Women's Boxing in, Softball Out of Summer Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted last week to include women’s boxing to the 2012 London Olympics, the New York Times reports. It also recommended golf and rugby to be added to the 2016 games. Five other sports were rejected: baseball, softball, karate, roller sports and squash.

Of the 26 sports at last year’s games in Beijing, boxing was the only one that did not include women. Many opponents feel the sport is too dangerous for women. However, by adding it to the program for 2012, one of the biggest barriers in Olympic sports has come crashing down.

Other women’s sports have already been part of the Olympic program. Women competed in judo for the first time in 1992 and in weightlifting in 2000. However, if the IOC is truly serious about including more women’s sports, then softball should have been voted back in. Softball had been part of the Olympic program since 1996 until 2004 when the IOC board voted it off.

I am still hopeful that women’s ski jumping will be added to the Winter Olympics program for 2014.

Marion Jones’ Apology Act

The good news (if it can be called that) is that track and field diva Marion Jones finally came clean and admitted to using steroids. In a tearful admission on Friday, the Olympic runner apologized to the public and admitted to lying to federal investigators about taking the drug. Jones will face prison time and has already turned in her five Olympic medals to the USOC.

The bad news is not many people believe her apology act, including USA Today columnist, Jon Saraceno, and Detroit Free Press sports reporter Mitch Albom on Sunday's Sportwriters program on ESPN. They don’t buy her explanation that she was duped into taking steroids by her ex-husband and coach. I did not hear her full admission from Friday, but from what I gather from Albom and Saraceno that her apology was filled with little white lies, intended to make her look the victim. But you can bet Jones is not a victim and will continue her “I was wronged” story for as long as she can.

The sad thing is, who can you believe anymore? You can’t trust anyone who says they didn’t take performance-enhancing drugs because there will always be a seed of doubt about whether that person is telling the truth. The next time someone does deny using steroids, will we automatically assume he/she is lying? Or will the truly innocent be considered guilty by association?

Reinstatement of Baseball as an Olympic Sport in Doubt

According to an article on MLB.com last week, the International Olympic Committee has made it clear to MLB that if baseball is to be reinstated as an Olympic sport, MLB players will have to participate in the Summer Games. MLB president and CEO Bob DuPuy says that Commissioner Bud Selig would like to see baseball return to the Summer Games, but it presents logistical issues for the league. While the Games are taking place in late July or August, divisional races are heating up. At this point, the league has two options. Either shut down the season for two weeks while players participate in the Games for their respective countries, just as the NHL did for the 2006 Winter Games, or allow just a few of the top players to participate while the regular season continues on.

I see problems with both scenarios. If you shut down league play for two weeks in August, teams in the divisional races could lose momentum, and it’s difficult to regain it when the teams resume play. And if you do shut down the season for two weeks, do you make up the games at the end of the season, thus extending the season well into October? The season is already long enough. On the other hand, if only the top players participate, they risk getting injured, which especially hurts those teams that are in the playoff hunt. I understand Selig’s reluctance to commit players to the Olympics. Unless MLB can come up with an alternative plan, it may be wise to say “Thanks, but no thanks.”