Mask of Rage

Earlier this week 4 members of the US cycling team arrived in Beijing sporting masks to ward off the effects of Beijing's notoriously smoggy air. These four athletes were hammered in the popular press. Even Wilbon and guest host J.A. Adande ripped these athletes on PTI. And I'm disgusted.

The Olympics represent an opportunity for some of the world's best athletes, in the most underrepresented sports, to perform on a world stage and enjoy the attention and glory we dole out daily to professional athletes in the US. If you are a cyclist, a runner, a rower, a triathlete, or any other athlete who has worked many long years to get to the Olympics, why would you accept anything less than your absolute peak physical condition? I could not care less if the Chinese are offended by those athletes who wisely choose to don masks. If the host country had kept their promise of pollution reduction, then the mask would be unwarranted. But when daily air conditions flirt with the 100 mark on the air quality index, China forfeits their right to get upset that visiting athletes don't want to inhale airborne sludge.

Shame on members of the media who are slamming these athletes for protecting themselves. These are not NBA prima-donnas making millions a year. These are amateur athletes who have gotten to the games without shoe deals and fat Olympic Committee money. If these athletes want to ensure they are able to compete without any reservation or excuse, let them be.

With the opening ceremonies just wrapping up a few minutes ago, the question of whether other US athletes chose to wear the masks (provided by the USOC by the way) during the open-air ceremonies will be determined sometime around 8PM ET tonight. I truly hope that a number of athletes choose to wear the masks, or skip the opening ceremonies altogether (I know I won't be watching). The news media may be keeping it's mouth shut about China's treatment of Tibet during these games, but I don't think that's indicative of anyone giving China a pass on the issue. So why are US athletes being attacked in response to the air quality issue, when the Chinese are responsible for the mess in the first place?