Marion Jones waves to a crowd in excess of 100,000 after winning the Olympic gold in the women's 200 meters. Jones won three gold and two bronze medals at the Sydney Games. (AFP)

Curriculum Application: cooperative learning, competition, government, analysis

What will you remember most about the Sydney Olympics? Do you think NBC's coverage did justice to what USA TODAY columnist Christine Brennan calls the "absolutely delightful Australian Olympics"? What, if anything, did the United States as a nation learn from the Millennium Olympics?

Imagine that you had to pick a U.S. President and her or his cabinet from the pool of athletes mentioned in today's Olympic bonus and Sports sections. In groups, decide who you would choose for each position - president, vice president, attorney general, and secretaries of defense, education, state, health and human services, transportation, treasury, interior, agriculture, commerce, labor, housing and urban development, energy, and veterans affairs. Before making your decisions, determine the responsibilities of each post. (Consult the Internet, your textbook, an encyclopedia, etc.) Write a brief explanation for each of your choices.