2012 Olympics: 5 Sports That Should Be Dropped from the Olympics

As we are nearing the close of London 2012 the games offered up a number of wonderful story-lines.The stories started with the "Fab Five" better known as the United States women’s gymnastics team and included swimmer Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated athlete of all time.

We witnessed the fantastic double victory for Usain Bolt taking home the gold again with wins in both the 100- and 200-meters. Thus making his star status shine even brighter.

Staying with track and field we had the inspiring story of South African sprinter and double amputee Oscar Pistorius. He proved that his handicap was not a reason to keep him from competing against able-body athletes on the biggest stage in the world.

There are countless other outstanding stories far too numerous to mention in this column. However, after watching almost two week of the 2012 Summer Olympics there are clearly at least five sports that need to be dropped from the roster of the games. They are sports that clearly are at the games because they generate money from the television rights, fees and the ticket sales but hardly merit Olympic consideration. 

5. Boxing

This just in... Boxing is dead.

The rise worldwide of mixed martial arts cannot be denied as it has nearly wiped boxing off the radar. While the sport is being kept on life support, its biggest stars are two men Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather who can’t seem to figure out how or when to fight each other.

The game changer for boxing was the UFC deal with Fox television. It proved the power of MMA and the decline of boxing. ESPN, HB0 and Showtime all offer boxing on a regular basis but the MMA remains a growth stock in the world of sports business. Fox executive David Hill stated that the UFC is his son's generation of boxing.  

Both the Summer and Winter Olympics have been able to understand that embracing the new is a very good thing. They have adopted many of the extreme sports made popular by the X Games and made them part of the Olympics, so it is now time to embrace the MMA and do away with boxing.      

4. Cycling

OK it is a very nice story that England’s own Bradley Wiggins won the gold for Cycling in his home country a little over a week after winning the Tour de France. The cycling world competes the year round on five different continents in front of millions of fans. So do they really need to be part of the Olympics?

The professional cycling season looks more like F1. They begin in Australia in January and finish up the season in China at the end of September.

This just is just another made-for-TV event and hardly an Olympic moment.    

3. Tennis

You might recall that Roger Federer beat Andy Murray to capture another Wimbledon title. Then Murray beat Federer to win the gold medal on the same Wimbledon court he lost on less than a month ago.

Serena Williams took home the gold for the United States so the world’s top tennis players proved at the Olympics that, well, they are the best tennis players.

So off they go on their private jets to start the road to the U.S. Open later this month in New York at Flushing Meadows. Tennis has the grand slam events: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S.Open. Does it really seem like winning a gold medal at the Olympics is as important as winning a major championship?

If tennis offers a chance for the top juniors in the world in the Olympic Games then I am in. But watching the world's best players play at the Olympics is just like watching yet another stop on the tour.        

2. Men's Basketball

The point has been proven, enough is enough. The United States plays the best basketball in the world. Period. The self-proclaimed "Dream Team" led by LeBron James and Kobe Bryant barring some massive upset will pick up a gold medal. Now it is time to leave the Olympics to the under-23 crowd and keep the superstars at home.

Don’t be surprised if NBA commissioner David Stern ends the "Dream Team" concept here in London.

There have been rumblings that a World Basketball Championships along the lines of soccer's World Cup could be created. A move that would generate both interest and big time dollars for both the NBA and FIBA—the international basketball federation. 

The NBA has floated the idea of working with USA Basketball to send some of their young stars to be paired with top college stars to make up the 2016 Olympic team. It looks like the NBA is tired of making money for the IOC. 

There is likely to be a showdown between the NBA and the IOC and my hope would be that they would continue to allow the women to compete. But the NBA has outgrown the games and they need to move on.             

1. Men's Soccer

Is there any sport on the planet with more international tournaments than soccer? This sport is a great Olympic showcase for the Women who have very few professional options. However, it is a total waste of time on the men’s side of the sports ledger.

While it is true that most countries send a watered down version of their national team to the Olympics saving their best players for their World Cup competition. Countries worldwide have so many other chances to face each other in top-flight competitions other than the Olympics. 

It is time for men's soccer to get the boot from the Olympics. 

Of all five sports that I am proposing be dropped from the Olympics, there is one thing for sure. I have no doubt that each member of those team's wanted to win a medal and to represent their country. But in the end, the Olympics should be a showcase for events that are not connected to professional leagues or have international competitive schedules.

As always your comments are welcome.