The Republic of Sport

Mary Nicole Nazzaro

Mary Nicole Nazzaro's Comments

Posted Friday July 18, 2008, About: USATF statement on Trevor Graham

Hyeji: I'll be in touch.

Giwan: Honestly, I think that track in the States has turned a very positive corner since the BALCO scandal. The Olympic Trials in Eugene were fantastic and there appears to be a new and very deliberate movement among many of the top athletes to talk openly about drug use in the sport, to pledge their commitment to competing clean, and to building the sport in the U.S. with a new generation of stars. The excitement of track in Eugene was amazing. So, I think the exposure of drug cheats and the movement - finally - towards banning corrupt coaches may well pay off in a much improved sport. For those of us who love track, it's a welcome change.

Posted Tuesday July 15, 2008, About: Why these Olympics are so fascinating

I'll be fascinated as well, giwan - I think with all of the difficulty the international press has had in getting access, they'll most certainly report openly on what access they're given once they get to China. It's a developing story and one that we're very interested in, so we'll see what happens.

Posted Friday June 27, 2008, About: Zheng gives Chinese tennis a shot in the arm

Hi - There's nothing there to read. Sorry.

Posted Friday May 23, 2008, About: More on Pistorius

Ah, good point (is that you, Parker?). So, to clarify - we've not yet seen an athlete without full use of his/her limbs competing against athletes who have full use of theirs. Am I right?

Posted Monday May 12, 2008, About: A sigh of relief

I disagree. The word "apologist" is being bandied about to just about every U.S.-based writer who has actual experience in China and who then brings that viewpoint to try to have a nuanced discussion about the issues. It's a word that is meant to demean and minimize the contributions of the person who sees China as more than what the masses in the west want to sell us. It's a pretty depressing situation to see just how quickly people in this country are judged when they say something other than the official party line about China.

By the way, have you considered the irony in your own comments? You want to discount my viewpoints because they're not the same as yours. Isn't that what you're so upset at the Chinese governemnt for allegedly doing - suppressing dissent?

Here's to more lively discussion on these issues in the future - hopefully without the name-calling next time around.

Posted Sunday April 27, 2008, About: A sigh of relief

As I said, who knows what's actually going to happen when the two sides sit down - but the fact that China is making the gesture is significant. Of course it could just be window-dressing, but that's no reason not to be relieved that it's finally happening. My opinions about these issues, by the way, are shaped by over ten years of work in and around China. What is your opinion that I don't "get it" based on?

Posted Monday April 07, 2008, About: Yao will be back

Hmmm...hadn't counted my sentences, but now that you mention it...! Anyway, great to see Yao and the Rockets in the playoffs, no matter how many sentences it takes to get the story out. :)

Posted Wednesday April 02, 2008, About: Sometimes all we can do is hold our breath

I deleted a comment in this space because it was, well, thoughtless and offensive. If you have something to say, say it intelligently and with clean language, or it will get deleted from this blog. [This does not refer to RedskinHater's post above - though I must say with a bit of tongue in cheek that your nickname and your post are a little bit contradictory in nature, don't you think?]

To the person who wrote the comment that was deleted: I was not comparing Iraq to Tibet. I was asking people to think about what it looks like from the outside when we use power to get what we want - the same way some people are now judging China for what's going on in Tibet. I'm asking you to think outside the box and realize that there are many people in the world that view America the way some want us to view China right now. If you want to re-post your comment without profanity and with the intention of having a clear discussion, I'm game. But if you're into name-calling, I'm not, and will delete posts that are offensive and that do not move a conversation forward.

Posted Wednesday April 02, 2008, About: Tibet rhetoric: Tipping point?

Hi DCU - Thanks for your comments. I respect Sally a great deal (I've met her and she's a great trailblazer for women sportswriters and a fun, fun person to be around) but I agree with you here - there is no way to move the Olympics with less than six months to go, and beyond that, it would be a tremendous slap in the face to the millions of Chinese citizens who are looking forward to the Games. We can chalk up that one column as being over the top without blanket-judging her or the other writers calling for boycotts the way some people feel they're judging all of China because of what happened this month in Tibet. Understanding between Chinese and Americans will take a lot longer than one Olympic cycle - but the Olympics are a start to that conversation and I'm still very much looking forward to the Games this summer.

Posted Thursday March 27, 2008, About: Tibet rhetoric: Tipping point?

Hey, I said they were wishes, right? But I do hope that the situation improves, and that Hu and the Dalai Lama can somehow begin a solid dialogue.

Posted Tuesday February 05, 2008, About: Milwaukee is cold...this game won't be

Actually when you're standing next to him it's really obvious that he has excellent muscle tone for his height and age - and of course he's only in his first year of NBA-level strengthening training, so I'd expect he'll put on more muscle in the coming years. And just for the record, that's a power forward you're looking at, not a true center - that's Andrew Bogut's job (and at least on Saturday against Yao, he did that job quite well, shutting down quite a few of Yao's usual easy shots).

Posted Monday January 28, 2008, About: More on pollution

It's definitely a tough call. I attended the world junior track and field championships in Beijing in August 2006 and while the heat was indeed stifling, I didn't hear any of the athletes complaining about pollution - in fact, we had a few really spectacular days, weather-wise. It's a lottery - I've seen summer days full of smog but others that were brilliant. The really scary time in Beijing is during April and May, when the dust storms come in. Here's hoping that the air will be fine for the Olympics - and that China will take this issue very seriously as it continues to develop.

Posted Thursday January 10, 2008, About: China's tennis scene

Medaling in tennis...they've got a shot in women's doubles, where they've done quite well internationally, and potentially in singles as well if Li Na plays an inspired tournament. No doubt crowd support will be off the charts for these athletes so I'd say anything can happen - it all depends on the luck of the draw and the athletes' ability to stay healthy and keep a strong mindset as the tournament progresses.

~ Mary Nicole