and negotiate something fair.

In the end, though, I can't see the NBA owners objections somehow forcing FIBA to revert to a 22 and under competition. Worst case scenario, the NBA owners refuse to allow their players to play and the rest of the world shrugs and keeps playing!

And if they make WC the open comp for qualifiers for Olympics then cut that to un23 only for the Olympics that would make no sense at all, as WC teams would fill them with all the superstars of NBA and euro league, then the kids would be left to fight it out at the Olympics.

They should be two totally separate events, WC should be just that , the best in the world. Not a qualifier for anything.

It would make more sense to be an over 28s contest, that way if people get serious injuries during the tournament they've probably already made their millions.

"They were the ones who had the possession arrow and everyone fell meekly into line etc etc."
The NBA had, and still has, the jump ball. FIBA moved AWAY from what the NBA was doing on that one.

This is something that the NBA owners have been pushing for a while now. They want to protect the big $$ they invest in their players. I can understand why they want to but I really hope it doesn't happen.

I don't care if its "the Woj" this is still just an opinion piece.

Interested parties other the NBA will continue to want this to be the biggest event it can be. If the USA want to send only younger players, that's their prerogative, but don't expect other countries to meekly fall into line. They'll continue to request that their best players (who yes, often play in the NBA) to try and grow the game of basketball in their home countries by doing well at tournaments like this.

What a stupid suggestion, so that would mean all Olympians had to be 22 and under and with every 4 yrs waiting for the next so many athletes in all disciplines would miss that opportunity that many work their whole lives to get.

Can't see that getting passed no matter how much America want it. What ever happened though to purely amateur status for Olympic participants , wasn't their a rule you could not be a full time paid athlete, didn't America jack up about that many many many years ago to get their superstars into the games,
Sorry just because they think they are a super power does not give them the right to flaunt it over every other country.