Flash, you say that you wouldn't want to see any of the kids reproducing Bolt's antics in a Primary School Championships.
Fair enough.
But I counter that 90% of the behaviour we've seen over the years from top tier sprinters you wouldn't want to see from the kids. Oh gosh man, we all know how sprinters for the most part does conduct it.. like some egotistical pricks.. But if that is what they feel they need to do to pump themselves up to give them an edge over the competition, then so be it.
I like how Ato in his rebuttal conveniently skip over the references to his and his HSI buddies' antics during their time in the limelight. Most of what he responded to was not even a bone of contention in this post. All that stuff about the fans hating on him, and about what he has to deal with being on the big stage belongs in the Sam thread. I just really don't get this sudden change of heart from a man who used to fully endorse Mo Greene and his disrespectful antics throughout his career.
Like Fli said.. I sincerely doubt that anyone in that stadium or watching on television, or even running alongside him interpreted Bolt's celebration stunt as anything offensive.. Everyone I talk to just recount how they sat in awe and marvelled at that performance.
but like Ato rightly said, he's entitled to his opinion and we're entitled to ours.
Omarldinho you absolutely right...most sprinters does gallery deyself and that is what I like about it. At the same time I see nothing wrong with somebody who prides themself as being a role model telling kids not to do that. To be quite honest I never see HSI do anything
during a race. There is a huge difference. If you don't understand that you don't understand track and field.
You ever see Cristiano Ronaldo take off he jersey before he hit a goal? You ever see Raul kiss his wedding ring before stringing up de keeper? When Rene Higuita come out and Roger Milla run past him to an Open goal did Roger stop and wine before OR after the goal?
I can't vouch for football but I know in track and field you celebrate after the race and even before it...not during.
If you so sure there weren't people offended by Bolts antics do an internet search on some Sports Blogs. I read thousands of messages criticising Bolt and, quite frankly, many of them were very offensive and went overboard but the fact is
many people weren't too impressed by the chest thumping. There is a blog called Fourth Place Medal where a writer asked "Why Is NBC Ignoring Usain Bolt". Read the responses to that blog at your own peril.
The most I ever see HSI do is hug each other after races, Mo Greene would lick up he tongue before the race, Ato and Drummond go do dey best Darreem Charles pose after, etc. I had no problem with Mo's fire extinguisher because it was after the race. The only stupid thing Greene do on the Olympics stage was the preening after the Sydney 4x100m and the US Media killed him for it.
In any case I'd hardly call Ato congratulating his teammate an endorsement. That's more like men who bled, sweat and cried striving towards the same goal being happy for each other' s sucess. BTw there is a big difference between clowning at a Professional Grand Prix meet and clowning at the Olympics Games which is supposed to be about sportsmanship. Had Mo been pulled that Fire Extinguisher out in Sydney he woulda been expelled from that Stadium...trust me.
This is no sudden change of heart from Ato...it's called change of age. You think Ato is proud of everything he did in public when HE was 21? So because the big brother learn from his mistakes he can't advise the younger brother? Wanna bet that Thompson will never be seen doing some of the things Ato did back in the day? That's because an older, wiser Ato is in his corner advising him to act better.
Again we all fully understand Usain's exhilaration in the moment and I can live with that. This is not the end of the world. Having said that, now that he's an Olympic Champion...I hope when he wins the 200m tommorow he acts like he's been there before...because he has.