Why all the fuss about Beijing winning the 2008 Summer Olympics? The International Olympic Committee has a long and sordid history, going back to awarding the 1936 games to Nazi Germany, and continuing with the unforgivable "show must go on" mentality of the 1972 Munich games. After a terrorist attack, the IOC hardly skipped a beat. After all, what are a few murdered athletes? I guess that lesson was lost on just about everyone. If I were an Olympian in 1972, the IOC's level of interest for my welfare would have given me some pause. Then, there was all that nonsensical judging that went on during the Communist era.

Who cares about the Olympics anyway, except the competitors and a few misguided fans? TV sure doesn't. Most of the Sydney games were not shown live in the US--for no apparent reason. Heck, if people would still watch the games, after they knew how it turns out--well, as an advertiser, I wouldn't be real interested in that demographic! At the very least, I wouldn't need to spend top dollar to reach them THAT way.

As far as I'm concerned, China and the IOC richly deserve each other.