And the Olympics Kept Cycling Because. . .

The IOC has determined to eliminate wrestling from the Olympic Games, a sport that took place in the ancient olympics, too.  You can read about the decision here.

Okay, so wrestling isn't all that viewer friendly.  But, then again, about 30 years ago boxing was and captivated the audience, especially during the Cold War.  The interest in boxing fell off -- at least in the U.S. -- during the summer games in South Korea in 1988, where Roy Jones, Jr. was so ripped off that boxing as an Olympic sport lost all credibility.  Boxing's popularity is way down, too.  The U.S. networks used to emphasize gymnastics, boxing, track and field and basketball.  Boxing in recent years has been nowhere to be seen. 

Wrestling hasn't been a popular viewing sport, either, but the tradition is there.  Hasn't it also been cleaner than cycling, which has done more laundry publicly about its dirt than the next three sports combined?  Since that's the case, why is cycling still an Olympic sport?  Perhaps it is more aesthetically pleasing, but is that the real reason?

With the IOC, though, you never know.  It was hard to get a straight answer out of the cycling world for years, as it's been hard to get a straight and reasonable answer from the IOC for years, either. 

Wrestlers of the world, unite! 

You can kick the rear ends of the average cyclist any day of the week.

If you can catch them.