The Olympics! The greatest corporate-tax free, publicly funded marketing event on the planet
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TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
edited July 2012
One of the big olympic news blurbs is that Nadal (2008 winner) withdrew from this year's Tennis citing muscle problems. So there goes a gold medal for Spain, and probably an easy pickup for the Swiss and Federer to finally get a golden slam.
I just hope this year NBC doesn't make stupid volleyball the big prime time event.
Hopefully Olympic Judo prove more fun to watch than Olympic boxing. I know there's really no way to have 12 round beat your face in matches work as an Olympic sport, but something about it just doesn't engage me. You just get little jabs and pokes, no big flurries or combo's going for the KO. It's like fencing sans the sword.
Hopefully Olympic Judo prove more fun to watch than Olympic boxing. I know there's really no way to have 12 round beat your face in matches work as an Olympic sport, but something about it just doesn't engage me. You just get little jabs and pokes, no big flurries or combo's going for the KO. It's like fencing sans the sword.
Olympic Judo tends to be a super mixed bag. There's a serious timidity once you start getting into the medal rounds, and you get a boring match. If an underdog comes out of nowhere though, you can see them attempt some craziness usually.
Could there be a separate hate thread for the olympics? Where we can discuss how the bread and games spectacle distracts us from our real problems when we really should be paying attention. How the whole concept of an a-political getting together has resulted in all of the most nefatious dictatorships getting a solid platform for their agitprop. How it's sponsors use the appeal of seemingly no-brainer succes to sell overpriced products to people who can't afford it. How the organisation under pressure of it's sponsors pounds all sorts of rights into oblivion, aided by publicity hungry governments, with no democratic input. How those government willingly bankrupt their countries for the olympic shine. The corruption that rules the organisation. The pressure to enforce backwards principles to appease governments with defective human rights? The unbreakable ties between sports, nationalism and in may instances the army, despite a pretence to a message of peace? The bankrupt idea of mens sana in corpore sana at a point where only trough often illegal and dangerous technology any real improvements are possible? Or the random way in which that technology is allowed or forbidden?
Because all that sort of warrants discussing and would just get in the way of Weee peeps that run teh fast!.
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lu tzeSweeping the monestary steps.Registered Userregular
edited July 2012
Judo isn't that interesting to watch usually, especially for a layman, and especially in the Olympics where players are all top level. There'll be lots of tactical grip fighting and turtling, a shitload of mattes called, and then someone will win on points for a reason you won't understand.
My mate managed to nab some tickets for the heavyweight matches though, and has a hotel room for free (he commutes to London once a week for work). So I'll be going down to watch those and sponge off his room service! (and maybe play tourist in "that London" for a bit).
Sure, that's all part and parcel of the Olympics, so of course it can be discussed. And if you can do it without the condescension and tiresome wah wah sports that'd be even better!
Most scurrilous example of the games appeasing repulsive countries is probably allowing Saudi Arabia to join in even though they don't allow women to compete. They should, quite obviously, be excluded from the games.
Sure, that's all part and parcel of the Olympics, so of course it can be discussed. And if you can do it without the condescension and tiresome wah wah sports that'd be even better!
Most scurrilous example of the games appeasing repulsive countries is probably allowing Saudi Arabia to join in even though they don't allow women to compete. They should, quite obviously, be excluded from the games.
Wasn't there some traction where the Saudis are letting women come this year? I'm not saying that redeems them completely, but it seems a move in the right direction at the very least.
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AManFromEarthLet's get to twerk!The King in the SwampRegistered Userregular
And yeah, the IOC is one of the most corrupt organization on earth.
Well if you can't discuss one of the most overhyped events on the planet without condescending on the poor fools who believe in sports then what's the point?
If half the people in my country who've memorized every bloody soccer player's life history would have spent that effort on trying to understand politics, our various governments wouldn't get away with a tenth of stuff they do- to the benefit of all.
I can understand it's in human nature- and culture back to the Illiad- to idolize he-men and attribute all sorts of lofty ideals to the effects of testosterone on physical ability. But that doesn't elevate it above ridicule any more than 70 porn does mustaches.
It's a simple biological urge to motivate hunters to run faster by offering adoration, feel good when being bossed around by the hairiest sob to avoid being pummeled to death and maintain an admirable capability to put the good of the tribe- and presumably one's offspring- above the good of the self mainly when tossing rocks at other protohumans. Yay team!
Sports are like a shortlist of things we have to fix in human nature if we want to make it to the twenty-second century.
And no, I don't think the Saudis are entering any women this year. There was a brief spasm of appearing to let a woman compete, but it turned out to be, I think, an exhibition sport and the woman in question lives in London and has done so for many years.
Yeah, the IOC is probably still corrupt and self-serving, but it is actually less so than it used to be. It's not exactly bragging material, but FIFA is probably the world leader in corrupt sporting bodies these days.
And no, I don't think the Saudis are entering any women this year. There was a brief spasm of appearing to let a woman compete, but it turned out to be, I think, an exhibition sport and the woman in question lives in London and has done so for many years.
Yeah, the IOC is probably still corrupt and self-serving, but it is actually less so than it used to be. It's not exactly bragging material, but FIFA is probably the world leader in corrupt sporting bodies these days.
In fairness, it would be difficult to do the 100m in a hijab.
Did anyone see BBC 3's top 50 Olympic moments the other night? There was obviously a heavy bias towards British athletes, but there were some great clips.
They showed clips of Nadia Comaneci, the first female gymnast to get a perfect score
I sense someone was always picked last in school games.
And there was the incident where my classmates pushed my friend (second last picked) in a ditch while running and, self having extracted him from said ditch and thus coming late, was penalized by the instructor for being slow.
Seething hatred I tell you. Well, slowly percolating, at least.
It's not so much that, being picked on for being unathletic, I naturally gravitated to hating sports. It's that sports evolved from and into the perfect vehicle for bullying people like me when there wasn't much opportunity for actual wholesale slaughter.
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lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
ohman.
that relay in Sydney.
ohmygod. rewatching that is just some serious goosebumps.
I wonder how many angry nerds try to get even with school bullies by playing EA sports games and then getting as many players as they can injured. How many Wayne Gretzky sprites were bloodily crashed to the ice in the classic Megadrive NHL games by jubilant members of the chess club intent on revenge over all the jocks that flipped their board over at lunch break?
There's a lot to be critical about in sport. Saying it exemplifies all the things that are bad in humanity is very silly indeed.
Anybody who points to jocks as the nadir of society should spend some time playing online games or trying to discuss which edition of Dungeons & Dragons is the best.
What? You don't like people diving at each other all HAAAAAAAAAA! YES! I GOT THE POINT JUDGES GIVE ME THE POINT!
Yeah, saber might be more exciting, but just watch epee fencing. Eliminating the judges from the scoring process helps understand what the fuck is going on.
I'll watch the fuck out of this, its a nice thing every 2 (or 4 for summer/winter specifically) years. It helps that most of the sports are actually watchable even if we never ever watch them between Olympics, and as an American I pretty much always have a contender to root for.
I think the only events I don't think I'll make any effort to see at all are equestrian*, rhythmic gymnastics (so bad it passed so-bad-its-funny back into bad) and diving (which just doesn't do it for me). I've never seen canoeing, sailing can be meh, judo and tkd aren't as fun as they seem like they should be but all are watchable. In fact for informational purposes, I'll steal from wiki
The 2012 Summer Olympic programme features 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines:
Also I know it's a hideously corporate and ad based environment now, but it still doesn't remove the basic excitement of watching competition between people who are the greatest at what they do.
Hopefully we can steamroll the cycling events with the fantastic team we have.
I sense someone was always picked last in school games.
And there was the incident where my classmates pushed my friend (second last picked) in a ditch while running and, self having extracted him from said ditch and thus coming late, was penalized by the instructor for being slow.
Seething hatred I tell you. Well, slowly percolating, at least.
It's not so much that, being picked on for being unathletic, I naturally gravitated to hating sports. It's that sports evolved from and into the perfect vehicle for bullying people like me when there wasn't much opportunity for actual wholesale slaughter.
I played football and baseball in high school and I got bullied for being "a homo" because I was sensitive and shy and not a mouth breathing misogynist. I got my revenge though - I quit the baseball team halfway through the season and the catcher who I shared time with ruined his fucking knees.
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GoslingLooking Up Soccer In Mongolia Right Now, ProbablyWatertown, WIRegistered Userregular
To me, the Olympics being a distraction from politics and everything is kind of the point. It's supposed to be proof that the world can just shut up and watch sports together for two weeks without being at each other's throats.
I have a new soccer blog The Minnow Tank. Reading it psychically kicks Sepp Blatter in the bean bag.
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I just hope this year NBC doesn't make stupid volleyball the big prime time event.
Well, it's that as well.
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ahhh Gos. I knew that we had something in common bob costas
although i won't be getting much of him since I don't think i can watch the nbc coverage down here online. stupid region locking bastards.
I will be attempting to watch the swimming, diving, and gymnastics. and track & field.
And loving every single minute of it.
our cable network has 5 channels for the olympics.
my gym has 5 different tvs. Coincidence? I think not. (i'm going to be spending a LOT of time at the gym....)
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Whooo judo.
Next Friday the 27th I do believe.
"Hi, I'm Boris Johnson, head boy of London, and I'd like to welcome you to the biggest sports day we've ever had!"
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It's one of the least spectator-friendly sports in existence.
I love it, but like holy shit.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
My grandfather was big into fencing, was on a team when he was in the Navy I believe.
I'm a big fan of it, even if it is weird to watch.
Olympic Judo tends to be a super mixed bag. There's a serious timidity once you start getting into the medal rounds, and you get a boring match. If an underdog comes out of nowhere though, you can see them attempt some craziness usually.
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Because all that sort of warrants discussing and would just get in the way of Weee peeps that run teh fast!.
My mate managed to nab some tickets for the heavyweight matches though, and has a hotel room for free (he commutes to London once a week for work). So I'll be going down to watch those and sponge off his room service! (and maybe play tourist in "that London" for a bit).
Most scurrilous example of the games appeasing repulsive countries is probably allowing Saudi Arabia to join in even though they don't allow women to compete. They should, quite obviously, be excluded from the games.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Wasn't there some traction where the Saudis are letting women come this year? I'm not saying that redeems them completely, but it seems a move in the right direction at the very least.
If half the people in my country who've memorized every bloody soccer player's life history would have spent that effort on trying to understand politics, our various governments wouldn't get away with a tenth of stuff they do- to the benefit of all.
I can understand it's in human nature- and culture back to the Illiad- to idolize he-men and attribute all sorts of lofty ideals to the effects of testosterone on physical ability. But that doesn't elevate it above ridicule any more than 70 porn does mustaches.
It's a simple biological urge to motivate hunters to run faster by offering adoration, feel good when being bossed around by the hairiest sob to avoid being pummeled to death and maintain an admirable capability to put the good of the tribe- and presumably one's offspring- above the good of the self mainly when tossing rocks at other protohumans. Yay team!
Sports are like a shortlist of things we have to fix in human nature if we want to make it to the twenty-second century.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Yeah, the IOC is probably still corrupt and self-serving, but it is actually less so than it used to be. It's not exactly bragging material, but FIFA is probably the world leader in corrupt sporting bodies these days.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
In fairness, it would be difficult to do the 100m in a hijab.
They showed clips of Nadia Comaneci, the first female gymnast to get a perfect score
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y87BO6tnB08&feature=related
Derek Redmond and his dad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFKpZnok10s
The Australians beating the Americans in the swimming relay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQQt0eTknxY
Bolt was obviously there
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-urnlaJpOA
Really I could go on.
And as a sidenote, Channel 4 are going all out in promoting the para Olympics as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAPPeRg3Nw
As a sporting event I'm pumped.
It's equestrian eventing.
This may have been more my wife and daughter's plan than mine.
I'm sure, it'll be a nice day out, maybe, if the train gets us there in time and the sun shines.
DOOOOOOOM.
And there was the incident where my classmates pushed my friend (second last picked) in a ditch while running and, self having extracted him from said ditch and thus coming late, was penalized by the instructor for being slow.
Seething hatred I tell you. Well, slowly percolating, at least.
It's not so much that, being picked on for being unathletic, I naturally gravitated to hating sports. It's that sports evolved from and into the perfect vehicle for bullying people like me when there wasn't much opportunity for actual wholesale slaughter.
that relay in Sydney.
ohmygod. rewatching that is just some serious goosebumps.
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There's a lot to be critical about in sport. Saying it exemplifies all the things that are bad in humanity is very silly indeed.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Shit I wont miss:
Womens Gymnastics
Swimming (basically all of it)
Diving
the sprints and the hurdles
Shit I'll try to watch but will end up forgetting to:
Kayaking
Any of the field stuff
soccer
Shit I might watch:
Power walking - their hips freak me the fuck out
Cycling
Archery
basically everything else
Seriously, why isnt it the 28th yet?
Yeah, saber might be more exciting, but just watch epee fencing. Eliminating the judges from the scoring process helps understand what the fuck is going on.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
I think the only events I don't think I'll make any effort to see at all are equestrian*, rhythmic gymnastics (so bad it passed so-bad-its-funny back into bad) and diving (which just doesn't do it for me). I've never seen canoeing, sailing can be meh, judo and tkd aren't as fun as they seem like they should be but all are watchable. In fact for informational purposes, I'll steal from wiki
The 2012 Summer Olympic programme features 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines:
Aquatics
Diving (8)
Swimming (34)
Synchronized swimming (2)
Water polo (2)
Archery (4)
Athletics (47)
Badminton (5)
Basketball (2)
Boxing (13)
Canoeing
Sprint (12)
Slalom (4)
Cycling
BMX (2)
Mountain biking (2)
Road (4)
Track (10)
Equestrian
Dressage (2)
Eventing (2)
Jumping (2)
Fencing (10)
Field hockey (2)
Football (2)
Gymnastics
Artistic (14)
Rhythmic (2)
Trampoline (2)
Handball (2)
Judo (14)
Modern pentathlon (2)
Rowing (14)
Sailing (10)
Shooting (15)
Table tennis (4)
Taekwondo (8)
Tennis (5)
Triathlon (2)
Volleyball
Volleyball (2)
Beach volleyball (2)
Weightlifting (15)
Wrestling
Freestyle (11)
Greco-Roman (7)
Call me sexist but I will skip women's boxing (first time) also.
I mean badminton isn't great to watch but its much better than it has any right to be. And I forgot about trampoline gymnastics, that's also not real.
Have to stop drinking hot tea during timeouts.
*My wife likes so I might have to watch some but I can just make Romney jokes the whole time
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My favourite bits are the little informative clips where they tell you how the events are scored.
Also I know it's a hideously corporate and ad based environment now, but it still doesn't remove the basic excitement of watching competition between people who are the greatest at what they do.
Hopefully we can steamroll the cycling events with the fantastic team we have.
I played football and baseball in high school and I got bullied for being "a homo" because I was sensitive and shy and not a mouth breathing misogynist. I got my revenge though - I quit the baseball team halfway through the season and the catcher who I shared time with ruined his fucking knees.