Word: sport
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...British Olympians scoffed, as it turned out, at the sheer modesty of the 35-medal target set out by UK Sport, the body that distributes government cash to athletes. And they laughed in the face of UK Sport's hope for an eight-placed finish in the 2008 medal table. In short, their ambitions proved most un-British-like. "The performance of 'Team GB' in the Olympics is moving beyond the sublime and towards the ridiculous," said an editorial in Britain's Daily Telegraph. "We are British, for heaven's sake - how are we supposed to cope with such...
...that's it for softball. The sport is gone from the 2012 games. Proponents are pushing to get back in 2016, but with no guarantees, the anti bat-and-ball bitterness lingers. It's especially strong against baseball. Dick Pound, a member of the IOC and former head of the World Anti-Doping agency, says that, more than the U.S. dominance or lack of participation in many countries, baseball's steroid scandal sparked softball's excommunication. Baseball will cease after Beijing as well...
...think we missed a big opportunity to support women's sport," says Pound. "We were getting the best athletes in the sport, unlike baseball. We're getting athletes that are subject to a very good anti-doping program, unlike baseball. And we're trying to create a balance on the program between men and women. So I think, unfortunately, softball got caught up in the shotgun blast against baseball." A few seconds after Pound spoke from the stands, American Crystl Bustos hit her sixth home run of the tournament, a rocket into the right field seats. The capacity crowd roared...
...After the game, Finch, 27, makes one more pitch. "Over 140 countries play this game," she says. "You know, you don't have to be six-four [Finch is 6-ft. 1 in.] You don't have to be 200 pounds. We have all different shapes and sizes. The sport tests so many athletic abilities, from hand-eye coordination, to speed, to agility, to quickness. We're finally at the pinnacle, we've finally been established. Please don't take this away...
...didn't throw, but the loss still stings. Plus, Finch is feeling guilty about U.S. softball's demise. Really? Finch, who has spent more time promoting her sport than anyone on the planet? She blames herself for some of this mess? "I do," she says. "I hold that responsibility. Being an Olympic softball player, what more can I do? Lisa Fernandez, Dot Richardson, the many greats, they've done so much, and now it's our turn. And what did we do with the torch? So yeah, you do feel let down. Those many girls, they don't look...