Back in the days of the Vietnam War, there was a popular peace-activist poster that posed the question, “What if they gave a war and nobody came?”
From recent developments, it would appear that those posters could be resurrected and edited. The word “war” would be crossed out and “Olympics” inserted in its place.
The most recent defection has been Golden State Warriors guard and MBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry. His claim is that he wants to concentrate on improving his fitness during the offseason, but if he has concerns regarding the Zika epidemic, could anyone really blame him, other than perhaps for a lack of complete candor?
True, Curry has had to deal with his share of dings during the 82 game marathon that is the NBA’s regular season, along with all the playoff games, but it would seem as though anyone taking part in high intensity aerobics for nine to 10 months of the year would be in quite good form.
Then again, professional athletes at the highest level have to consider the reality that every time they participate, career-ending injuries always lurk, along with confronting the day-to-day risks with which all humans deal. Moreover, there really is no offseason anymore, and risking millions of dollars in potential earnings for what essentially amounts to volunteer work by playing for free at the Olympics does not seem like the decision of a rational individual.
