Olympics wrap-up

Well, it was a great, fun Olympics. A few last thoughts:

+ Good article from the recent SI. As much as I'm a huge advocate of peacefully rising China, it's important to remember that they have a long way to go on freedom and human rights. The IOC and NBC both took it pretty easy on China.

As for China authorities, the pretty little girl stood in for the more homely singer. Digital fireworks were added to the original picture. No protests were approved, and some who applied were reportedly detained. Tourist visa requests were denied. Foreign protesters were deported. And some suspiciously little girls helped China win the women's gymnastic team gold medal.

+ As the same article said, and Bob Costas waxed eloquent about at the close, the people of China were very friendly, helpful and welcoming. And we hope those people get more freedom as soon as possible.

+ Someone said somewhere that the US shouldn't try to match China's medal haul. I basically agree with that. If we want to invest more money, that's great (especially private money). But, they have a system we can't and don't want to replicate.

+ Another good article in SI about how Michael Phelps is not the greatest Olympian of all-time, bar none. That's probably right. Others had impressive longevity. Greatest single Olympics performance of all time? No question. Among the very short list of greatest Olympians? Indubitably.

+ My faves: Michael Phelps (of course), Shawn Johnson (Iowa, represent!), the Dream Team (despite myself, to some degree), and Usain Bolt.

+ All in all, a lot of fun, and I got surprisingly into it. Wonder if that'll ever happen again. We'll see...