Read the debate intro and the argument by Babe Ruthless.
The Olympics are slowly winding down, leaving Bleacher Fan to contemplate what else there is to watch on television once the closing ceremonies are over. Others, however, are glad to see the event come to a halt. But today is surely a debate that will entertain you, whether you consider yourself an Olympic aficionado or not. Bleacher Fan has posed an interesting question to us – Which is more important in Olympics? The QUALITY of the medals won by each country or individual, or the QUANTITY of those medals. Without hesitation, I say QUANTITY – Give me more!
As I began to write my argument, I had the local news on the TV in the background, and they were showing some highlights of Bobsledding along with the other events that took place yesterday. I continued writing, relatively uninterested in the topic, because I don’t consider those as being “marquis” events. But then the sports anchor said, “As we take a look at the overall medal count….”, and I found myself looking up at the TV and the medal count tracker. Through last night’s events, the United States had won 28 overall medals (7 gold, 9 silver, and 12 bronze) with Germany and Norway in second and third, respectively. Even though I’ve only followed a few of the events, seeing that our great country was leading in overall medals made me proud. The first thing I saw was not that we had seven gold medals, nine silver, or twelve bronze. It was the fact that the number ‘28’ was next to that American flag.
Obviously, every Olympic competitor wants to win gold. It is what you train for, making it the ultimate prize. But are you considered a failure if you don’t win the gold? Is there shame in taking home the silver or the bronze? No, there is not. I hate to put it this way for fear of disregarding the talent that some of the Olympians have – and I personally hate when people use this cliché – but some of those athletes are just thrilled to be there. Winning any medal, even if it is a silver or bronze, would be a huge accomplishment for them. The last time I checked, silver medalists still get to take their medals home and display as they see fit. The same goes for bronze medalists.
By winning medals in several different events, an Olympic competitor proves that they are a true Olympian. They are able to show their diversity and overall athletic ability, not to mention the fact that it is also more jewelry to take home!
During the closing ceremonies, what I am most looking forward to seeing is that the United State of America has won most overall medals. Yes, it will be nice to have the most gold medals also, but I want the most!! If that happens, we Americans will be able to claim that we “won” the 2010 Winter Olympics, and that is the overall goal of the country!
[...] The Olympic Medal Quantity Versus Quality Debate – More is Better … [...]