Future of the Olympics

['stache 21,819]

I have no interest this year for some reason, but I think I'm just growing apathetic to sports in general. The only sports I make sure to make time for are OSU football, basketball, and certain baseball games. Even the Dallas Cowboys are only if I have nothing else going on that Sunday, which might change if they are ever any good again, but that might never happen. I do take some joy in watching people online go full dumbass crying about athletes having the gall to express political opinions. Get over it already.

[immamac 42,865]

These olympics were/are just straight bad. There is nothing exciting about them and everyone knows they should have been cancelled. 

The athletes don't look like they are having that much fun, people are cheating so much that it's not even fun to watch. The sports that were really great are now very shitty and the way they are spreading out events is just stupid. 

The Simone Biles thing really just did it for me though. I can't stand that a non-story was the entire story and narrative that overshadowed the entire US Gymnastics. 

[DaggerHorns 3,085]

It sounds like if many of you just got rid of your children, you would really enjoy the olympics.

[crash_davis 23,113]

Amateurism in Olympics and collegiate sports died decades ago. It died when companies, committees, and people discovered you could make billions from exploiting amateurs. America's definition of amateur greatly differs from other countries. In countries like China and Russia, the athletes may not be getting "paid" but they are housed, feed and sponsored by government dollars which basically means that sport is their job. Our amateur programs are sponsored by colleges, but at least they pretend to play students.

Every sport competed in the Olympics have their weekly, monthly tournaments, meets, and matches. It's just cool that once every 4 years, it's the Superbowl of meets, matches, and tournaments. You win that and you have bragging rights for 4 years.  Yea it was cool when it was amateurs, but it's just as cool and meaningful now that it's mostly professionals.

[Brisketexan 105,154]

1 minute ago, crash_davis said:

Yea it was cool when it was amateurs, but it's just as cool and meaningful now that it's mostly professionals.

But do you feel that way about sex?

Wait, wut?

[Js1 85,410]

21 minutes ago, immamac said:

These olympics were/are just straight bad. There is nothing exciting about them and everyone knows they should have been cancelled. 

The athletes don't look like they are having that much fun, people are cheating so much that it's not even fun to watch. The sports that were really great are now very shitty and the way they are spreading out events is just stupid. 

The Simone Biles thing really just did it for me though. I can't stand that a non-story was the entire story and narrative that overshadowed the entire US Gymnastics. 

Do you think it's bc the Olympic Village isn't a giant orgy this year? 

[Doc Sam Beckett 5,793]

20 minutes ago, DaggerHorns said:

It sounds like if many of you just got rid of your children, you would really enjoy the olympics.

[huge 3,793]

Also plenty of you are just miserable anyway.  This is just more fodder.

[Skipper 6,136]

I thought the swimming was great and watched a ton of it considering it was live.  I'll watch a lot of the T&F this coming week as well.  That 400M hurdles race last night was fucking epic.  Those are 2 sports I pretty much only pay attention to every 4 years and don't think they have lost any luster at all.  I'll pay attention to volleyball as well with any US team.  I don't care as much about soccer, baseball, basketball, etc. considering there are other much bigger events for those sports.    Count me in as someone that would love to see more of the random shit like handball.  I went to the Atlanta games and was wheeling/dealing with scalpers as a 16 year old and saw quite a few random events (handball, weightlifting, water polo). Had an absolute blast.  Definitely interested in taking my kids to the LA games.

[Zepol87 9,188]

I have watched less coverage than I thought I would. The time sucks but the coverage is so spread out also, if I cared enough I guess I could find what I wanted to watch but that doesn't help fans that don't care that much. I did watch one badass event at the office last week, it was like white water rafting in a canoe. That looked pretty cool so I miss randomly watching more things like that but it hasn't truly impacted me and the USWNT stuff is annoying

Edited August 3, 2021 by Zepol87
canoe slalom

[crash_davis 23,113]

49 minutes ago, Helobious said:

Fwiw, I think more than just one of those capitol rioters deserved to be shot. I have that opinion & I still can’t stand Rapinoe and many of her teammates, I can only imagine how much others dislike them. Anthem kneeling and shit like that has never & still doesn’t bother me, it’s the grandstanding to the press & on social media that’s too much. 

that's fair. cowboys were my team growing up. now i can't stand them because of jerry jones. some people are so easy to dislike that you hate everything they are associated with. 

i'm indifferent to rapinoe. being the father of college aged women, i understand and support what she and others are trying to do. she's just not very charismatic in doing it. but i'm not sure there is a polite way to tackle inequality without ruffling feathers and pissing off people.

jerry jones is just a greedy motherfucking asshole.

[smuggs 9,353]

Swimming is badass. Jacoby winning gold at 17 is badass. Finke running people down in the final length like a salivating hyena is badass. Dressel having a target on his back in Paris will be badass. Rowdy Gaines getting frothy like Richard Simmons is badass.

Track and Field is badass. The women's 400 hurdles final tonight with McLaughlin, Muhammad and Cockrell will be badass. Team Cockrell, I love that girl.

 

Indoor volleyball is badass. #8 of the filthy cheating ROC looks like a 6'5" female Bond villain.

 

Gymnastics and diving are badass. Agreed that the Biles thing is overshadowing it all in an annoying way. 

[Cheeseweasel 26,438]

30 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Amateurism in Olympics and collegiate sports died decades ago.

I get that, but I always felt a sense of pride when our "non-professional" athletes beat the Russian pros. 

[Brisketexan 105,154]

5 minutes ago, smuggs said:

Swimming is badass. Jacoby winning gold at 17 is badass. Finke running people down in the final length like a salivating hyena is badass. Dressel having a target on his back in Paris will be badass. Rowdy Gaines getting frothy like Richard Simmons is badass.

Track and Field is badass. The women's 400 hurdles final tonight with McLaughlin, Muhammad and Cockrell will be badass. Team Cockrell, I love that girl.

 

Indoor volleyball is badass. #8 of the filthy cheating ROC looks like a 6'5" female Bond villain.

 

Gymnastics and diving are badass. Agreed that the Biles thing is overshadowing it all in an annoying way. 

Agree on #8.  She is relevant to my nefarous interests in sinister world domination from my secret under-volcano lair.

[crash_davis 23,113]

Just now, Cheeseweasel said:

I get that, but I always felt a sense of pride when our "non-professional" athletes beat the Russian pros. 

agreed but that medal count is gonna suck if we send kids to compete against doped up, professionals. this is what happened with basketball, except the doping part.

[Mole 4,333]

1 hour ago, Willfully Horn said:

Yep. Otherwise, I think improv jazz piano should be an event. The Japanese woman at the opening ceremony held my attention.

Trumpet playing was an event in the ancient games. 
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herald_and_Trumpet_contest

[ABSR 5,315]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Oh for fuck's sake, you would have flipped out at the '68 Olympics.

Raising different hands always bothered me as I thought having the same hand raised (Right or left) would have added more symmetry and appeared more unified..which always bothered me for some reason.

It just dawned on me that they likely only had one pair of gloves and split the pair.  Anyone know if this is true? 

 

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

I got really annoyed with the USWNT four years ago when they were dismantling some African or Asian squad and were celebrating every goal like it was a walk-off TD in the Super Bowl and nobody was allowed to criticize them for that because....fuck if I know.  It reminded me of fighting with my ex. 

['stache 21,819]

The whole women's wardrobe thing is interesting to me too. I've asked the question a bunch over the years. Why can men play volleyball in shorts but women need the smallest, asshuggingest, buttcheek hangingest, fabric available to do the exact same activity? There was always only one answer. One that doesn't bother me at all personally but always surprised me that a women never spoke out about the topic.

[yoladu 4,094]

1 hour ago, Helobious said:

Best part of the olympics for me was watching USWNT get their shit pushed in. Or hearing about it really. Between IOC corruption, shitty coverage, no stars, a fuck ton of sports no one cares about, and athletes in said irrelevant sports just using their platform to make political statements, I don’t see how this olympics has any appeal. And it’s laughable to compare whatever statement athletes are making now to what those guys did on the podium in 1968. 

jeez.

Who is putting politics above country again? strange bedfellows.

[956 Worldwide 34,715]

I love the Olympics. I love most Olympic sports. The truth is, the athletes and the games deserve more than what they get. I have a long list of ways to make it better. But these are the two I come back to.

1. The bidding and siting and corruption are bullshit and a sideshow and enable the worst type of behavior. Hell, the Olympics made Mormons corrupt so imagine the scale that happens in China or Russia.  Solution- each inhabited continent gets one Olympic site and it rotates. Cities that have almost all the infrastructure in place.  Cities equipped to handle the crowds. Cities that are as clean as you can find with good weather. Examples of potential continental sites: Los Angeles/Vancouver/NYC/Toronto, London/Paris/Barcelona, Buenos Aires/Rio/Santiago, Melbourne/Sydney, Tokyo/Seoul/Taipei, Cape Town . . .(and I am struggling here for Africa after that). 
 

Problem solved. Focus is on the games. Cities can invest in long term infrastructure that will get used again without going nuts. Dictators don’t get to bribe their way to a games. More on why that won’t matter below.

2. Countries generally suck, countries who see sports as a dick measuring contest suck more, countries willing to cheat to win suck the most. Solution: no more country affiliation for athletes. Part of this will be painful. It won’t hurt me too much to say goodbye to team sports. We still have world championships. It will hurt more to wave goodby to relays in swimming or track. The payoff will be worth it. 
 

For individual sports: you compete under your name with no identifying symbols or colors. Organizing bodies hold regional championships and the top (X) competitors advance regardless of nation. No flags at ceremonies, no anthems. Broadcasters can say where you are from/born/live but no citizenship announcements and no patriotic or national montages. No broadcaster or accredited journalist can report or show a country “medal count.” Opening ceremonies— athletes walk in by sport, a random gold medalist from the prior games lights the cauldron. You know only that person’s name and sport. 

With no national uniforms, no flags, no anthems, no medal ceremonies, no political opening ceremonies. Putin no longer gives a shit who wins ice skating and the Chinese can’t even talk medal count on their broadcast or the plug gets pulled. State sponsored doping and cheating is revealed for the stupid waste it is. Cheating and doping is just something individuals try to do at a scale that can be managed. Corrupt strongmen don’t bid on games to show  how awesome they are. 

As I get older I care less about the medal count and the flags. More about the work, the talent, the individual stories. Make the games about that. 

[Post Oak 20,245]

1 hour ago, 'stache said:

I have no interest this year for some reason, but I think I'm just growing apathetic to sports in general. The only sports I make sure to make time for are OSU football, basketball, and certain baseball games. Even the Dallas Cowboys are only if I have nothing else going on that Sunday, which might change if they are ever any good again, but that might never happen. I do take some joy in watching people online go full dumbass crying about athletes having the gall to express political opinions. Get over it already.

This has happened to me too.  I think I've felt less passionate since becoming a dad.  

I used to carry a loss with me until Thursday or Friday.  Now it sucks for a day or so but it's not all-consuming.  Which is great because I'm a Cowboys and UT fan.

Honestly I'm not sure how much I miss it.  

[yoladu 4,094]

26 minutes ago, ABSR said:

Raising different hands always bothered me as I thought having the same hand raised (Right or left) would have added more symmetry

my OCD has always kicks into overdrive when I see this picture.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103]

2 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

If you feel your patriotism is diminished because of Megan Rapino (of all fucking things), then you weren't much of a patriot to start with.

Man, I absolutely remember that.  But in my memory, it was for a Winter Olympics.  Lillehammer, maybe?

But I'm sure they're clean now.  Right?  

 

Right?

[956 Worldwide 34,715]

2 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

2 hours ago, Helobious said:

Best part of the olympics for me was watching USWNT get their shit pushed in. Or hearing about it really. Between IOC corruption, shitty coverage, no stars, a fuck ton of sports no one cares about, and athletes in said irrelevant sports just using their platform to make political statements, I don’t see how this olympics has any appeal. And it’s laughable to compare whatever statement athletes are making now to what those guys did on the podium in 1968. 

armchair Yankees fan 

Is there any other kind? Unless we got the spirit of Mickey Mantle posting here, pretty much all professional sports fans are armchair. 

[52-80 19,163]

34 minutes ago, 'stache said:

The whole women's wardrobe thing is interesting to me too. I've asked the question a bunch over the years. Why can men play volleyball in shorts but women need the smallest, asshuggingest, buttcheek hangingest, fabric available to do the exact same activity? There was always only one answer. One that doesn't bother me at all personally but always surprised me that a women never spoke out about the topic.

I think about this from time to time. The sprinters obviously have the freedom to wear what they think is functional and they do - tank tops, t-tops, slightly loose, skin tight, 2-piece, 1-piece

 

and then huge 400# beer bellied discuss throwers all wear tight singlets. 
 

what the fuck is up with that? 

[deadshank 24,653]

1 hour ago, huge said:

Also plenty of you are just miserable anyway.  This is just more fodder.

Don't CR this thread!!!!

[52-80 19,163]

Pure athletics is still great. Swimming, running, javeling, rowing, whatever. 
 

The contrived shit needs to go. No, we’re not judging which one of you can make the prettiest dives, but whether you can do it with someone else in a perfectly mirrored way. Wtf?

and then fringe sports like fucking dressage or surfing without even a crowd….fuck outta here

[futureman 22,485]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Don't shit on biathlon, dude.  Or the ghost of Joachim Rønneberg will ski all the way to your house to haunt your ass.

Simo Häyhä, imo. 

[scottsins 1,968]

American TV won't show us reasonably cool sports like team handball because we suck at it…

I’ve watched at least 3 handball matches so far during these games…on my TV…in America.

[Hefeweizen 5,328]

I might be nuts because I really enjoyed watching the wrasslin.  It was entertaining as hell watching them try to pick each other up and roll on the mat.  Also, water polo fucking rules as does field hockey.  
 

I never watch gymnastics or horse dancing .  The fuck out of here with that.

[BabaYaga 15,301]

39 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

With no national uniforms, no flags, no anthems, no medal ceremonies

[BabaYaga 15,301]

12 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Pure athletics is still great. Swimming, running, javeling, rowing, whatever. 
 

The contrived shit needs to go. No, we’re not judging which one of you can make the prettiest dives, but whether you can do it with someone else in a perfectly mirrored way. Wtf?

and then fringe sports like fucking dressage or surfing without even a crowd….fuck outta here

[956 Worldwide 34,715]

15 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Pure athletics is still great. Swimming, running, javeling, rowing, whatever. 
 

The contrived shit needs to go. No, we’re not judging which one of you can make the prettiest dives, but whether you can do it with someone else in a perfectly mirrored way. Wtf?

and then fringe sports like fucking dressage or surfing without even a crowd….fuck outta here

Surfing, BMX, skateboarding. All cool as hell. Way too cool to be associated with IOC, which is possibly the dreariest, stuffiness, most self-righteous international org this side FIFA. 

[Guest]

[Stringer 1,439]

1 hour ago, ABSR said:

Raising different hands always bothered me as I thought having the same hand raised (Right or left) would have added more symmetry and appeared more unified..which always bothered me for some reason.

It just dawned on me that they likely only had one pair of gloves and split the pair.  Anyone know if this is true? 

 

Yeah, Juan Carlos forgot his gloves at the hotel, so they had to share the pair.

The third guy on the podium, Peter Norman from Australia is a fascinating story as well.  In support, as Australia has its' own racial issues, he wore a badge from the Olympic Project for Human Rights.  After that, he was banned from the Australian Olympic team and was shunned until his death.  Tommie Smith and Juan Carlos were pall bearers in his funeral.  Lot of good articles out there:

https://www.history.com/news/1968-mexico-city-olympics-black-power-protest-backlash

[InkaUtexas 25,986]

Enough with the golf...... Serious..... 

 

[ChickenSandwich 9,843]

NBC’s terrible coverage just helps with the indifference. 5 channels on the guide. 5 sports listed on each channel in 4 hr blocks. Order listed means shit. Jump from the middle of one event to another. Its an effort to figure out what’s on and what’s worth watching. Its like they have never seen the opening weekend of March madness. 
 

Then only having the Men’s basketball live last night on the fucking app. Depressing opening ceremony. Athletes bitching. Russia and China cheatin. 

What’s not to love. 

Edited August 3, 2021 by ChickenSandwich

[Nivek 16,945]

3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

I mean, yeah.

But seriously, the whole "this is how we practice to kill Russians" is just f'n badass.  We have a Norwegian exchange daughter serving in the military right now.  Her training actually includes being able to shoot while on skis.  In order to kill Russians, specifically.  That's just f'n badass.

Until they add Skeet Surfin, I will continue to be miffed.  

[Moby Ric 2,058]

5 hours ago, Js1 said:

Followed by half the country then rooting against their own country because their feelings are hurt.

Freedom of fucking speech, baby! 

First off, that is like your option man, not a fact.  Yes, Freedom of Speech.  Just like it is every American's freedom to turn off the tv.  I don't know anyone who is rooting against teams, in fact most people are rooting for them.  But many are not going to support or watch some pampered athletes who on one hand have made millions of dollars in endorsements by being a capitalist, and then bash it, and this country.  That is why they don't watch, it is a few bad apples that are spoiling the bunch.  People are tired of the belly aching that it's not fair from millionaire athletes, when these people live a privileged life.  You play a fucking game, you don't actually work a shitty job for a shitty wage.  Did you work hard to get there, yes, there is no arguing that and you have been very rewarded for it.  But don't go someplace and "represent" this country if you are going to turn around and disrespect or bash that very country that gave you the opportunity to be there.  Those entitled few are representing only themselves and their interests.

And don't preach "feelings hurt".  JFC people had to endure 4 years of the biggest temper tantrum ever seen.  Christ that is just flat out hypocrisy.

Rant over, take it to the CR, go bitch to a mod and hide under their skirt and report my post blah blah blah.  

[Brew 3,049]

7 hours ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

This is the Olympics I’ve watched the least in my life.


Partly because of wokeism, partly because I have a 3 and 6 yr old making it impossible to sit on couch, partly because there’s no bolt/Phelps/ biles and the time difference sucks so we know the results when we wake up

Send me your address and I’ll ship you this book for your kids I saw the other day.

[Js1 85,410]

6 minutes ago, Moby Ric said:

First off, that is like your option man, not a fact.  Yes, Freedom of Speech.  Just like it is every American's freedom to turn off the tv.  I don't know anyone who is rooting against teams, in fact most people are rooting for them.  But many are not going to support or watch some pampered athletes who on one hand have made millions of dollars in endorsements by being a capitalist, and then bash it, and this country.  That is why they don't watch, it is a few bad apples that are spoiling the bunch.  People are tired of the belly aching that it's not fair from millionaire athletes, when these people live a privileged life.  You play a fucking game, you don't actually work a shitty job for a shitty wage.  Did you work hard to get there, yes, there is no arguing that and you have been very rewarded for it.  But don't go someplace and "represent" this country if you are going to turn around and disrespect or bash that very country that gave you the opportunity to be there.  Those entitled few are representing only themselves and their interests.

And don't preach "feelings hurt".  JFC people had to endure 4 years of the biggest temper tantrum ever seen.  Christ that is just flat out hypocrisy.

Rant over, take it to the CR, go bitch to a mod and hide under their skirt and report my post blah blah blah.  

I literally don’t care. Congrats on your freedom rant! Love that right for you 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, DaggerHorns said:

It sounds like if many of you just got rid of your children, you would really enjoy the olympics.

My kids are gone.

So are Sugar Ray, Mary Lou Retton, and Carl Lewis.  I know these references date me, but oh fucking well.

 

The Olympics suck.  Get interestinger, and to that point, I mean compelling, non- contrived bullshit.  It shouldn't be that hard, until they thought forcing it would make it more better.

Edited August 4, 2021 by slorch

[Brew 3,049]

5 minutes ago, Moby Ric said:

First off, that is like your option man, not a fact.  Yes, Freedom of Speech.  Just like it is every American's freedom to turn off the tv.  I don't know anyone who is rooting against teams, in fact most people are rooting for them.  But many are not going to support or watch some pampered athletes who on one hand have made millions of dollars in endorsements by being a capitalist, and then bash it, and this country.  That is why they don't watch, it is a few bad apples that are spoiling the bunch.  People are tired of the belly aching that it's not fair from millionaire athletes, when these people live a privileged life.  You play a fucking game, you don't actually work a shitty job for a shitty wage.  Did you work hard to get there, yes, there is no arguing that and you have been very rewarded for it.  But don't go someplace and "represent" this country if you are going to turn around and disrespect or bash that very country that gave you the opportunity to be there.  Those entitled few are representing only themselves and their interests.

And don't preach "feelings hurt".  JFC people had to endure 4 years of the biggest temper tantrum ever seen.  Christ that is just flat out hypocrisy.

Rant over, take it to the CR, go bitch to a mod and hide under their skirt and report my post blah blah blah.  

It’s the Olympics, most of these people don’t make millions and do have to work shitty jobs to pay their bills outside of the top names.

I have zero issue with them using their platform to take on issues. It’s what people with an audience do and this is their shot to take on shitty policies, shitty prejudices, and shitty people in general. In case you missed it, go back and listen to the shit the Venezuelan triple jumper deals with. The world is a screwed up place.

As far as the overall Olympics, we have watched every night and I rarely watch TV or sports. Swimming and track and field have both had great stories coming out of them and ultimately that is what the Olympics are about. It’s the stories of the teenagers that do the unexpected, the old guard like Allyson Felix making one last stand, people like Finke coming out of nowhere and going double gold, the epic 400M hurdles final, etc. I don’t understand people like Helo that come in and post how happy they are for a team to lose. The women’s soccer team has dealt with some shit over the years while being one of the most successful US teams ever really, they have earned the right to take their stand.

[Brisketexan 105,154]

Simo Häyhä, imo. 

Crazy-ass Finnish stone-cold killers FTW.

Storming a fortified position and tossing grenades should totally be an Olympic event. Maybe artillery accuracy, shit like that.

[Moby Ric 2,058]

18 minutes ago, Brew said:

It’s the Olympics, most of these people don’t make millions and do have to work shitty jobs to pay their bills outside of the top names.

I have zero issue with them using their platform to take on issues. It’s what people with an audience do and this is their shot to take on shitty policies, shitty prejudices, and shitty people in general. In case you missed it, go back and listen to the shit the Venezuelan triple jumper deals with. The world is a screwed up place.

As far as the overall Olympics, we have watched every night and I rarely watch TV or sports. Swimming and track and field have both had great stories coming out of them and ultimately that is what the Olympics are about. It’s the stories of the teenagers that do the unexpected, the old guard like Allyson Felix making one last stand, people like Finke coming out of nowhere and going double gold, the epic 400M hurdles final, etc. I don’t understand people like Helo that come in and post how happy they are for a team to lose. The women’s soccer team has dealt with some shit over the years while being one of the most successful US teams ever really, they have earned the right to take their stand.

Please read my post.  I did not say most.  In fact I said a few athletes.  And they are very well known.  Use your platform via social media is ok with me.  Using your platform while there to represent a nation is just wrong imo.

[Moby Ric 2,058]

34 minutes ago, Js1 said:

I literally don’t care. Congrats on your freedom rant! Love that right for you 

You're welcome.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Moby Ric

[cactusflinthead 27,601]

15 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Crazy-ass Finnish stone-cold killers FTW.

Storming a fortified position and tossing grenades should totally be an Olympic event. Maybe artillery accuracy, shit like that.

Winter war is coming

 

[Neonmoon 38,129]

The Olympics haven’t changed, you old fucks have gotten more bitter. 
 

 

[conVINCEd 21,469]

9 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

The Olympics haven’t changed, you old fucks have gotten more bitter. 
 

 

They are different this year.  I have enjoyed them just as much as I did when I was a kid in non-COVID years.  The lack of fans kills the atmosphere, and much like the NBA bubble, the athletes seem to not be having as much fun.