ok, people . . . i bet every one of us had at least one less-than-charitable thought about someone else today. it's just part of the human experience. we contrast and compare. we judge ourselves and each other. it's what we do. it's what YOU do too, holier-than-thou letter writers, and if you're honest with yourself, you know it's true.

i salute you, jennifer sey! your courageous and compulsive honesty is refreshing and good for us - 280+ posts imply you've hit a nerve. we all have these kinds of thoughts every day, even though we like to tell ourselves we don't. deep down, us armchair athletes are just mad because we can't compete with you on this one. you won, damnit.

I am well aware of the dedication that it takes to be an alite athlete, or an elite dancer or even a top neurosurgeon. You don't have the patent on sacrifice sweetie.

I'm sorry you had bad coaches. I'm sorry your parents were so shitty that they allowed you to continue training even though you were clearly unhappy. I'm sorry that you couldn't go to the Olympics. You are also not unique, your story is but one of thousands. Get over yourself.

Bummer

Wow, way to lay bare the bitterness of growing up as a competitive athlete. It's not going to be easy for me to enjoy watching the rest of the Olympics now.

-- jwj

So right jwj. To Ms. Sey:

Maybe this is why the stereotype of the dumb jock got invented, because you certainly exhibit all the signs of it...

You put down people who make it possible for a pampered snot like you to have pursued your athletic career. How would you be able to participate in your sport if people didn't provide the money for you to make the facilities available for you to practice? Many of them are the fans you so detest.

Your attitude would mean the countless children who get involved in sports, knowing full well that they will never be elite athletes, are doing it for naught.

You most definitely are a "condescending jerk", one that should make you isolated and alone as you so rightly deserve to be...as some say here, you need help, serious help.

Of course we all have those kinds of thoughts.

But we usually don't write about them in a public forum in such a spiteful and graceless way.

Truth is, I'm not even an armchair athlete. I'm not an athlete at all, so I've go no dog in this hunt. I'm not competing with anyone here.

And, as I said earlier, this has completely turned me off to the Olympics. Probably not Ms. Sey's intent, but that's the result.

I've read Ms. Sey's supporters' comments and they are uniformly weak. Lots of people develop some degree of expertise in one area or another. Athletics is far from the only realm of expertise. So, yeah Jenny, you're not the only one with expertise. Lots of people, including many of the commenters on this board, have expertise of one kind or another so you're not quite as special as you obviously think.

What's more, you don't have to have reached the 99.999th percentile to understand the difference between experts and non-experts. Those who have reached the 98th percentile in some endeavor can look down upon the accomplishments and understanding of almost as many people as someone who has reached the 99.999th percentile. Likewise, those in the 90th percentile can look down on those under them. And the 80th and the 70th...Get the picture?

So, you think you've done gymnastics? No you haven't. Now men's gymnastics is real gymnastics! You wouldn't be able to compete against them. In fact, you can't even really understand what they're doing. Its basically the same thing in every sport: women have no idea what their male superiors are doing. Women gymnasts can't even grasp what the men gymnasts are doing.

At least according to your logic...

Walsh hired this cut-rate hack to generate attention for Salon...

And nearly 300 letters later (including one of mine), it worked.

------------------------

But come on, Salon / Joan - are times this desperate for your e-zine that you have to resort to this level of attention whoring?

What's next? A "Michael Phelps is Gay ('cos, um, he's on my GayDar)" piece from Sey's soulmate Sarah Hepola tomorrow in Broadsheet...with a goal of, what, 500 angry letters?

Or better yet: "Barack Obama Secretly Hates America because he's NOT at the Olympics", perhaps? Written by special guest writer and Hillary-lover Tina Fey?

Maybe these Jerry Springer tactics will get y'all some new Premium Subscribers, right?

Except instead of chanting, JERRY!!...JERRY!!, they'll be chanting SALON...SALON...

Kitchen Girl, I think I love you. ;-) Your posts rock!

Inane-a: we letter writers don't enable assholes like Sey. You want to apologize for people who steadfastly behave like jerks and refuse to change their behavior and become better people?

Leave this site and go to FoxNews.com or AnnCoulter.com. You'll be much happier there.

How shockingly counter to the Olympic spirit this article was!

"As much as viewers love watching these athletes defy human expectations, I'm not convinced that those who haven't ever endured the trials and brutal training regimen required to compete at the Olympic level really understand what is entailed.

"I think there are many who believe it's simply a little extra commitment that sets these athletes apart from the hoi polloi."

And really a poorly thought-out article, to boot. Perhaps the editors didn't have the heart or courage to take you down a notch.

I was a very good high school runner, and a much more average college runner. I know what it's like to train and compete and gain satisfaction from the efforts of myself and my teammates. And all the people I competed against had an appreciation of that. None of us became Olympians, eventually giving up our track pursuits to less strenuous activities: studies, careers, families, exercising for fitness, etc.

There are some who watch and say "I could do that." There may even be "many" of them.

But the great majority of those who watch the Olympics recognize--however abstractly--the tremendous amount of talent, commitment, and effort these athletes expend for themselves, their families, their countries. We stand in awe of their accomplishments and marvel at their grace.

The author was blessed with a rare talent, but apparently not with grace.