Bite me
i'm still not 100% sold on the Olympics in general (the IOC is a travesty, etc.), and I still think that China is getting off way too easy on a lot of issues (lip synching? age scandals? doesn't anyone care that there are still well over 100 Tiananmen Square protestors in jail 19 years later? didn't thousands of children die when substandard schools collapsed in an earthquake while other buildings held up fine?), but i'm not ready to start ranting in earnest yet, and i've been watching more than i thought i would be, so let's take a look at something totally mindless: medal biting.
Slate did a short piece about this back in 2006, with the explanation that this tradition serves to test whether the medals are real, but gives no history. the practice has become so prevalent that the Olympian Blog has gone so far as to create a "medal biting" label for its entries, while apparently journalists will request that winner bite their medals for photo ops. as the pictures above show, this is not a new phenomenon, and appears to transcend race, gender and national borders (and possibly sexual orientation as well). some people seem serious, while others seem to be joshing around. there are plenty more examples to study. so i guess my question comes down to, is the authenticity of the medals really in any sort of doubt? has anyone ever received a fake medal? has anyone ever chipped a tooth? is this like the kidnappee who is forced to pose with that day's newspaper to prove he is still alive? is it really so interesting to see athletes biting their medals that they need to be asked to do so? does it make me some sort of killjoy that i think this tradition is wholly lame?
OK, back to the gymnastics and the debate over how on earth anyone can believe this girl is 16.