[luisrha]

As some of you must know, Cuauhtémoc Blanco received today the "Premio Nacional del Deporte" (Sports National Award), a price awared by Mexican Government to the best athletes of the year.

Was it deserved? I think it wasn't, here are my arguments:
http://www.pasionsports.com/index.ph...era&Itemid=112

Let's start a debate. What do you think?

[TURI9]

Yes MLS is weak, but Cuauhtemoc cant do everything on his own. Cuauhtemoc changed the Fire ever since he got there. Plus im sure his biggest merit is guiding the Nation Team in the right direction. What Cuauh does you cant measure with stats.

[Naui_Ocelotl]

http://www.pasionsports.com/index.ph...era&Itemid=112

en este 2009 los otros galardonados fueron la clavadista Paola Espinosa, campeona mundial en plataforma de 10 metros; el marchista Éder Sánchez, medallista de bronce en 20 kilómetros en el Mundial de Atletismo; y el atleta Aarón Gordián, multimedallista paralímpico; así como Rafael Alarcón, entrenador de la golfista Lorena Ochoa, la número uno del mundo.

This may be politically incorrect but I couldn't care less about diving, speed walking, the Special Olympics or golf.

Out of those candidates, I certainly would have given the award to Cuauhtémoc, although admittedly I'm biased towards fútbol.

Just my two cents.

[Hecho en Chivas]

he deserved it, plain and simple

he helped guide the NT to the WC once again, that's more than enough merit to deserve that award

to top it all off, i would look at this award as a lifetime thing

Cuau has been our best player in the last 10+ years

if he didn't get he award now, then when?

[luisrha]

Originally Posted by Naui_Ocelotl

http://www.pasionsports.com/index.ph...era&Itemid=112



This may be politically incorrect but I couldn't care less about diving, speed walking, the Special Olympics or golf.

Out of those candidates, I certainly would have given the award to Cuauhtémoc, although admittedly I'm biased towards fútbol.

Just my two cents.

You have a good point. Of course, few people care about other sports. And that's ok. You are a football fan and obviously prefer an award for a footballer.

However, there's a reason why the fans don't vote. This is supposed to be the biggest price the country awards to its athletes, not for the popularity of their sport, but the importance of their merits.

Having success in a poor league and helping the national team to qualify to the world cup in a weak confederation doesn't even compare to win a world championship or being the number one in the world.

For a fan this maybe doesn't matter, and that's ok, but a sports journalist is supposed to know the difference, and that's why the award is decided trough a vote of media members. Sadly, we found out how many "journalists" are just fans with a microphone.

In movie terms, they were supposed to pick the Oscar's; instead of that, they voted for the People's Choice Award.

[Perndog2006]

Luis I agree with ur sentiment regarding vein the best in the world should definitely merit a national award. But as negative this may sound, cuau helped steer away a national tragedy with unforeseen prestige, moral and economic consequences. It was that close and that bad that a miracle was virtually needed, and all that started with Hugo sanchez being named coach of
the NT and thus waste valuable time that a better coach couldhave used for getting the nt ready for world cup qualifying. Despite all the set backs, wasted time, cuau rose to the occasion and helped stave off literally a national tragedy. But Lorena ochoa losing a game of golf or the diver losing a meet 10 times won't equal what would have been lost if Mexico didn't qualify to the world cup

[DNA]

Originally Posted by luisrha

You have a good point. Of course, few people care about other sports. And that's ok. You are a football fan and obviously prefer an award for a footballer.

However, there's a reason why the fans don't vote. This is supposed to be the biggest price the country awards to its athletes, not for the popularity of their sport, but the importance of their merits.

Having success in a poor league and helping the national team to qualify to the world cup in a weak confederation doesn't even compare to win a world championship or being the number one in the world.

For a fan this maybe doesn't matter, and that's ok, but a sports journalist is supposed to know the difference, and that's why the award is decided trough a vote of media members. Sadly, we found out how many "journalists" are just fans with a microphone.

In movie terms, they were supposed to pick the Oscar's; instead of that, they voted for the People's Choice Award.

The athletes who were nominated, with the exception of Lorena Ochoa's coach (which seems odd seeing as how he isn't necessarily competing) all participate in individual sports where the only person they are accountable for are themselves.

What sets Cuauhtemoc apart is that he was not only accountable for himself but arguably the rest of the team as his performance helped those around him raise their level dramatically.

That I believe warrants him receiving the award.

[DNA]

Originally Posted by Perndog2006

Luis I agree with ur sentiment regarding vein the best in the world should definitely merit a national award. But as negative this may sound, cuau helped steer away a national tragedy with unforeseen prestige, moral and economic consequences. It was that close and that bad that a miracle was virtually needed, and all that started with Hugo sanchez being named coach of
the NT and thus waste valuable time that a better coach couldhave used for getting the nt ready for world cup qualifying. Despite all the set backs, wasted time, cuau rose to the occasion and helped stave off literally a national tragedy. But Lorena ochoa losing a game of golf or the diver losing a meet 10 times won't equal what would have been lost if Mexico didn't qualify to the world cup

no seas pendejo, thats completely irrelevant.

[Hecho en Chivas]

Originally Posted by Dos Equis

no seas pendejo, thats completely irrelevant.

no use arguing with him

he hates Hugo no matter what

[Rafael Hernandez]

Originally Posted by luisrha

You have a good point. Of course, few people care about other sports. And that's ok. You are a football fan and obviously prefer an award for a footballer.

However, there's a reason why the fans don't vote. This is supposed to be the biggest price the country awards to its athletes, not for the popularity of their sport, but the importance of their merits.

Having success in a poor league and helping the national team to qualify to the world cup in a weak confederation doesn't even compare to win a world championship or being the number one in the world.

For a fan this maybe doesn't matter, and that's ok, but a sports journalist is supposed to know the difference, and that's why the award is decided trough a vote of media members. Sadly, we found out how many "journalists" are just fans with a microphone.

In movie terms, they were supposed to pick the Oscar's; instead of that, they voted for the People's Choice Award.

I could agree with you with Adrian Gonzalez and maybe Lorena Ochoa but you can compare other sports to soccer. The popularity does count. Paola Espinoza may be a world champion but you can't compare diving to soccer. Espinoza competes against a miniscule amount of athletes of each country and Blanco competes in the biggest sport in the planet and against more competition than any sport. People sometimes complain about Mexico not rising and yet they don't remember that they face the entire world and its truly global. Sports like Tae Kwon Do, Diving and Marcha are minor sports in every country that its played. On the other hand the MNT faces the biggest sport with the most following and participants in almost every country that they play against. It's the truly global sport and that has to be taken into account.