LaShawn Merritt, Flag Draper (AP Photo)
The thing that kills me about track at the Olympics is all the flags. Whenever someone finishes a race in medal position, one of the first things they do is run over to the edge of the track and someone tosses them a folded up flag which they immediately unfold and drape over themselves. Who started that tradition? How many flags does the US bring to the Olympics? What do they do with the flags when they're done? Fold them back up and save for 2012? Donate them to charity? Keep them as souvenirs? Hey, here's my gold medal and here's my nation's flag which I wrapped up in when I was all sweaty after the race. . .
And why is it just track? Could you imagine Mike Phelps winning a race and immediately hopping out of the pool, tossing his goggles aside while striding over to grab a flag to wrap around his wet body before his 173rd interview with Andrea Kramer? Or Shawn Johnson finishing her beam routine and when she sees her score and determines she will probably medal, having her coach fish a fresh flag out of a box? Or an NBA star, draping a flag over his warmup to hide the logo of the competing sneaker company? Okay, maybe that one.
1 comment:
I agree. And they don't do a very good job of keeping track of where the flag is and whether it's on the ground or not, etc. I'm pretty sure I remember reading when we were scout den leaders that athletes are not supposed to drape themselves with flags.
I think it is just spectators handing them the flag, but I'm not sure.
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