Beijing Olympics: Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak, Speedos, Bikinis and Bush

amp160When those Ten Best Moments of 2008 lists are compiled by television critics a few months from now new Olympic swimming sensation Jason Lezakamp8217s power push in the final two seconds of the menamp8217s 4x100 freestyle relay Sunday night should appear on most of them unless the seemingly inevitable moment coming a few days from now when Michael Phelps completes his mission to win a recordbreaking eight gold medals in a single Olympiad is deemed more worthyamp160Lezakamp8217s amazing grab at for the gold may not have been as seismic as David Tyreeamp8217s onceinalifetime gamewinning catch earlier this year during the final two minutes of Super Bowl XLII which propelled the New York Giants to a lastminute victory over the New England Patriots and also belongs on those Ten Best lists But it was historic nevertheless Indeed the First Great Moment of the XXIX Summer Olympics was thrilling for everyone including television viewers on the east coast who were up past their bed times savoring NBCamp8217s ongoing coverage of the Beijing Games which has been in a word grand from night one with its presentation of the dazzling opening ceremonyamp160There will be much more to say about the Games during the next two weeks and given the magnitude of coverage it will be increasingly difficult to come up with anything worth commenting on that has not already been dissected to death at least online With that in mind I offer the following talking points if only to enliven the ongoing conversationamp160First letamp8217s talk about those teenyweeny bikinis worn by the Womenamp8217s Beach Volleyball players This is not exactly a new topic but it surely made for a lively debate at a barbecue I attended on Saturday night amp8211 a festive outdoor gathering that was cut short by the lure of a gorgeous 47inch flat screen in my hostsamp8217 family room and the opportunity to watch scantily clad women in feverish athletic competition in awesome highdefinition The women in the room were appalled at the spectacle of female athletes baring almost all for no apparent reason while the men had no problem with it and were utterly transfixed Our hostess Thea was especially disgusted She wanted to know why male beach volleyball players wore tank tops and board shorts while women were made to wear next to nothing by comparison while competing in the same sport She was further distressed later in the evening at the sight of male swimmers wearing hightech bodycovering swimming suitsamp160amp8220Let me get this straightamp8221 Thea grumbled amp8220The men are wearing more clothing to swim in than the women are wearing to play volleyballamp8221amp160Second letamp8217s talk about those Speedo LZR Racers and other new competition swimwear There were so many superclose calls during swimming competitions over the weekend amp160especially the menamp8217s 4x100 freestyle amp8211 that I found myself wondering Are Americans doing as well as they are doing because of their LZRs I have heard that swimmers who are sponsored by other companies many from other countries are already looking to discontinue their association with other swimsuit manufacturers and want to wear Speedo Racers instead I donamp8217t know who wears what but I know they donamp8217t all wear the same brand Nobody can argue with the power skill and sheer determination of Michael Phelps and nobody can diminish Jason Lezakamp8217s mighty triumph but shouldnamp8217t all things be equal in these contests Shouldnamp8217t competitors all wear the same thing For that matter shouldnamp8217t Olympic victory fall entirely to an athleteamp8217s body and personal skills rather than his or her clothing including shoes and other external elementsamp160Lastly was anyone else unsettled this weekend by the oftrepeated sight of President George Bush sitting in the stands at different Olympic events looking like a superfan It is one thing for a president to attend the opening ceremonies and represent his country at so allimportant an occasion but quite another for him to remain on site to watch events and happily mingle with athletes while wars are raging in Afghanistan and Iraq and a brand new one is breaking out between Russia and Georgia Discussamp160amp160amp160

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Beijing Olympics: Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak, Speedos, Bikinis and Bush

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Ed Martin

Empowering Women in Media: Insights from Industry Leaders (Video) - By E.B. Moss

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Beijing Olympics: Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak, Speedos, Bikinis and Bush

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