Where Will America Find Its Next Generation of Olympic Athletes?

That's a question that Philip Hersh at the LA Times asked earlier this week:

It no longer makes any difference whether the U.S. Olympic Committee was sandbagging or simply being realistic with its pre-Games pronouncements about medal hopes in Beijing.

The significant thing is its analysis was exactly correct.

So it would be wise to listen to USOC chief executive Jim Scherr's analysis of future shock for U.S. Olympic teams.

"Given our position coming into the Games, which was that China would win the gold-medal count and would be closer in the total medal count than anyone thought, we surpassed our expectations for performance in these Games,'' Scherr said.

For what it is worth, despite the continued rise of China, Team USA should wind up with its most medals in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1904.

But that statistic is a questionable measure of success. The regular addition of sports and events from 1960 through 2000, many in sports where U.S. athletes already excelled, has increased the U.S. haul. The U.S. also has benefited from the reunification of Germany, as the sum is less than the parts that were East Germany's sports machine.

A counterpoint to that is how many other countries worldwide have become competitive over the past two decades -– and the addition of countries from the breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.

The fairest comparisons are to the last two Summer Games, since there were 300 medal events in 2000, then 301 in 2004 and 302 here.

By that standard, the 2008 U.S. Olympic team can hold its head higher than ever, its total (103 through Saturday morning) guaranteed to top those of Sydney (92) and Athens (102).

"When we look at what we've actually accomplished and what we were within reach of accomplishing, we're pleased,'' Scherr said.

Yet Scherr, an Olympian in wrestling, is not getting carried away, because he knows the ongoing problem of how to replace the colleges as the primary development pool for athletes in sports such as track (21 medals before Saturday), swimming (31), men's gymnastics (two), volleyball (two) and wrestling (one) could undermine U.S. Olympic teams very soon.

The cowardly athletic directors who hide behind Title IX to cut men's non-revenue sports are to blame for some of this, but getting all those old men to change their ways is futile. The USOC must find a solution –- sponsors, government help, whatever –- to provide alternatives for developing athletes and coaches without college opportunities.

Something tells me that plenty of former Olympic athletes agree.

Olympic Greats John Naber, Peter Vidmar, Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson join with Actor Billy Baldwin Calling for 'Common Sense' reform of Title

Earlier today, the College Sports Council issued the following press release:

Washington, D.C., August 4, 2008 – Over 25 U.S. Olympians and over 35 NCAA Champions have endorsed a College Sports Council petition calling on the U.S. Congress to enact common sense reform of the federal regulations governing Title IX compliance.

As of today, U.S. Olympic champions John Naber (4x Gold, Swimming, 1976), Peter Vidmar (Gold, Gymnastics, 1984), Dan Gable (Gold, Freestyle Wrestling, 1972) and Cael Sanderson (Gold, Freestyle Wrestling, 2004) as well as actor Billy Baldwin, who wrestled in college at SUNY Binghamton, have signed the petition.

“I support the CSC’s efforts to reform Title IX, so that the law can continue to protect women from discrimination, but without harming men. If we don’t reform the current regulations that govern Title IX, we will continue to see more athletic programs eliminated, and that would be a tragic loss,” said Olympic swimming legend John Naber.

On June 23, 2008, the CSC launched a national petition drive on the 36th anniversary of the passage of Title IX calling on men and women to work together to effect “straightforward and common-sense” reform to the law’s enforcement mechanism in college athletics.

The text of the petition reads:

WHEREAS … Men’s collegiate athletic teams are being eliminated and rosters are being capped at an alarming rate in order to comply with the “proportionality” enforcement prong ...

WHEREAS … Women collegiate athletes are being robbed of their training partners, teammates and biggest supporters when men’s teams are eliminated ...

WHEREAS … Straightforward and common-sense fixes to the enforcement mechanism are already available – such as a simple survey that would allow any student, male or female, to express interest and be given opportunity ...

WHEREAS ... The law's current method of enforcement is discriminating against male athletes and artificially limiting opportunities to participate ...

WHEREAS ... The current tenor of the debate over the future of Title IX sets up a zero sum contest pitting men against women that hurts the collective cause of all college athletes ...

BE IT RESOLVED ... That men and women across the country come together to discuss and implement a set of common sense reforms to Title IX enforcement that maximizes the opportunities of all college athletes regardless of gender.

WE THE UNDERSIGNED ...

The petition can be signed online at: http://www.petitiononline.com/csc2008/petition.html. Over 4,700 others have already signed it.

The College Sports Council is a national coalition of coaches, parents, athletes, and alumni devoted to the preservation and promotion of the student athlete experience.

Additional Background and Sources: http://www.collegesportscouncil.org.