Look at the top 4 of each

Its no surprise the olympic medal count always lines up exactly with might. Look at the two. Superpowers use the olympics to show the world who's more madass. Global military power and the olympics go hand in hand.

8/12/2012 2:59:20 AM

8/12/2012 3:35:40 AM

No doubt that has an influence. But a bigger influence is that big wealthy countries have more wealth available to throw at their military and at such absurdities as the Olympics.

8/12/2012 9:39:49 AM

It's also much easier to pursue sports as a career when you don't have to worry about being a subsistence farmer.

8/12/2012 10:32:53 AM

^

/thread

8/12/2012 11:05:48 AM

North Korea nowhere to be found

8/12/2012 11:16:14 AM

http://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/07/summer-olympics-medal-gdp-charts

Olympic medals per population and GDP (click on the interactive graph)

It really is a lot more complicated than just having money.

In the US, I think you have to figure in the amount of highly competitive sports women get to play (girl power, Title IX, whatever). US women have done an incredible job at keeping the US in the hunt for the top medal winner.

8/12/2012 11:42:13 AM

^looks like the females brought in 50%

but it doesn't say if they subtracted the US female medals from the United States count or keep them included.

[Edited on August 12, 2012 at 12:34 PM. Reason : .]

8/12/2012 12:32:42 PM

They obviously included them in the total

8/12/2012 12:46:43 PM