re: #237 Sherlock Hound

The problem with this is that the concept of “amateur” in the Olympics was always bullshit.

The Soviets gave financial support for their athletes. They were defacto professionals.
Meanwhile, US athletes had to pass the hat, and the most popular sports ended up being supported by commercial interests anyway.

In the days of the Roman Gladiators, some of the competitors endorsed commercial products, just as athletes do today. Money has been around sports almost forever.