Why Is Everyone Mad That Lolo Jones Made the U.S. Olympic Bobsled team?

As Team USA gets set for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, sizing their ugly sweaters and finalizing their rosters, one sport has already seen its fair share of controversy.

With the Opening Ceremonies scheduled for Feb. 7, Team USA has been hard at work to put together a collection of world-class athletes to represent the red, white and blue in Russia.  USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation CEO Darrin Steele has probably worked the hardest.

Steele completed a four-woman bobsled team to head to Sochi, placing USA Track and Field star Lolo Jones in the third and last available push athlete spot on Sunday. In doing so, he kicked up quite a media storm.

Critics, athletes and fans alike took to their preferred method of slander, blasting the team's decision on Jones, calling it a publicity stunt and insinuating that the team was playing favorites.  Jones is no stranger to the spotlight. She's been featured in ESPN's The Body Issue magazine, is sponsored most prominently by McDonald's and ASICS, and oh yeah, has competed in the Summer Olympic Games twice.  Which is a good jumping off point for critics.

Jones, heavily favored in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, finished seventh after hitting the next-to-last hurdle in the 100m hurdle final.  In the 2012 London Olympic Games, she finished fourth in the event.  She has never won an Olympic medal.

However, she has won three World Championship gold medals. Her latest? In 2013, she competed at the FIBT World Championships in the mixed team bobsled, and secured gold for the U.S.

"I haven't heard anyone making the argument about Lolo not being a better athlete right now, a better brakeman for the team," Steele told The Associated Press. "I don't think I've come across that one time.  I've heard a lot about history and all that's nice. But who's going to provide the best results for the U.S. team in Sochi? That's the bottom line. And I'll have that debate with anyone who wants to have it."

Tough to argue that.  But that won't stop people from trying, especially the athletes in competition with Jones.

"I should have been working harder on gaining Twitter followers than gaining muscle mas," said Emily Azevedo.  Her and teammate Katie Eberling were "snubbed" from Team USA.

At first, it was thought Jones was attempted bobsled as a publicity stunt of her own.  She made the roster in 2012, and has put in the work to be where she is at today.  Jones is marketable, and Jones is proven.  She has made Team USA, and should be more determined than ever to bring home the gold.  So what's the issue here?

Olympics and Twitter Go Together Like Spaghetti and a White Shirt

Because of a tweet, a player from the Swiss Men's Soccer team, Michel Morganella, has been dismissed from the 30th Olympic Games.  When his team was beaten by South Korea 2-1, he posted a tweet saying that the South Koreans were "a bunch of mongoloids" who "can go burn."  Yikes.

After packing up his bags, Morganella did offer an apology.

"I am sincerely sorry for the people of South Korea, for the players, but equally for the Swiss delegation and Swiss football in general. It's clear that I'm accepting the consequences. After the disappointing result and the reaction from Korea that followed, I made a huge error," Morganella said.

The Swiss player isn't the first Olympian asked to catch the next flight out of London, however.  Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou was dismissed for tweeting, "With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!

I don't get it.

Social media is taking over the planet.  Watching NBC's Olympic coverage today, I sat through "Social Download" during which Michelle Beadle (absolutely no complaints there, but don't belittle her like this, NBC) explained what parts of the United States were tweeting the most about athletes like Michael Phelps.

While I agree it's cool to see what the athletes are saying during their time in London and during their events, I don't think this much scrutiny needs to be placed on Twitter.  Like when Lolo Jones was criticized for asking when the shooting events take place.  Anyone with a little common sense understood she was talking about the actual Olympic shooting events, and not hinting at any recent violence that has broken out in the United States.

It is unfortunate that these athletes are put under and even finer microscope when they use Twitter, but that's how the world turns these days.