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In other countries, the emphasis on self-reliance has been beaten down by nanny states and entitlement cultures. Just take a look at Australia and Canada, for example. The Aussies have 20 million people to draw from. Canada has 30 million. Yet the Aussies have 35 Olympic medals, Canada just five.
"Talking Points" believes this is reflective of the systems in those countries. Australia is a place where self-reliance is emphasized and competition is celebrated. Canada has become increasingly socialistic, as big government programs ensure everyone is marginally taken care of. I may be wrong here, but I see the entitlement culture as a force against self-discipline and motivation.
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canada is by no means a poor nation. they have the population advantage so how does that correlate with your article jag? btw, welcome back - we've missed your friendly attitude around here.
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As far as stipends and bonuses are concerned, they usually mean the difference between "wallowing in your own shit, eating rotten fruit" and "shoving your own shit out into the street and eating overripe fruit". Not a massive lifestyle change, except for the athletes themselves. This coupled with the fact that we can afford not just to keep our athletes well-fed, but to actually design a specialized diet around the event they want to compete in.
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i think we are talking about major competitors, not third world countries. so most folks china, russia, germany, france, UK, etc... are not wallowing in shit and eating rotten fruit.
many of the major competitors in the events spend most of their time in the US attending US colleges and competing as members of US college sports teams. so the idea of wallowing in shit while preparing to go compete against the american's may not be totally accurate.
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if the last 3 paragraphs of the article had been left off, it would have been a much better article.