An Olympics (unfortunately) for every man
You won't read about it in most sports pages, but Tuesday afternoon, in a small park in the middle of New York City, athletes will gather for a competition that is a commentary on life and sports.
The Unemployment Olympics will pit jobless folks against each other in events such as, "The Fax Machine Toss," the "You're Fired Race," and "Pin the Blame on the Bosses."
It's not exactly the 400-meter freestyle, but it is a contest many of us can relate to right now or figure is in our future. Certainly 15 percent of the U.S. Olympic Committee staff--54 people--felt that pain earlier this month when they got pink slips.
To qualify, you must bring proof of being kicked to the curb: an unemployment packet, a letter from an old employer or a government-issed unemployment card will do.
Prizes are being offered by bars and restaurants in the city.
Nick Goddard, 26, came up with the idea and promoted it on-line, complete with a hand-drawn press release featuring the sacred five Olympic rings that no one is supposed to use without paying millions of dollars to the pampered people who run the International Olympic Committee.
If the IOC's lawyers want to chase Goddard and try to extract royalties from him, good luck. He was laid off from his job as a computer programmer last month.
