Quote:
Originally Posted by ronaldo
Then where is the money you want for this Olympic program going to come from? Corporate sponsorships? Great. I have no problem with that at all. Just don't raise my taxes.
I'll tell you this though. I believe most Canadians would be more proud of a gold medal won today than by an Olympic program that mass produces contenders and dilutes the personal value. Of course, I almost always root for the underdog.
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I think by using the word "program" I'm implying some government program. What I mean is, it doesn't take alot of money to support amateur sport. Kids in this country are so sheltered and are underexposed to sport in general. We don't have manadatory participation in our public schools and we are so blinded by "the big 3" - hockey in the winter and soccer/baseball in the summer - that we miss out on opportunities.
By Olympic "program" I mean creating a culture in this Country that supports amateur sports. I believe the best way to achieve this would be through the education system. Exposure to the whole spectrum of amateur sport should happen in our public schools. From there, the "funding" comes from parents, just like it does for hockey. Who do you think pays for the "traning" of our elite NHL hockey players?? Their parents/family.
Does it take hundreds of millions of dollars to simple educate and inspire kids at a young age about how great amateur sports can be??
As I mentioned before, there may in fact be a net BENEFIT if there was some cost for this education. We publicly fund our healthcare system and more children participating in more sports means a healthier population in the future. Healthier population means lower healthcare costs.
In this Country if you don't excel at hockey, soccer or baseball, you are pretty much discouraged from participating in sports. Hence all the anti-sport attitude you see from Canadians in general.. they can't relate.