Fascinating

Again, you may have not heard about it here first, but some sportswriters and personalities have slowly started the conversation about the ramifications of boycotts and protests as we inch closer to the Beijing Olympics. Josh Peter of Yahoo! Sports discusses why a full-scale boycott of the Games is actually a bad idea from several angles. His most telling statement has less to do with China's human rights record and more to do with the United States' international quandary:

Though recent protests have targeted China, the United States has its own problems in the international community. The war in Iraq has drawn worldwide criticism and, experts say, could make it difficult for America to claim the moral high ground.

“The war is extremely unpopular globally, perhaps as unpopular as China’s actions in Tibet and certainly with far more consequences internationally,” said Scott Kennedy, director of Indiana University’s research center for Chinese politics and business. “It’s not to praise China or justify China’s human rights policies. But if you get into that kind of gamesmanship, I’m not sure what that will achieve.”

As many of you know, it's not Scribe's intention to discuss political issues unless a sport is impacted or the sport itself ignites the conversation. That said, outside of the current debacle called the Presidential election race (can we call a spade a spade here?), this story will only grow in the matter of coverage and debates. Which is why the poll sits above the body of the blog: Despite the financial and athletic pressures, in your opinion, do you think the United States should boycott the Beijing Olympics?

Say What?!?!: Speaking of fascinating, could we really have both the Lakers and Celtics in the NBA Finals? If this is the case, it could be the most anticipated and exciting non-NFL event in 2008.