Since 1896, the Olympic Games have been a quarter-annual festival of sports and their athletes. "Let the games begin" is one of the most iconic phrases in sports due to the prestige of the Olympics.

But there was a sanctity behind the game for generations. There would be no conflicts of interest, and athletes would play the game out of love for their sport and nothing else. Pro athletes were not allowed in the Olympic Games, meaning no Olympic athlete could've made money off their exceptional talent.

The International Olympic Committee enforced this to an extreme. Jim Thorpe, a multi-sport athlete in the early 20th century, had multiple gold medals stripped because he had earned few dozen dollars in the side playing pick-up basketball one summer.

While he would have his medals reinstated over a half-century later, the IOC had made a statement, that it believed in the pure state of amateurism.

As time wore on, it became more clear that this policy could not hold water for too much longer. Sports was turning into more of a business and athletes in many sports were earning superstar-sized salaries.

The IOC realized that in order to cash in on the bottomless revenue seen in the biggest sports leagues around the world, it may be time to accept pro athletes. After all, these were the best athletes in the world and that should be what the Olympics should be about.

So in the late 80s through the early 90s, the IOC lifted the rule barring pro athletes in the games. The transition was gradual because each individual sport's respective international federation could still block pros from their own sport, but today, wrestling is the only sport with amateurs only in the Olympics (because just imagine Olympic pro wrestling).

We've seen mixed results with this change. It may be easier for some nations to exert their dominance now that they can send their absolute best athletes in that sport. For example, think about the USA dream team in basketball, most notably in 1992 but also their domination every four years through today, except in 2004. America's basketball team is essentially a fantasy superteam exclusively made of elite NBA talent, often going against developing counties in early round play, who after America wins by about 60-70, seek autographs from the team who just beat them.

There is little chance of any balance of power, unlike before the professional era, when things like 1980's Miracle on Ice happened. The probability of a major upset is simply much lower when professionals are playing, as supposed to 19-year-old college kids.

Those in favor of amateurism of the past, however, may appreciate the fact that the NHL chose not to participate in this year's winter games, meaning that nobody from the world's most prestigious hockey league-- where players of all countries play-- is in the Olympics in 2018. If the NHL can appreciate the tradition of amateurism, can't the IOC?

But comparing hockey to many other Olympic sports is an apples-to-oranges comparison. The world's major revenue sports-- such as hockey, basketball, and soccer-- can absolutely be justified by limiting professional participation. Olympic men's soccer actually has an interesting rule that only three players on a nation's 23-man roster can be above the age of 23, a rule that balances many of the teams by avoiding an Olympic superteam. Unlike other competitions such as the World Cup, many people believe the Olympics have a different spirit to it, with it being more about the unity and celebration of sport, rather than solely on the scoreboard.

But don't tell a bobsledder or archer about "the spirit of competition." Not when they have trained their entire lives for one moment. Many of the Olympic sports-- like the ones just mentioned-- are an afterthought to many sports fans. These athletes do not get the star treatment of a star in basketball or soccer, so I do think it is fair to let pros in these sports inside the Olympic games. After all, when was the last time you heard about a luge athlete getting a multimillion dollar signing bonus.

In order for the Olympic games to truly be the best of the best in each sport, professional athletes need to be allowed by the IOC. Now if an outside federation -- like FIFA or the NHL-- wants to restrict pro participation, that's also fine. But in the 21st century, sports is a business, and if the IOC is going to turn a giant revenue every four years, they must let the actual atheletes earn for their efforts too.