MIKE & MIKE

Mike and Mike take on the big questions. And some small ones.

Getty Images

Mark Spitz: will the record fall?

Does the world know the Olympics should be about the athletes?
GREENY: The significance of the Olympics has diminished in recent years. Maybe it was my childhood naïvete, but I really believed the Olympics were one area where money didn't matter. It was purely sport for the sake of competition. And it has lost some of its magic because of all the commercialization and "professionalization" that has taken place in the last 20 years.

GOLIC: While what Greeny says is all true, I love the Olympics. I love watching them. I love the stories. I love hearing about the struggles people went through just to get there and compete, especially those in obscure sports no one cares about except for once every four years. To know that one-hundredth of a second or one inch can cost an athlete either a trip to the Olympics or an Olympic medal is incredible.

GREENY: Those lesser-known events, where you know the winner is not going to end up on a box of Wheaties, are the events that have maintained my interest. Even track and field has become too commercialized, not to mention the issues they've had with the doping. It all makes the Olympics less enjoyable. Then you add the controversy over whether certain nations will attend, and you forget that this is just a sporting event. That's all it's supposed to be. No greater statements should be made.

GOLIC: I can't stand it when people use the Olympics to make their voices heard. The athletes who put their heart and soul into something for four years didn't pick Beijing. They have no control over the circumstances.

GREENY: There are actually people outraged by the fact that these 19-year-old kids want to go to China and run 100 meters as fast as they can. That's as far from the Olympic spirit as it gets.

Phelps going for gold.
GREENY: Records are made to be broken, and thirtysomething years is a long time to hold a record. The time has come to pass the baton. I do like that we might get to see Mark Spitz's mark of seven golds passed to another American, particularly one who seems to understand the significance. As far as I can tell, Michael Phelps is a worthy heir to that throne. So I, for one, am rooting for him to break the record. And if it happens, I'm looking forward to seeing Mark Spitz shake his hand and sort of pass the baton as maybe the single greatest Olympian.

GOLIC: Phelps and Dara Torres are going to be the story of the Beijing Olympics. And I can't wait to watch every race they're in.

Predictions Sure To Be Wrong
GOLIC: Tyson Gay will win the gold in the 100 meters—and break the world record doing it.

GREENY: Kobe Bryant will score more points in the Olympics than at least one entire other country.

Print Article . Email Article. Subscribe to The Magazine