Disagree.
I am from Britain and the coverage here compared to Britain is shocking. Britain are awesome at Sailing and Rowing (Britain will clean up in most events).
America tv only shows what they are good at. China are becoming stronger and stronger. USA won every medal in the pool in 1976 bar the 200m Breststroke gold. Today Australia are just as competitive in the pool as America. Thorpe is a better swimmer than Phelps. America always won the relays in every sport but dont now. THis is because of money. Australia are stronger mentally than any country in the world. Just look at their cricket team.
America has always encouraged women to play sport. Look at soccer and basketball - easy gold medals - but all the countries are catching up. Australia are producing girls. America no-longer dominates the pool. They lost the relay in the womens to Australia.
China are becoming the strongest olympic country. Russia always have an amazing second week in the games. America can no-longer rely on 20 gold medals.
- 100m freestyle - first time ever an American has failed to make the semi- finals.
- 400m relay - first time ever America failed to get gold or silver.
- 200M/400M MEDLEYS - first time ever american failed to get gold in female competition.
Its all about money. Australia have 20 million people but have invested in sport. If you took the result of Europe as a whole woulf they have more medals than America of course. America has 280 million people and loads of cash to invest in equipmet. Most atheltes that compete are amateurs. What percentage of americas team is amateur? 10%.
Britain has schoolteachers competing in Judo, chefs in sailing.
America will still beat China in medals easily...American is still the only country in the top tier in both swimming and track, where the most medals are awarded. China picks up a bunch of medals in the less prominent sports...right now most of their medals are in shooting and diving...and NBC has shown a lot of diving. They show the sports they think Americans are interested in. For instance, they show a ton of volleyball, even though the US isn't that great.
I don't think you are correct about the Americans winning consistently in the women's swimming medleys. Didn't the same Eastern European woman win both these events in 2000?
