1972 USA Olympic Basketball Team

[both-teams-played-hard]

This summer will be the 40th anniversary of the USA basketball team's controversial Olympic loss to the Russian team.
Also, the Americans have refused to accept a Silver Medal for 40 years.
Sure, the ending of the game was a travesty.
However, 11 Israeli Olympic athletes were murdered in a terrorist attack days before the Russia/USA game. The USA continues the most un-sportsmanlike attitude in the history of Olympic competition. Crying about their precious gold medal, when others died and will never see their families again.
If the USA team was worthy of a gold medal, why did they not build a bigger lead and guarantee a victory?
Basketball was invented in the United States of America. We didn't need to prove our legacy in 1972, or now.
I ask the surviving members of the '72 team to accept their Silver Medals and quit crying about some lame-ass basketball game. It's embarrassing.

[Skizzick]

This summer will be the 40th anniversary of the USA basketball team's controversial Olympic loss to the Russian team.
Also, the Americans have refused to accept a Silver Medal for 40 years.
Sure, the ending of the game was a travesty.
However, 11 Israeli Olympic athletes were murdered in a terrorist attack days before the Russia/USA game. The USA continues the most un-sportsmanlike attitude in the history of Olympic competition. Crying about their precious gold medal, when others died and will never see their families again.
If the USA team was worthy of a gold medal, why did they not build a bigger lead and guarantee a victory?
Basketball was invented in the United States of America. We didn't need to prove our legacy in 1972, or now.
I ask the surviving members of the '72 team to accept their Silver Medals and quit crying about some lame-ass basketball game. It's embarrassing.
I have a number of issues with your argument. The Munich Massacre has nothing to do with the basketball finals. In the grand scheme of things, the basketball game was miniscule compared to what happened a few days earlier, but nevertheless, you have a group of young guys competing their hearts out to achieve their life's goal of winning an Olympic medal (before the pro-player days). If they believe the result was faulty, and they have more than enough evidence to back them up, then they should protest it. When you have Olympic officials and even the game's referees coming out years after and saying themselves that the end result was wrong, then those US players should still have a right to protest. They know they'll never get their gold medal, and I don't hear Doug Collins "crying" about the game at every press conference. They just refuse to accept a silver medal they feel they were falsely awarded.

I think you are looking back at the competition and seeing that it took place during the 1972 games, and assuming the players are making a bigger deal out of the game than they should. Protesting the game is in no way disrespectful of the Israeli athletes. The two things are completely unrelated aside from taking place during the 1972 Olympics. Stop playing the whole "it's unsportsmanlike" angle. It's not embarrassing, they're standing up for what they trained for, competed for, unofficially won, and believe is right.

[cohibasmoker]

I say good for the Americans.

They got screwed and they are sticking to their principles. Doug Collins was unbelievable at the end of the game - the Russian player took him out and still he sunk 2 free-throws to put the Americans in the lead. What happened after the free-throws in the final 3 seconds of the game is what the discussion is all about. As for sportsmanship, I fail to see the fairness, ethics or RESPECT that was shown to the American players. If anyone is being unsportsmanlike, its the Olympic committee and their attitude toward the Americans. I can't say that there was some sort of conspiracy or not but the game was NOT decided by the players - it was decided by members of the Olympic committee.

The above comments are my opinion and I've attached a link to the final minutes of the game so each person can make their own decision.

Jim

http://www.cbssports.com/olympics/2012/blog/eye-on-olympics/19515979/72-us-basketball-team-to-reconvene-for-first-time-since-controversial-loss

[both-teams-played-hard]

Gentlemen, thanks for the responses. I may have been harsh with my words. I am a fool for trying to speak for any of the team members.

My feelings are that athletes were killed at these Olympics. The US basketball team was cheated. I can't imagine carrying around that angst for 40 years.

[Dewey2007]

I remember seeing an interview with some members of '72 team about that game and they are all unified in that they will never accept the silver medals. It sounded like their families will never accept them on their behalf either when the die. I wonder what one of these medals would go for at auction??

Anyhow, I think it's a testament to these men, that after 40 years, they are steadfast in their belief that they were cheated out of the gold medal and will not accept second place.

[gingi79]

BTPH,

I don't always agree with the opinions you put forth in your posts but I did see what you were trying to convey and agree with you.

The US got shafted in one of the most obvious Olympic screwups in the modern Olympics. The upside to the situation is that I think that other obvious rigged results were overturned (Ex: The Canadian couple in Ice Skating got their Gold Medal when the French judge screwed the pooch.) However, with the exception of a very half assed movie "Munich", the 1972 Olympics are more remembered for the US refusing the Silver than the Israeli murders and that sucks. Especially when the first memory that comes to mind from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was the bombing and no Athletes were targeted for religion or nationality.

The USA was screwed. Israel has another scar. Face it, the 1972 Olympics were terrible.

[cohibasmoker]

Gentlemen, thanks for the responses. I may have been harsh with my words. I am a fool for trying to speak for any of the team members.

My feelings are that athletes were killed at these Olympics. The US basketball team was cheated. I can't imagine carrying around that angst for 40 years.

Warren,

You and I have disagreed on many an issue but a fool you are NOT !!!

Jim

[both-teams-played-hard]

Gingi,

Thanks for reading my point of view, open-mindedly. I guess we all agree that the US team was cheated.



Warren,

You and I have disagreed on many an issue but a fool you are NOT !!!

Jim
Jim,
If we knew each other personally, then you might agree with me.:)