Since I was aware of the Olympics, no later than 1968, newspapers have always carried tallies of gold medals, and commonly the US has come out ahead in the Summer Olympics. The minor jingoistic thrill I felt then has faded to indifference. But let's face it: American university sports programs fed the US Olympic track and field, swimming, and basketball efforts. Was there really that great a difference between what the US did then and what Russia et al. did then and the ROC is doing now?