The Blah Olympics
February 27, 2006 6:55 AM Subscribe
Really, the Olympics still mean something. No they don't: "They are a random collection of winter activities, most of which have their own world championships anyway, which should suffice." Not even a Lindsay Lohan hookup story could save these games.
Better than the Summer Olympics, which are just a random collection of activities without any unifying theme, even one as weak as "sliding about."
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:09 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:09 AM on February 27, 2006
I think the entire Olympic 'movement' is a diversionary scam. I'd like to see it funded entirely by corporate sponsorship -- i.e., get governments and taxpayers out of the entertainment business. Why public funds should go into supporting elite athletes is a mystery to me.
posted by 327.ca at 7:12 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by 327.ca at 7:12 AM on February 27, 2006
The Olympics are like gay people, they promote urban renewal. Or at least that's the idea. Is Atlanta still a shit hole?
posted by public at 7:14 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by public at 7:14 AM on February 27, 2006
I too find the Summer Olympics extremely boring. Nothing can compare to the excitement of Curling or the emotional responses it can elicit.
posted by mountainmambo at 7:16 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by mountainmambo at 7:16 AM on February 27, 2006
Remember when the U.S. was doing really well as a superpower and the Olympics was really important? There were even articles discussing how closely medal-count is correlated with GDP and other factors. How times have changed.
And it's not because our atheletes are any less dominant. But the tide, she is turning.
posted by zpousman at 7:17 AM on February 27, 2006
And it's not because our atheletes are any less dominant. But the tide, she is turning.
posted by zpousman at 7:17 AM on February 27, 2006
That wasn't supposed to sound quite so angry :/ I apologise to any potential residents of Atlanta and people who might otherwise care. Seriously though, do the Olympics have any medium/long term effect on a cities well being?
posted by public at 7:18 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by public at 7:18 AM on February 27, 2006
[...] they promote urban renewal.
They produce huge cost overruns and lingering debt for host cities and countries. Canada has just finished paying off the debt incurred by the '76 Olympics. Athens? Well, who knows how long that hangover is going to last.
posted by 327.ca at 7:18 AM on February 27, 2006
They produce huge cost overruns and lingering debt for host cities and countries. Canada has just finished paying off the debt incurred by the '76 Olympics. Athens? Well, who knows how long that hangover is going to last.
posted by 327.ca at 7:18 AM on February 27, 2006
I've come up with the perfect Winter Olympics event: The snowball fight. Free-for-all, last man standing. It would go on for days. You have drama, action, head-to-head competition, and a simple rule set that any viewer can understand. You know you'd watch it.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:19 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:19 AM on February 27, 2006
I think what winds up happening, as it did in Lake Placid and Salt Lake, as two examples, is that the facilities wind up being training areas for athletes and tourist destinations.
Not sure what the economic upswing or the renewal level is.
posted by mountainmambo at 7:19 AM on February 27, 2006
Not sure what the economic upswing or the renewal level is.
posted by mountainmambo at 7:19 AM on February 27, 2006
So basically it's an excuse to throw public money at construction companies?
posted by public at 7:20 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by public at 7:20 AM on February 27, 2006
I like the summer sports much better. I had a hard time finding anything I wanted to watch this past week.
posted by OmieWise at 7:24 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by OmieWise at 7:24 AM on February 27, 2006
Summer is better because there are horses and hot guys in speedos. Duh.
posted by youcancallmeal at 7:29 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by youcancallmeal at 7:29 AM on February 27, 2006
[...] the facilities wind up being training areas for athletes and tourist destinations.
Exactly. Tourism and more support for elite athletes.
I live in a province (British Columbia) where school class sizes continue to rise, where gun violence is increasing, where so many hospitals and long-term care facilities have been closed that the public health system is in jeopardy, where homeless people share needles to inject crystal meth on downtown sidewalks. What is my government doing? Cranking up the 'feel good' machine for Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics.
posted by 327.ca at 7:30 AM on February 27, 2006
Exactly. Tourism and more support for elite athletes.
I live in a province (British Columbia) where school class sizes continue to rise, where gun violence is increasing, where so many hospitals and long-term care facilities have been closed that the public health system is in jeopardy, where homeless people share needles to inject crystal meth on downtown sidewalks. What is my government doing? Cranking up the 'feel good' machine for Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics.
posted by 327.ca at 7:30 AM on February 27, 2006
Utah made money and we got a bunch of massive freeway upgrades--for free!
The lightrail is nice too.
/didn't watch this year, no tv antenna.
posted by mecran01 at 7:33 AM on February 27, 2006
The lightrail is nice too.
/didn't watch this year, no tv antenna.
posted by mecran01 at 7:33 AM on February 27, 2006
Yes, I don't think most people in Toronto shed any tears when we lost the Olympics to Beijing.
It would have been good to get some federal money around here for a change, but like 327 says, we have some bigger problems to deal with.
posted by GuyZero at 7:34 AM on February 27, 2006
It would have been good to get some federal money around here for a change, but like 327 says, we have some bigger problems to deal with.
posted by GuyZero at 7:34 AM on February 27, 2006
This whole curling thing is a massive practical joke.
Right?
posted by LondonYank at 7:34 AM on February 27, 2006
Right?
posted by LondonYank at 7:34 AM on February 27, 2006
327.ca, don't you know that government support of elite athletes is just fine, but support for the arts is considered socialism???
posted by mountainmambo at 7:35 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by mountainmambo at 7:35 AM on February 27, 2006
Utah made money and we got a bunch of massive freeway upgrades--for free!
Should read,
Utah got credit and we got a bunch of massive freeway upgrades--for debt!
posted by public at 7:35 AM on February 27, 2006
Should read,
Utah got credit and we got a bunch of massive freeway upgrades--for debt!
posted by public at 7:35 AM on February 27, 2006
i don't see how summer olympic sports like discus and javelin are any more relevant than nordic combined. i think that critics in the US dismiss it because they did more poorly than expected. if bode miller won five medals rather than showing up drunk at the slopes, they would certainly all be collectively hailing the greatness of the winter olympics.
posted by caffeine_monkey at 7:36 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by caffeine_monkey at 7:36 AM on February 27, 2006
I like the event they have where the athletes get dropped off on an island by plane; the one where they have to type in a code every so often.
posted by The White Hat at 7:37 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by The White Hat at 7:37 AM on February 27, 2006
Do you have any figures for that "Just paid off the 1976 olympics", 327.ca? I'd be interested to see a source article on that. I've felt that over the last bunch of olympicses, it really doesn't seem to do much benefit for the host, other than (in some cases) some kickass infrastructure upgrades, courtesy of the government. As far as I can tell, that's the only reason Toronto keeps trying for it - they want some government money so they can tear down the Gardiner at last! :)
posted by antifuse at 7:38 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by antifuse at 7:38 AM on February 27, 2006
youcancallmeal writes "Summer is better because there are horses and hot guys in speedos. Duh."
Exactly my point al!
posted by OmieWise at 7:38 AM on February 27, 2006
Exactly my point al!
posted by OmieWise at 7:38 AM on February 27, 2006
Do you have any figures for that "Just paid off the 1976 olympics", 327.ca?
Not offhand, but I read this just a few days ago. In the same article, it was claimed that the only Olympics that have ever turned a profit was 1984 in Los Angeles -- and only then because they were able to reuse facilities built for an earlier Olympics.
I think the point about Utah's freeways says a lot. Sure you get infrastructure upgrades, but at what cost and to whom? Often I think federal governments get involved and spend on the host city, which they might otherwise not be inclined to do.
posted by 327.ca at 7:44 AM on February 27, 2006
Not offhand, but I read this just a few days ago. In the same article, it was claimed that the only Olympics that have ever turned a profit was 1984 in Los Angeles -- and only then because they were able to reuse facilities built for an earlier Olympics.
I think the point about Utah's freeways says a lot. Sure you get infrastructure upgrades, but at what cost and to whom? Often I think federal governments get involved and spend on the host city, which they might otherwise not be inclined to do.
posted by 327.ca at 7:44 AM on February 27, 2006
Do you have any figures for that "Just paid off the 1976 olympics", 327.ca?
Here we go. "As of early 2006, Montreal has finished paying its Olympic debt."
posted by 327.ca at 7:47 AM on February 27, 2006
Here we go. "As of early 2006, Montreal has finished paying its Olympic debt."
posted by 327.ca at 7:47 AM on February 27, 2006
Do you have any figures for that "Just paid off the 1976 olympics", 327.ca?
antifuse - try this CBC story, which says that the Québec government will have finally paid off the stadium (the largest part of the debt) by 30 June 2006. Unfortunately, the stadium generates its own ongoing costs over and above the aforementioned debt:
Quebec absorbs an annual deficit of about $20 million for the Olympic Installations Board, the agency that manages the facilities. It must also spend $6 million a year for the next 30 years for the stadium's new roof.
- from the same article.
posted by hangashore at 7:49 AM on February 27, 2006
antifuse - try this CBC story, which says that the Québec government will have finally paid off the stadium (the largest part of the debt) by 30 June 2006. Unfortunately, the stadium generates its own ongoing costs over and above the aforementioned debt:
Quebec absorbs an annual deficit of about $20 million for the Olympic Installations Board, the agency that manages the facilities. It must also spend $6 million a year for the next 30 years for the stadium's new roof.
- from the same article.
posted by hangashore at 7:49 AM on February 27, 2006
Here is another source which claims that "no modern Games have made money when all costs, including public money and land transfers, infrastructure costs, and security are factored in."
posted by 327.ca at 7:52 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by 327.ca at 7:52 AM on February 27, 2006
public writes "Seriously though, do the Olympics have any medium/long term effect on a cities well being?"
The Calgary 88 Olympics were very good for us. Not only did we get facilities built that allow our athletes to train at home instead of abroad, there are continuing legacy payouts.
posted by Mitheral at 7:53 AM on February 27, 2006
The Calgary 88 Olympics were very good for us. Not only did we get facilities built that allow our athletes to train at home instead of abroad, there are continuing legacy payouts.
posted by Mitheral at 7:53 AM on February 27, 2006
The Calgary 88 Olympics were very good for us.
From the article cited above...
posted by 327.ca at 7:58 AM on February 27, 2006
From the article cited above...
The Calgary Olympics were a money loser, and could only claim to be profitable if the huge subsidies received from federal, provincial and municipal governments for Olympic venues were excluded." ... as the auditor's report also points out," Walkom wrote, "the organizing committee's figures do not include the cost of building most of the Olympic facilities." All in all, the three levels of government spent about $461 million on the Calgary Games: $261 million from Ottawa, $133 million from Alberta and $67 million from Calgary.Forbes has a good overview on the economic impacts of several recent Olympics.
posted by 327.ca at 7:58 AM on February 27, 2006
In this time of increasing world unrest the Olympic promise of cooperative participation and sportmanship starts to look more like the inter-tribal rivalry it has always represented. I wonder if there's a subtle link between the Olympic Games and the free market conceit of healthy competition being the source of the most robust economy that is supposed to solve every problem. Is the winner-take-all mentality still relevant in a world where a more profound level of cooperation is the only answer to the increasingly complex social and ecological problems that we face? Is competition cooperation?
It's somewhat akin to the debate on many campuses about whether the budgetary expenditures for athletic programs is really justified as integral to the academic charter.
posted by gallois at 8:05 AM on February 27, 2006
It's somewhat akin to the debate on many campuses about whether the budgetary expenditures for athletic programs is really justified as integral to the academic charter.
posted by gallois at 8:05 AM on February 27, 2006
Too many are silly variations on a theme, and few beyond skiing, snowboarding and hockey are like anything most recreational athletes have every played.
And, as others have noted, few recreational athletes have "every" competed at a fencing meet, or archery competition, or kayaking event, or equestrian 3-day event, or diving competition, or gymnastic meet, or hurled a discus, or...
At least an awful lot of the sports in the winter olympics are potentially life-threatening. Takes a damn sight more balls to plummet face-first down an icy ditch than it does to jog for a while or to play a game of volleyball.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:11 AM on February 27, 2006
And, as others have noted, few recreational athletes have "every" competed at a fencing meet, or archery competition, or kayaking event, or equestrian 3-day event, or diving competition, or gymnastic meet, or hurled a discus, or...
At least an awful lot of the sports in the winter olympics are potentially life-threatening. Takes a damn sight more balls to plummet face-first down an icy ditch than it does to jog for a while or to play a game of volleyball.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:11 AM on February 27, 2006
The games meant more when the Cold War was on. Now they are a chance for the first world to beat up the third world.
posted by stbalbach at 8:12 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by stbalbach at 8:12 AM on February 27, 2006
In this time of increasing world unrest the Olympic promise of cooperative participation and sportmanship starts to look more like the inter-tribal rivalry it has always represented.
Or, you could read Dan Steinberg's Olympic blog, following also-rans and spending precious little time at sporting events, and get entirely the opposite impression.
posted by holgate at 8:15 AM on February 27, 2006
Or, you could read Dan Steinberg's Olympic blog, following also-rans and spending precious little time at sporting events, and get entirely the opposite impression.
posted by holgate at 8:15 AM on February 27, 2006
Both summer and winter games would probably be a little more relevant if all events that required judging were eliminated. These are athletic competitions, right? I don't see where style points should enter into it.
And, yes, I realize the holiest-of-holies figure skating would be dumped. Meh.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:17 AM on February 27, 2006
And, yes, I realize the holiest-of-holies figure skating would be dumped. Meh.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:17 AM on February 27, 2006
Anyone who mocks curling has never tried it. On TV, it looks like a two-dimensional game, but when you factor in "weight," friction, curl and the opponents' rocks, it's more like a five- or six-dimensional game.
Comparisons with bowling are specious. No one has ever called bowling "chess on wood."
posted by j0hnnyb at 8:21 AM on February 27, 2006
Comparisons with bowling are specious. No one has ever called bowling "chess on wood."
posted by j0hnnyb at 8:21 AM on February 27, 2006
I tried curling when I was a kid.. it was called 'marbles' back then.
posted by mountainmambo at 8:23 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by mountainmambo at 8:23 AM on February 27, 2006
In this time of increasing world unrest the Olympic promise of cooperative participation and sportmanship starts to look more like the inter-tribal rivalry it has always represented.
Yes, I agree. William James argued that sports produced a set of virtues which formed "the rock upon which states are built." I think the Olympics themselves have become a "moral equivalent of war" in which the populace is whipped into a nationalistic frenzy and huge amounts of public money are spent, but nobody dies.
posted by 327.ca at 8:30 AM on February 27, 2006
Yes, I agree. William James argued that sports produced a set of virtues which formed "the rock upon which states are built." I think the Olympics themselves have become a "moral equivalent of war" in which the populace is whipped into a nationalistic frenzy and huge amounts of public money are spent, but nobody dies.
posted by 327.ca at 8:30 AM on February 27, 2006
Yes, I don't think most people in Toronto shed any tears when we lost the Olympics to Beijing.
I did.
Toronto needs some significant infrastructure work. Toronto needs a waterfront that isn't given over completely to powerplants and condos. Toronto needs better subways.
Toronto ain't gonna get any of those things without an Olympics or a World's Fair.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:31 AM on February 27, 2006
I did.
Toronto needs some significant infrastructure work. Toronto needs a waterfront that isn't given over completely to powerplants and condos. Toronto needs better subways.
Toronto ain't gonna get any of those things without an Olympics or a World's Fair.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:31 AM on February 27, 2006
I agree with much of what has been stated above, but I can't help but wonder if our sentiments are rather North-Americentric. I was speaking with a guy from Japan the other day and he was really excited about the Olympics and seemed quite puzzled by my indifference/disinterest. Are the Olympics still/more relevant for other participating countries?
posted by shoepal at 8:31 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by shoepal at 8:31 AM on February 27, 2006
mountainmambo:
I'm sure many of your childhood pastimes are represented at the Olympics: running, jumping, baseball, soccer, perhaps. That doesn't diminish the skill required to compete at the international level.
posted by j0hnnyb at 8:37 AM on February 27, 2006
I'm sure many of your childhood pastimes are represented at the Olympics: running, jumping, baseball, soccer, perhaps. That doesn't diminish the skill required to compete at the international level.
posted by j0hnnyb at 8:37 AM on February 27, 2006
I love the Olympics. A lot. Both Summer and Winter. The cost overruns and debt are embarrasing, though. I think they should just built OlympicLand somewhere (or, better, just reuse one of the previous cities) and just have it there every time. The IOC wouldn't get its continuous stream of bribe money, though.
posted by zsazsa at 8:40 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by zsazsa at 8:40 AM on February 27, 2006
Who said anything about skill? We're talking the strategy of Curling, not the skill it takes. The game has very similar strategic rules to marbles.
posted by mountainmambo at 8:42 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by mountainmambo at 8:42 AM on February 27, 2006
Xiaopeng Han. Janica Kostelic.
My two favorite stories. The problem with the Olympics, speaking as a USian, is that the media doesn't cover the best stories. They only pay attention to the American ones which, in the case of Torino, were mostly awful. Miller and Kwan will go down in history as legendary flameouts. The snowboarding successes were cool, but Jacobellis biffing was just stupid--you should care about winning gold. If you do your best, that's fine, but if you fuck up for no good reason (at least Jacobellis got silver) you deserve to be ridiculed. Or at least you should cut a check to return any and all funds you've received from sponsors and training facilities.
I hope NBC and other media outlets have learned that they should cover the games more neutrally. I love 'em, but the jingoism is stupid.
posted by bardic at 8:49 AM on February 27, 2006
My two favorite stories. The problem with the Olympics, speaking as a USian, is that the media doesn't cover the best stories. They only pay attention to the American ones which, in the case of Torino, were mostly awful. Miller and Kwan will go down in history as legendary flameouts. The snowboarding successes were cool, but Jacobellis biffing was just stupid--you should care about winning gold. If you do your best, that's fine, but if you fuck up for no good reason (at least Jacobellis got silver) you deserve to be ridiculed. Or at least you should cut a check to return any and all funds you've received from sponsors and training facilities.
I hope NBC and other media outlets have learned that they should cover the games more neutrally. I love 'em, but the jingoism is stupid.
posted by bardic at 8:49 AM on February 27, 2006
My problem with a lot of the winter olympic sports (and, yes, a lot of the summer ones too) is that they're not sports!
A distinction needs to be drawn between three classes of event: sports, games and performances. Football is a sport. Chess is a game. Figure skating is a performance.
Frankly, only sports belong in the olympics.
posted by hoverboards don't work on water at 8:50 AM on February 27, 2006
A distinction needs to be drawn between three classes of event: sports, games and performances. Football is a sport. Chess is a game. Figure skating is a performance.
Frankly, only sports belong in the olympics.
posted by hoverboards don't work on water at 8:50 AM on February 27, 2006
I loved these games. USAians however were screwed by the pre-games hype for their teams, and the naggy/negative/picky commentators on NBC. (E.g. the headline pictures of Cohen falling on the ice on msnbc.com were over the top, she got silver ferchrissakes). The Olympics is not about Team YOO-ESS-AY against the world, but about individuals from all over the world, 90%+ of whom know that they have no chance of a medal, competing together in a sporting spirit.
posted by carter at 8:51 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by carter at 8:51 AM on February 27, 2006
Lohan and Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White spent an "intimate night" together Tuesday at New York's Bungalow 8.
Lindsey Lohan is getting down with him? Jesus Christ. At least he's not a rock star.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:00 AM on February 27, 2006
Lindsey Lohan is getting down with him? Jesus Christ. At least he's not a rock star.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:00 AM on February 27, 2006
Yeah, the Jigonism was a turnoff for me too, not that I cared in the first place.
But it's kind of annoying how NBC hypes these "personalities" before the games so that you can get interested. It's so artificial. You never here about them before or after.
Anyway.
posted by delmoi at 9:04 AM on February 27, 2006
But it's kind of annoying how NBC hypes these "personalities" before the games so that you can get interested. It's so artificial. You never here about them before or after.
Anyway.
posted by delmoi at 9:04 AM on February 27, 2006
327.ca writes "The Calgary Olympics were a money loser, and could only claim to be profitable if the huge subsidies received from federal, provincial and municipal governments for Olympic venues were excluded."
What public infrastructure makes money? Public libraries, pools, parks, beaches etc. all lose money. If capitalists could figure out how to turn a profit on them then then wouldn't be public.
posted by Mitheral at 9:06 AM on February 27, 2006
What public infrastructure makes money? Public libraries, pools, parks, beaches etc. all lose money. If capitalists could figure out how to turn a profit on them then then wouldn't be public.
posted by Mitheral at 9:06 AM on February 27, 2006
bardic, NBC was a bit more fair this year. They had half hour-long documentaries about the Italy-Norway cross country skiing rivalry and the Italian bobsledder Eugenio Monti. They had the feel-good "olympic spirit" stories about several international atheletes, Janica Kostelic included. They interviewed non-US gold medal winners. NBC does go overboard on the schmaltz, though.
posted by zsazsa at 9:08 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by zsazsa at 9:08 AM on February 27, 2006
I hope NBC and other media outlets have learned that they should cover the games more neutrally. I love 'em, but the jingoism is stupid. --bardic--
--------------------------------------------
I agree, I didn't even bother watching this year because I knew it would be a sportscaster soap opera shrillfest, just like it's been for every Olympics for the last several years.
Sports commentators turned me away from sports...
posted by mk1gti at 9:08 AM on February 27, 2006
--------------------------------------------
I agree, I didn't even bother watching this year because I knew it would be a sportscaster soap opera shrillfest, just like it's been for every Olympics for the last several years.
Sports commentators turned me away from sports...
posted by mk1gti at 9:08 AM on February 27, 2006
A distinction needs to be drawn between three classes of event: sports, games and performances. Football is a sport.
No it isn't. A sport is a continuous athletic activity. If you're taking turns at something, you're playing a game. Football is a series of turns, not a continuous stream of athletic activity, therefore it is a game rather than a sport.
Do I mean that? No. But that "it's not a sport" argument is a specious display of false purity. Who decides what's a sport and what's not? Eliminate anything with judging? That leaves curling, the only sport I'm aware of that doesn't even have a referee. But let's translate what most people who say "That's not a sport" seem to mean:
A distinction needs to be drawn between three classes of event: ones I enjoy watching, ones I don't enjoy watching but that might still be manly, and ones for pussies that I don't enjoy watching. Frankly, only events I enjoy watching should be in the Olympics.
Me, I'm annoyed that there aren't any motorsports in the Olympics. I'd love to see Olympic open-wheel racing even if it means looking at Schumi's crooked grimace on the podium.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:09 AM on February 27, 2006
No it isn't. A sport is a continuous athletic activity. If you're taking turns at something, you're playing a game. Football is a series of turns, not a continuous stream of athletic activity, therefore it is a game rather than a sport.
Do I mean that? No. But that "it's not a sport" argument is a specious display of false purity. Who decides what's a sport and what's not? Eliminate anything with judging? That leaves curling, the only sport I'm aware of that doesn't even have a referee. But let's translate what most people who say "That's not a sport" seem to mean:
A distinction needs to be drawn between three classes of event: ones I enjoy watching, ones I don't enjoy watching but that might still be manly, and ones for pussies that I don't enjoy watching. Frankly, only events I enjoy watching should be in the Olympics.
Me, I'm annoyed that there aren't any motorsports in the Olympics. I'd love to see Olympic open-wheel racing even if it means looking at Schumi's crooked grimace on the podium.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:09 AM on February 27, 2006
If you don't support the winter Olympics then you can't really claim to support research into alternative energy. Even greenhouse scientists know that is all downhill from here.
Miller and Kwan will go down in history as legendary flameouts.
Which is a shame because both have represented their country quite well in almost every venue other than the Olympics (except Bode has two Olympic Silvers already).
The pack like viciousness with which Americans turn on their own when they underperform isn't matched anywhere else in the world. I am amazed any american athletes even survive their first failures.
Lindsey Lohan is getting down with him? Jesus Christ.
Are you implying your hot or not score is higher?
I would like to see more coverage of the cheating becuase frankly that part of athletics is the most fascinating.
posted by srboisvert at 9:11 AM on February 27, 2006
Miller and Kwan will go down in history as legendary flameouts.
Which is a shame because both have represented their country quite well in almost every venue other than the Olympics (except Bode has two Olympic Silvers already).
The pack like viciousness with which Americans turn on their own when they underperform isn't matched anywhere else in the world. I am amazed any american athletes even survive their first failures.
Lindsey Lohan is getting down with him? Jesus Christ.
Are you implying your hot or not score is higher?
I would like to see more coverage of the cheating becuase frankly that part of athletics is the most fascinating.
posted by srboisvert at 9:11 AM on February 27, 2006
They had half hour-long documentaries about the Italy-Norway cross country skiing rivalry
That was a great doc.
posted by carter at 9:13 AM on February 27, 2006
That was a great doc.
posted by carter at 9:13 AM on February 27, 2006
ROU_Xenophobe writes "Me, I'm annoyed that there aren't any motorsports in the Olympics. I'd love to see Olympic open-wheel racing even if it means looking at Schumi's crooked grimace on the podium."
Or Ice Racing in the winter. That would be awesome.
posted by Mitheral at 9:15 AM on February 27, 2006
Or Ice Racing in the winter. That would be awesome.
posted by Mitheral at 9:15 AM on February 27, 2006
well, I've enjoyed watching the olympics quite a bit. so there!
posted by mcsweetie at 9:17 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by mcsweetie at 9:17 AM on February 27, 2006
We're talking the strategy of Curling, not the skill it takes.
We are? OK.
The game has very similar strategic rules to marbles.
True enough. End up with more of your own markers in a target area that your opponent. Lots of games share this theme. Lots of games share the theme of scoring goals by moving an object into your opponent's end of a playing area. Some of these games are in the Olympics and some aren't.
You're attempting to diminish curling by comparing it to a childhood pastime. I don't get it.
As for whether it should be a televised Olympics sport, well, I used to make fun of televised curling, but during these games I got hooked. And Italians tuned in in record numbers, despite the fact that there are about 500 players in the whole country. Probably because it's so similar to bocce.
Who decides what's a sport and what's not? Eliminate anything with judging? That leaves curling, the only sport I'm aware of that doesn't even have a referee.
Well, not quite, but the players do tend to discuss and decide amoung themselves whether this rock or that is closer to the button. Then can call for a measurement if need be.
posted by j0hnnyb at 9:18 AM on February 27, 2006
We are? OK.
The game has very similar strategic rules to marbles.
True enough. End up with more of your own markers in a target area that your opponent. Lots of games share this theme. Lots of games share the theme of scoring goals by moving an object into your opponent's end of a playing area. Some of these games are in the Olympics and some aren't.
You're attempting to diminish curling by comparing it to a childhood pastime. I don't get it.
As for whether it should be a televised Olympics sport, well, I used to make fun of televised curling, but during these games I got hooked. And Italians tuned in in record numbers, despite the fact that there are about 500 players in the whole country. Probably because it's so similar to bocce.
Who decides what's a sport and what's not? Eliminate anything with judging? That leaves curling, the only sport I'm aware of that doesn't even have a referee.
Well, not quite, but the players do tend to discuss and decide amoung themselves whether this rock or that is closer to the button. Then can call for a measurement if need be.
posted by j0hnnyb at 9:18 AM on February 27, 2006
Or Ice Racing in the winter. That would be awesome.
My 7-year-old son's idea for a winter olympic event:
Truck racing, up a icy hill, where the trucks have no tires. As in, on the rims. Kinda like bobsled in reverse.
posted by GuyZero at 9:20 AM on February 27, 2006
My 7-year-old son's idea for a winter olympic event:
Truck racing, up a icy hill, where the trucks have no tires. As in, on the rims. Kinda like bobsled in reverse.
posted by GuyZero at 9:20 AM on February 27, 2006
Toronto ain't gonna get any of those things without an Olympics or a World's Fair.
This is like a beaten, deprived child with rich parents getting new clothes because they got a spot in the school play.
How about we stop beating up our goddamn cities instead?
posted by GuyZero at 9:22 AM on February 27, 2006
This is like a beaten, deprived child with rich parents getting new clothes because they got a spot in the school play.
How about we stop beating up our goddamn cities instead?
posted by GuyZero at 9:22 AM on February 27, 2006
I'm unabashed in my love the Olympics, both summer and winter. The best athletes in the world, who have devoted their lives to one thing, get a chance (maybe their only shot) every four years, to compete on the world stage. The level of competition is phenomenal, and you just can't beat the genuine emotion you see in in a medal ceremony.
Here in the US, NBC did a hack job with their coverage, only focusing on sports that the US would win, and doing tons of sappy human interest angles. I would have preferred to just watch the events themselves without all the schmaltz.
posted by Gamblor at 9:24 AM on February 27, 2006
Here in the US, NBC did a hack job with their coverage, only focusing on sports that the US would win, and doing tons of sappy human interest angles. I would have preferred to just watch the events themselves without all the schmaltz.
posted by Gamblor at 9:24 AM on February 27, 2006
srboisvert, "underperform"? I disagree. Bode DQ'd and DNF'd his way through five events--although he did get fifth in the downhill. Kwan managed to not even compete, after not even qualifying in a traditional sense--they gave her a spot based on her smile. Hughes might have done better if she'd actually had the time to prepare, and it sucks that she didn't get to participate in the opening ceremonies because a diva got a booboo.
Why shouldn't we turn on these losers? It's not like they're amateurs or anything--they're frickin' millionaires, and they didn't accomplish anything. How about Ligety, Davis, Mancuso, and Ohno? Nobody turned on them, because they competed well and didn't expect the media to give them a pass because of their "Bodeness" or "Kwaness."
/Can you tell I take the olympics more seriously than I should? You make a good point, but I just don't see it--the American athletes who did well are being rightfully heralded. The overpaid flameouts are being ignored. It's all good, except for Visa, Nike, and NBC, and I hope they learn from this experience.
posted by bardic at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2006
Why shouldn't we turn on these losers? It's not like they're amateurs or anything--they're frickin' millionaires, and they didn't accomplish anything. How about Ligety, Davis, Mancuso, and Ohno? Nobody turned on them, because they competed well and didn't expect the media to give them a pass because of their "Bodeness" or "Kwaness."
/Can you tell I take the olympics more seriously than I should? You make a good point, but I just don't see it--the American athletes who did well are being rightfully heralded. The overpaid flameouts are being ignored. It's all good, except for Visa, Nike, and NBC, and I hope they learn from this experience.
posted by bardic at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2006
Are you implying your hot or not score is higher?
Yes, that's precisely what I'm saying. (By the way, that's sarcasm).
He does appear to be profoundly unattractive, however. Considering LL could have, quite literally, almost any man her age she wanted, I find it interesting she goes for a guy that looks like Napoleon Dynamite but happens to have an Olympic medal.
I know there are any number of movie stars/male models that are significantly more attractive.
So is my hotornot score better than him? I hope so, at least by a fraction of a point. The man looks like a missing link to some ill-fated homo boardslidus branch of human evolution. But, given LL's possible population of people to choose from, he has to be at or near the bottom of what would even be deemed "acceptable" much less "desirable".
And don't give me all that "girl's don't value looks as much as guys" bullshit. LL has shown herself to be as shallow and image obsessed as any other starlet, so I would expect looks has to figure quite highly in her choices. Of course, as her recent starvation and (supposed) chemical abuse shows, she may not be thinking rationally at this point.
He probably just had the really good weed.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2006
Yes, that's precisely what I'm saying. (By the way, that's sarcasm).
He does appear to be profoundly unattractive, however. Considering LL could have, quite literally, almost any man her age she wanted, I find it interesting she goes for a guy that looks like Napoleon Dynamite but happens to have an Olympic medal.
I know there are any number of movie stars/male models that are significantly more attractive.
So is my hotornot score better than him? I hope so, at least by a fraction of a point. The man looks like a missing link to some ill-fated homo boardslidus branch of human evolution. But, given LL's possible population of people to choose from, he has to be at or near the bottom of what would even be deemed "acceptable" much less "desirable".
And don't give me all that "girl's don't value looks as much as guys" bullshit. LL has shown herself to be as shallow and image obsessed as any other starlet, so I would expect looks has to figure quite highly in her choices. Of course, as her recent starvation and (supposed) chemical abuse shows, she may not be thinking rationally at this point.
He probably just had the really good weed.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2006
I'm pretty sure the Olympics mean a lot to the people who compete in them.
posted by notmydesk at 9:36 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by notmydesk at 9:36 AM on February 27, 2006
So you don't get why curling, which is essentially marbles on ice, in my opinion, should not be considered an Olympic sport? One that is on par with Downhill or Skeleton or Bobsled?
Just my opinion, sorry I offended any curling fans on the site. I just don't get its validity as an Olympic 'sport.'
Why not as, GuyZero's son says, make truck racing up an icy hill a sport? How about sledding, as my son has suggested? Or snowball fights as Faint of Butt suggested?
posted by mountainmambo at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2006
Just my opinion, sorry I offended any curling fans on the site. I just don't get its validity as an Olympic 'sport.'
Why not as, GuyZero's son says, make truck racing up an icy hill a sport? How about sledding, as my son has suggested? Or snowball fights as Faint of Butt suggested?
posted by mountainmambo at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2006
Personally, the only thing I enjoy about the olympics is that too gold medal speedskaters went to my high school. Though that's kind of a dumb thing to be excited about.
posted by drezdn at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by drezdn at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2006
If I was worried my kid would never get laid, I'd buy them a guitar or a snowboard.
posted by bardic at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by bardic at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2006
I had an "olympic movement" just after coffee this morning. Really, I should get a medal. Had to pound it with a shovel.
posted by Smedleyman at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by Smedleyman at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2006
The Olympics is not about Team YOO-ESS-AY against the world, but about individuals from all over the world, 90%+ of whom know that they have no chance of a medal, competing together in a sporting spirit.
Indeed, indeed. Personally, when I watch the events, doesn't matter what it is, I root for whichever athlete is up next. Sure, I like to see U.S. athletes do well, unless they give me a reason to not care one way or the other. But take skiing for example... whoever is on their way down the hill at that moment, I hope they cross the line in first. I get excited and cheer for athletes from countries that have never won a medal in a particular event or any other kind of Olympic anomaly like that.
posted by Witty at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2006
Indeed, indeed. Personally, when I watch the events, doesn't matter what it is, I root for whichever athlete is up next. Sure, I like to see U.S. athletes do well, unless they give me a reason to not care one way or the other. But take skiing for example... whoever is on their way down the hill at that moment, I hope they cross the line in first. I get excited and cheer for athletes from countries that have never won a medal in a particular event or any other kind of Olympic anomaly like that.
posted by Witty at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2006
I found out about the Olympics by the graphics on my google search page. Anyone know where I can watch curling online?
posted by Eideteker at 9:54 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by Eideteker at 9:54 AM on February 27, 2006
I'm with Witty. I didn't see much coverage, but I cheered the loudest for the Finnish woman who won silver in the GS, because it was Finland's first medal in that event.
posted by goatdog at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by goatdog at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2006
People who bash curling are like people who make fun of retards. Both are easy targets undeserved of the hate, and the people doing the bashing are oh-so-cooooooooool.
posted by afx114 at 10:01 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by afx114 at 10:01 AM on February 27, 2006
I think the subtly of skill required in piloting a skeleton or luge is probably similar to that of throwing a curling stone at perfect weight. Anyone can with enough guts can slide down a luge run. Anyone at all can throw a curling stone down a sheet of ice. Both require extraordinary skill to compete at a high level.
(I tried curling once. Out of several stones I threw, I got one in play, barely over the hogline, no where near the house. All the rest either went all the way to the back of the sheet or barely it made it halfway when I overcompensated and threw with not enough weight. That's when I changed my mind about the sport.)
Curling isn't fast. Neither is archery. Both are Olympic sports.
Lacrosse isn't an Olympic sport. Skeet shooting is. Football isn't. Field hockey is. Who in North America cares about modern pentathlon, or has even heard of it?
Why no four-woman bobsleigh? Or two-woman luge? Why no women in bobsleigh at all until Salt Lake? Women don't compete in ski jump. Why's that?
Tug of war used to be in the Olympics, but isn't anymore. Anyone remember ski ballet? I was a demonstration sport, but didn't make the cut.
I don't know what criteria the IOC uses to pick sports. But I am glad curling got in. Canada kicks butt in it.
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2006
(I tried curling once. Out of several stones I threw, I got one in play, barely over the hogline, no where near the house. All the rest either went all the way to the back of the sheet or barely it made it halfway when I overcompensated and threw with not enough weight. That's when I changed my mind about the sport.)
Curling isn't fast. Neither is archery. Both are Olympic sports.
Lacrosse isn't an Olympic sport. Skeet shooting is. Football isn't. Field hockey is. Who in North America cares about modern pentathlon, or has even heard of it?
Why no four-woman bobsleigh? Or two-woman luge? Why no women in bobsleigh at all until Salt Lake? Women don't compete in ski jump. Why's that?
Tug of war used to be in the Olympics, but isn't anymore. Anyone remember ski ballet? I was a demonstration sport, but didn't make the cut.
I don't know what criteria the IOC uses to pick sports. But I am glad curling got in. Canada kicks butt in it.
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2006
I cheered for the Chinese figure-skating couple, after the woman wiped out into the side of the rink, but then got back on her feet and they went on to win the silver. Like Witty said - sometimes you just want them all to win something.
posted by carter at 10:06 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by carter at 10:06 AM on February 27, 2006
Hey, mountainmambo, woah there. I just wanted to share my son's amusing winter-olympics-meets-motorsports idea. Don't drag me into your world of curling hate.
Curling is huge in Canada. It's definitely one of the more popular televised sports, especially in small town and outside of major urban areas. Those who mock it have never tried it.
Curling is hard. It doesn't require a high level of physical fitness like a lot of other Olympic competitions, but it requires a lot of skill and practice to make it to an international level. And while curling strategy isn't open-heart surgery, reading the condition of the ice and deciding which shots are possible is a real skill. Making the shots is equally hard.
Does it really qualify to be an Olympic sport? I'm sure there are lots of opinions on that. But it is a legitimate, non-trivial sport.
And since our overpaid, lazy men's hockey team sucked wind this year, it's good that there at least one other sport that we Canucks can dominate!
posted by GuyZero at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2006
Curling is huge in Canada. It's definitely one of the more popular televised sports, especially in small town and outside of major urban areas. Those who mock it have never tried it.
Curling is hard. It doesn't require a high level of physical fitness like a lot of other Olympic competitions, but it requires a lot of skill and practice to make it to an international level. And while curling strategy isn't open-heart surgery, reading the condition of the ice and deciding which shots are possible is a real skill. Making the shots is equally hard.
Does it really qualify to be an Olympic sport? I'm sure there are lots of opinions on that. But it is a legitimate, non-trivial sport.
And since our overpaid, lazy men's hockey team sucked wind this year, it's good that there at least one other sport that we Canucks can dominate!
posted by GuyZero at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2006
I liked the Olympics, enjoyed watching alot of the sports and actually really enjoyed watching the curling (especially the quite hawt US Women's team).
And I like that the NHL is probably not going to be participating next time. I want less pro's in the Olympics, not more.
And please, please, please keep the "Dream Team" crap out of the Summer Olympics. Nothing shouts "SHAM" like a bunch of incredibly overpaid professionals beating up on tiny countries.
posted by fenriq at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2006
And I like that the NHL is probably not going to be participating next time. I want less pro's in the Olympics, not more.
And please, please, please keep the "Dream Team" crap out of the Summer Olympics. Nothing shouts "SHAM" like a bunch of incredibly overpaid professionals beating up on tiny countries.
posted by fenriq at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2006
I think the NHL has committed to the Vancouver games, but its participation is in question after that.
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:22 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:22 AM on February 27, 2006
j0hnnyB, I had a dream that looked alot like two woman luge. Except they were naked, there was no ice and they were facing each other. THAT should be an Olympic sport!
posted by fenriq at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by fenriq at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2006
I agree with you, fenriq, but the U.S. did only bronze in basketball last time. They got beat by Puerto Rico and Argentina.
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:25 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:25 AM on February 27, 2006
Except they were naked, there was no ice and they were facing each other.
Ha! Maybe it's jokes like that that are keeping two-woman luge out. There are already enough about two-man luge. Brokeback Mountain, anyone?
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:27 AM on February 27, 2006
Ha! Maybe it's jokes like that that are keeping two-woman luge out. There are already enough about two-man luge. Brokeback Mountain, anyone?
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:27 AM on February 27, 2006
For those of you bitching that the Olypics are boring, I have three words for you: Aerial freestyle skiing.
posted by Gamblor at 10:36 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by Gamblor at 10:36 AM on February 27, 2006
People who bash curling are like people who make fun of retards.
Really?
I'm not much of a fan of the concept, but I quite enjoyed what I saw of these Winter Olympics. I watch a number of "sports" that I wouldn't otherwise. The skiing was good, the snowboarding decent, the skating great, the figure skating meh. I didn't see any curling. Surprise.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:41 AM on February 27, 2006
Really?
I'm not much of a fan of the concept, but I quite enjoyed what I saw of these Winter Olympics. I watch a number of "sports" that I wouldn't otherwise. The skiing was good, the snowboarding decent, the skating great, the figure skating meh. I didn't see any curling. Surprise.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:41 AM on February 27, 2006
Who in North America cares about modern pentathlon, or has even heard of it?
I do! It's the freakin piratical games! Running, followed by pistol shooting, followed by horseback riding (the obstacle-laden kind), followed by swimming, and then fencing! Buckles are swashed!
posted by Tikirific at 10:45 AM on February 27, 2006
I do! It's the freakin piratical games! Running, followed by pistol shooting, followed by horseback riding (the obstacle-laden kind), followed by swimming, and then fencing! Buckles are swashed!
posted by Tikirific at 10:45 AM on February 27, 2006
Nothing shouts "SHAM" like a bunch of incredibly overpaid professionals beating up on tiny countries.
Like Anton Ohno?
The US gives a $25K *bonus* to gold medal winners, correct? How much do you think they earn annually?
posted by mrgrimm at 10:45 AM on February 27, 2006
Like Anton Ohno?
The US gives a $25K *bonus* to gold medal winners, correct? How much do you think they earn annually?
posted by mrgrimm at 10:45 AM on February 27, 2006
It's the freakin piratical games!
I think Talk like a Pirate Day just got its official sport.
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:53 AM on February 27, 2006
I think Talk like a Pirate Day just got its official sport.
posted by j0hnnyb at 10:53 AM on February 27, 2006
May I just say that as long as the Olympics continues to bring me entertainment like Brokeback Mountain - The Elvis Skater Remix, that I will continue to support them. (Oh...to be a white hat...)
All kidding aside, I watched a fair amount of the Olympics. The speed skating races were astounding. All that poofery about the annoying American and the cool American...and the Italian trounced them. Trounced. The races were very exciting. I'm probably alone in my love for bobsled...but I love bobsled races. I want to ride in a bobsled! The snowboarders are great fun. I'm sure lots of people love seeing the skiers. (I'm not one of them, the only thing I know about skiing is that we once had a "Pecabo" compete...and that's fabulous.)
That said, when my town threw it's hat into the ring for Olympics, I actively campaigned against it. Actively. Mostly, cause I did not want to deal with the traffic, the security, the crime, the tourists, the costs...*shudder*... no. Just say no to the traveling prima dona circuit.
posted by dejah420 at 10:57 AM on February 27, 2006
All kidding aside, I watched a fair amount of the Olympics. The speed skating races were astounding. All that poofery about the annoying American and the cool American...and the Italian trounced them. Trounced. The races were very exciting. I'm probably alone in my love for bobsled...but I love bobsled races. I want to ride in a bobsled! The snowboarders are great fun. I'm sure lots of people love seeing the skiers. (I'm not one of them, the only thing I know about skiing is that we once had a "Pecabo" compete...and that's fabulous.)
That said, when my town threw it's hat into the ring for Olympics, I actively campaigned against it. Actively. Mostly, cause I did not want to deal with the traffic, the security, the crime, the tourists, the costs...*shudder*... no. Just say no to the traveling prima dona circuit.
posted by dejah420 at 10:57 AM on February 27, 2006
Sorry GuyZero, didnt mean to besmirch your son's idea with my ridiculing of curling. Pretty good idea of his though.
posted by mountainmambo at 11:21 AM on February 27, 2006
posted by mountainmambo at 11:21 AM on February 27, 2006
I enjoyed the absence of advertising that normally surrounds sporting events and fills every vertical panel inside the arenas.
Stuff like snowcross (BMX racing done with a snowboard) was like watching a real-life video game. Seeing an 18 year old American boy win gold on halfpipe snowboarding and then do the whole blush and cry on the the podium during the national anthem restores some faith in the American ethos, whatever that is anymore. The above mentioned aerial freestyle skiing, good gads... ramp shot five stories high and doing gymnastics? With skis? COOL!
I did however, really really miss watching Michelle Kwan have another Olympic crash and burn. Or slide. I had to settle for Bode, who as the fat, drunk, and boastful American slob was a poor fill-in. Nike greased his palm enough to give him no reason to work at all.
Where and how else do so many countries gather in a peaceful way to compete? Skis, skates, 'boards, ice, and snow. Cooler climate sports. Winter Olympics.
posted by buzzman at 11:33 AM on February 27, 2006
Stuff like snowcross (BMX racing done with a snowboard) was like watching a real-life video game. Seeing an 18 year old American boy win gold on halfpipe snowboarding and then do the whole blush and cry on the the podium during the national anthem restores some faith in the American ethos, whatever that is anymore. The above mentioned aerial freestyle skiing, good gads... ramp shot five stories high and doing gymnastics? With skis? COOL!
I did however, really really miss watching Michelle Kwan have another Olympic crash and burn. Or slide. I had to settle for Bode, who as the fat, drunk, and boastful American slob was a poor fill-in. Nike greased his palm enough to give him no reason to work at all.
Where and how else do so many countries gather in a peaceful way to compete? Skis, skates, 'boards, ice, and snow. Cooler climate sports. Winter Olympics.
posted by buzzman at 11:33 AM on February 27, 2006
I can't help but wonder if our sentiments are rather North-Americentric. I was speaking with a guy from Japan the other day and he was really excited about the Olympics and seemed quite puzzled by my indifference/disinterest. Are the Olympics still/more relevant for other participating countries?
Two things. First, Nagano is still a big deal for Japan, and gave a lot of people over there their first major exposure to the winter games. Second, screw all the haters; I loved Torino 2006, just as I loved SLC 2002, Nagano 1998 and Lillehammer 1994 (I don't remember Albertville as I was in grade school at the time). Is the NBC coverage really so bad that you can't get it up for the friggin' Olympics?
I hate watching most professional sports, can't stand highly-paid athletes, and don't even care very much about the NHL—which is close to anathema if you're a Canadian like I am. But the Winter Olympics? I love it all. I love the stupid Olympics-only commercials, I love the comeback victories and the surprise champions (hello Chandra Crawford), I love the devastating disappointments (Lydia Ierodiaconou's comeback bid in freestyle aerials cut short by a nasty landing, causing her to scream in pain as she tumbled down the hill), I love it all. Yes, even the curling. Especially the curling. It's the only sport I've started watching and playing because of the Olympics, it's that good.
In summary: if you don't get the Winter Olypmics, I don't get you.
posted by chrominance at 11:48 AM on February 27, 2006
Two things. First, Nagano is still a big deal for Japan, and gave a lot of people over there their first major exposure to the winter games. Second, screw all the haters; I loved Torino 2006, just as I loved SLC 2002, Nagano 1998 and Lillehammer 1994 (I don't remember Albertville as I was in grade school at the time). Is the NBC coverage really so bad that you can't get it up for the friggin' Olympics?
I hate watching most professional sports, can't stand highly-paid athletes, and don't even care very much about the NHL—which is close to anathema if you're a Canadian like I am. But the Winter Olympics? I love it all. I love the stupid Olympics-only commercials, I love the comeback victories and the surprise champions (hello Chandra Crawford), I love the devastating disappointments (Lydia Ierodiaconou's comeback bid in freestyle aerials cut short by a nasty landing, causing her to scream in pain as she tumbled down the hill), I love it all. Yes, even the curling. Especially the curling. It's the only sport I've started watching and playing because of the Olympics, it's that good.
In summary: if you don't get the Winter Olypmics, I don't get you.
posted by chrominance at 11:48 AM on February 27, 2006
Hunh. I watched more olympics this year than I have since I was a kid. All of it was very exciting. The snowboarding and the downhill skiing in particular were fantastic to watch this year. And the ski jumping. My wife watches the figure skating, but honestly, it's my least favorite thing going on at the olympics. Speed skating was amazing this year, and it turns out, curling is one of the complicated games I've ever watched. Curling was incredibly fascinating.
And for the record, I've never understood the appeal of the summer olympics. Those of you commenting about the hot bods are too young to remember the 70s... when they didn't bother with all that body hair removal. *shudder*
posted by smallerdemon at 11:58 AM on February 27, 2006
And for the record, I've never understood the appeal of the summer olympics. Those of you commenting about the hot bods are too young to remember the 70s... when they didn't bother with all that body hair removal. *shudder*
posted by smallerdemon at 11:58 AM on February 27, 2006
I was laid up in a hospital last week for 3 days. I was hooked on the games. I saw hours and hours of hockey for starters. Even though some hockey purists chuckle at the NHL start simply reshuffling and playing each other on different teams, I loved watching Latvia play the Czechs. Loved it.
Mogul skiing was exciting, Skeleton of course, and women's downhill. All pretty cool stuff. Way more interesting than watching people run around a track five or six times.
posted by mountainmambo at 12:03 PM on February 27, 2006
Mogul skiing was exciting, Skeleton of course, and women's downhill. All pretty cool stuff. Way more interesting than watching people run around a track five or six times.
posted by mountainmambo at 12:03 PM on February 27, 2006
Sorry.. meant NHL stars
posted by mountainmambo at 12:03 PM on February 27, 2006
posted by mountainmambo at 12:03 PM on February 27, 2006
Somebody nailed it. The problem is mashing-up Sport (where there is a clear winner based on an attribute of the sport - faster, stronger, etc) and performance.
Any thing that is judged may be competition but it is NOT sport. Anything judged is far more to prone to corruption and subjectivity.
I want a clear winner. Not somebody else idea of who the winner is.
Then you have these athletes who are hounded by sponsors before they're even proven and hyped beyond any sense of proportion. Think Bode Miller. Though, you can't blame the athletes or trying to get a payday given what they have to sacrifice.
Mix all that up with having events half a world away and broadcast TV's penchant for lowest common denominator human interest story filler crap and what you have is, essentially, a Variety Show for old ladies. Not sport.
Though Snowboard cross almost made me reconsider my cynicism.
posted by tkchrist at 12:27 PM on February 27, 2006
Any thing that is judged may be competition but it is NOT sport. Anything judged is far more to prone to corruption and subjectivity.
I want a clear winner. Not somebody else idea of who the winner is.
Then you have these athletes who are hounded by sponsors before they're even proven and hyped beyond any sense of proportion. Think Bode Miller. Though, you can't blame the athletes or trying to get a payday given what they have to sacrifice.
Mix all that up with having events half a world away and broadcast TV's penchant for lowest common denominator human interest story filler crap and what you have is, essentially, a Variety Show for old ladies. Not sport.
Though Snowboard cross almost made me reconsider my cynicism.
posted by tkchrist at 12:27 PM on February 27, 2006
Even in snowboard cross, there are judges. It isn't just 'first across the line wins.' Racers aren't around deliberate contact, but can protect their 'personal space.' Who decides that? You can be first across the line, but still be disqualified on a judge's ruling.
I like some of the judged sports, like freesytle skiing.
That said, I don't understand why there are style points in ski jumping. Seems to me it should be he who jumps farthest wins. Does it matter how gracefully someone throws a javelin, as long as it goes the farthest?
posted by j0hnnyb at 12:36 PM on February 27, 2006
I like some of the judged sports, like freesytle skiing.
That said, I don't understand why there are style points in ski jumping. Seems to me it should be he who jumps farthest wins. Does it matter how gracefully someone throws a javelin, as long as it goes the farthest?
posted by j0hnnyb at 12:36 PM on February 27, 2006
I think a lot of the problem is the letdown from hosting in 2002. If you look at the historical total medal count for the US in the Winters, it's run about 9-15 for a few decades. In 2002, the US won 10 gold medals alone. Hometown crowd? September 11 fervor? September 11 sympathy judging? That was an anomaly that couldn't be repeated.
That said, although I was only able to watch a fraction of the coverage, I thought that NBC was a little more international than in past years, and a lot lighter on the schmaltz. That doesn't mean the prime-time coverage was great, though -- it was always very disjointed "highlights" and you had to just accept what you got. Some sports had better commentators than others, some just depended on the overall medal competition for drama. Figure skating, as always, took up an inordinate amount of the broadcast.
The sports that get selected for the Olympics need to have a critical mass of N Olympic countries with full-fledged associations backing the sport before it can be included. Every host country gets to pick a new sport that can be done as a demonstration, but that doesn't guarantee viability -- baseball and softball will be dropped beginning in 2012, because they're basically regional sports (North America and Japan). I think that judicious trimming is important -- both summer and winter games have gained this sense of being sprawling messes with too many sports to follow. Plus, there's a danger of adding too many niche sports. There was a column about that in the Chicago Tribune, basically saying that tiny sports like handball just don't have the depth of competition -- that somebody like Michael Jordan could come in and dominate that sport with a hand tied behind his back. I think that was too harsh by far, but there's a point there. In a way, the "pure" ancient Olympic sports are there not because there are enough people who run, jump, or throw, but because the simplicity of the event lends itself to measuring overall athleticism. That's something that at its heart sets the Olympics apart, at least in theory, from any old tournament.
For my part, I certainly see figure skating per se as a sport, even with style points -- style demonstrates a maturity of form. The pairs skating allows jumps and so on that one person can't do. But ice dancing? WTF? Not to mention the lame "champions gala" that always closes out the last Friday. The only other sport that could conceivably do a champions gala would be snowboarding, except they'd all be baked (which might be marginally more entertaining).
posted by dhartung at 12:49 PM on February 27, 2006
That said, although I was only able to watch a fraction of the coverage, I thought that NBC was a little more international than in past years, and a lot lighter on the schmaltz. That doesn't mean the prime-time coverage was great, though -- it was always very disjointed "highlights" and you had to just accept what you got. Some sports had better commentators than others, some just depended on the overall medal competition for drama. Figure skating, as always, took up an inordinate amount of the broadcast.
The sports that get selected for the Olympics need to have a critical mass of N Olympic countries with full-fledged associations backing the sport before it can be included. Every host country gets to pick a new sport that can be done as a demonstration, but that doesn't guarantee viability -- baseball and softball will be dropped beginning in 2012, because they're basically regional sports (North America and Japan). I think that judicious trimming is important -- both summer and winter games have gained this sense of being sprawling messes with too many sports to follow. Plus, there's a danger of adding too many niche sports. There was a column about that in the Chicago Tribune, basically saying that tiny sports like handball just don't have the depth of competition -- that somebody like Michael Jordan could come in and dominate that sport with a hand tied behind his back. I think that was too harsh by far, but there's a point there. In a way, the "pure" ancient Olympic sports are there not because there are enough people who run, jump, or throw, but because the simplicity of the event lends itself to measuring overall athleticism. That's something that at its heart sets the Olympics apart, at least in theory, from any old tournament.
For my part, I certainly see figure skating per se as a sport, even with style points -- style demonstrates a maturity of form. The pairs skating allows jumps and so on that one person can't do. But ice dancing? WTF? Not to mention the lame "champions gala" that always closes out the last Friday. The only other sport that could conceivably do a champions gala would be snowboarding, except they'd all be baked (which might be marginally more entertaining).
posted by dhartung at 12:49 PM on February 27, 2006
Nice post dhartung. Seems that sport subjectivity is not allowed on this thread. I'm sure you'll catch some heat for saying that Ice Dancing is not an Olympic-worthy sport (and I agree with you) as I said about Curling.
posted by mountainmambo at 12:55 PM on February 27, 2006
posted by mountainmambo at 12:55 PM on February 27, 2006
I LOVE the snowboard cross. And the ski jump aerials...except when someone blows a landing, twists their leg like a slinky, and has to lay there screaming for five minutes. Ick. I like women's figure-skating when it involves hot women and splits and wedgies. Not so much the 13 year olds in the almost-thongs.
As for curling...I understand that people love it. My girlfriend does. My feeling is that any "sport" that involves a broom isn't actually a sport. But I respect your right to love it.
posted by weirdoactor at 12:55 PM on February 27, 2006
As for curling...I understand that people love it. My girlfriend does. My feeling is that any "sport" that involves a broom isn't actually a sport. But I respect your right to love it.
posted by weirdoactor at 12:55 PM on February 27, 2006
My feeling is that any "sport" that involves a broom isn't actually a sport.
How dare you impune the noble sport of broomball (not yet in the Olympics).
posted by j0hnnyb at 1:14 PM on February 27, 2006
How dare you impune the noble sport of broomball (not yet in the Olympics).
posted by j0hnnyb at 1:14 PM on February 27, 2006
The IOC needs to bring back some previous olympic sports such as Tug Of War, Golf, Rugby, Polo and Lacrosse.
posted by DieHipsterDie at 1:53 PM on February 27, 2006
posted by DieHipsterDie at 1:53 PM on February 27, 2006
As one of my British colleagues in our London bureau notes about his sole medal-winning compatriot, Shelley Rudman in the women's skeleton, "Some girl won 'us' bronze for hurling herself down a ravine on a tea-tray. And we're very proud of her."
heh
posted by Cranberry at 2:47 PM on February 27, 2006
heh
posted by Cranberry at 2:47 PM on February 27, 2006
We're talking the strategy of Curling, not the skill it takes. The game has very similar strategic rules to marbles.
The strategy in curling is actually quite deep, especially as it manifests itself across multiple ends. Effectively using and holding the hammer, making decisions with shot percentages in mind, limiting your opponents options, making the best possibly use of the free guard zone; all are quite a lot deeper than in typical sports where a greedy algorithm of 'score as much as you can whenever you can' is all that exists. As much as it might appear simplistic to a casual observor, it's not, really once you understand the game.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:49 PM on February 27, 2006
The strategy in curling is actually quite deep, especially as it manifests itself across multiple ends. Effectively using and holding the hammer, making decisions with shot percentages in mind, limiting your opponents options, making the best possibly use of the free guard zone; all are quite a lot deeper than in typical sports where a greedy algorithm of 'score as much as you can whenever you can' is all that exists. As much as it might appear simplistic to a casual observor, it's not, really once you understand the game.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:49 PM on February 27, 2006
NBC's coverage is nowhere near as annoying if you watch with the sound turned off.
Am I the only person who thinks that the whole thing might be improved if the competitors' countries and identities could be concealed whenever possible (at least until the results were final)? Surely figure skaters can skate in stocking masks, right?
posted by dilettante at 3:01 PM on February 27, 2006
Am I the only person who thinks that the whole thing might be improved if the competitors' countries and identities could be concealed whenever possible (at least until the results were final)? Surely figure skaters can skate in stocking masks, right?
posted by dilettante at 3:01 PM on February 27, 2006
I wish it was back on ABC (with Jim McKay alive) ...they weren't as horrible at covering it.
And of course, i wish our athletes hadn't been such spoiled losers (except for Davis, who got shit from spoiled losers--he was right to train away from the rest of them)
The President and Mr. Miller
--Bode Miller was the perfect candidate for the packaged American Hero, a good-lucking lad who played the rebel to perfection for the image-makers, and ran with the hype and the credit card ads to the 2006 Olympics. Miller was a portable symbol of American lone rangers, the guy who did it his way and reached for the gold. Except he didn't reach. He turned up hollow and empty and unwilling to sacrifice. He skiied off the course, and he skiied off the story-line.
Just as the Bridge to Nowhere is the perfect metaphor for rudderless national leader of the Republican Party, so the ski bum Bode Miller and his devil-may-care attitude toward spectacular failure on the world stage makes a fine stand-in for the President of the United States. ...
posted by amberglow at 4:03 PM on February 27, 2006
And of course, i wish our athletes hadn't been such spoiled losers (except for Davis, who got shit from spoiled losers--he was right to train away from the rest of them)
The President and Mr. Miller
--Bode Miller was the perfect candidate for the packaged American Hero, a good-lucking lad who played the rebel to perfection for the image-makers, and ran with the hype and the credit card ads to the 2006 Olympics. Miller was a portable symbol of American lone rangers, the guy who did it his way and reached for the gold. Except he didn't reach. He turned up hollow and empty and unwilling to sacrifice. He skiied off the course, and he skiied off the story-line.
Just as the Bridge to Nowhere is the perfect metaphor for rudderless national leader of the Republican Party, so the ski bum Bode Miller and his devil-may-care attitude toward spectacular failure on the world stage makes a fine stand-in for the President of the United States. ...
posted by amberglow at 4:03 PM on February 27, 2006
"Which is a shame because (Kwan and Miller) have represented their country quite well in almost every venue other than the Olympics (except Bode has two Olympic Silvers already)."
Well, Kwan has a couple of Olympic medals herself. (Silver and Bronze, IIRC.) She has represented her country well at the Olympics, unless you are one of those who think that only the Almighty Gold is enough.
"Kwan managed to not even compete, after not even qualifying in a traditional sense--they gave her a spot based on her smile. Hughes might have done better if she'd actually had the time to prepare, and it sucks that she didn't get to participate in the opening ceremonies because a diva got a booboo."
Bitter much? Is your last name Hughes?
She qualified just fine in the rules-allowed sense, because the US Figure Skating Association guarantees only one skater a trip to the Olys/Worlds: the national champion. All other Oly/World team members are determined by a committee decision. The third-place finisher at Nationals is not guaranteed anything except a reasonable shot at making the team. Granted, the 2nd and 3rd place finishers are usually the ones chosen, but not always. Kwan skated for the committee and demonstrated ability and health that convinced them she deserved to be on the team. That is their right to make that decision. Of course, hindsight is 20/20... but, hell, I would have given it to Michelle, too. She was way more likely to medal than Emily Hughes.
Hughes did about as well as anyone would have expected, given her previous performances and experience. There is no indication whatsoever that her late arrival in Torino negatively affected her skating. And she was there for a week before the women's event started, anyway! How much advance time did she need? Anyway, she was not at all likely to medal even under the best circumstances, so really, no one should be weeping for Hughes.
Suggesting that Kwan's withdrawal stiffed Hughes out of a medal implies to me that you don't follow skating much.
"Am I the only person who thinks that the whole thing might be improved if the competitors' countries and identities could be concealed whenever possible (at least until the results were final)? Surely figure skaters can skate in stocking masks, right?"
If Sasha Cohen and Irina Slutskaya both skate in stocking masks, their identities would still not be secret. I mean, really. I personally would like to see them skate in plain uniforms instead of the fancy dresses... I mean, it's a sport, not a fashion show. But that seems to be an unpopular suggestion.
Dick Button said on the last episode of Olympic Ice -- we need the judges not to be anonymous, and we need the judging system to be cleaned out. There was a Russian judge there who has been suspended, for years at a time, three times. Why is someone like that still eligible for Olympic judging? An athlete gets caught with steroids and their career is ruined; a judge is corrupt many times over and they keep coming back.
I just don't trust the ISU to clean house as they ought to, frankly.
posted by litlnemo at 4:22 PM on February 27, 2006
Well, Kwan has a couple of Olympic medals herself. (Silver and Bronze, IIRC.) She has represented her country well at the Olympics, unless you are one of those who think that only the Almighty Gold is enough.
"Kwan managed to not even compete, after not even qualifying in a traditional sense--they gave her a spot based on her smile. Hughes might have done better if she'd actually had the time to prepare, and it sucks that she didn't get to participate in the opening ceremonies because a diva got a booboo."
Bitter much? Is your last name Hughes?
She qualified just fine in the rules-allowed sense, because the US Figure Skating Association guarantees only one skater a trip to the Olys/Worlds: the national champion. All other Oly/World team members are determined by a committee decision. The third-place finisher at Nationals is not guaranteed anything except a reasonable shot at making the team. Granted, the 2nd and 3rd place finishers are usually the ones chosen, but not always. Kwan skated for the committee and demonstrated ability and health that convinced them she deserved to be on the team. That is their right to make that decision. Of course, hindsight is 20/20... but, hell, I would have given it to Michelle, too. She was way more likely to medal than Emily Hughes.
Hughes did about as well as anyone would have expected, given her previous performances and experience. There is no indication whatsoever that her late arrival in Torino negatively affected her skating. And she was there for a week before the women's event started, anyway! How much advance time did she need? Anyway, she was not at all likely to medal even under the best circumstances, so really, no one should be weeping for Hughes.
Suggesting that Kwan's withdrawal stiffed Hughes out of a medal implies to me that you don't follow skating much.
"Am I the only person who thinks that the whole thing might be improved if the competitors' countries and identities could be concealed whenever possible (at least until the results were final)? Surely figure skaters can skate in stocking masks, right?"
If Sasha Cohen and Irina Slutskaya both skate in stocking masks, their identities would still not be secret. I mean, really. I personally would like to see them skate in plain uniforms instead of the fancy dresses... I mean, it's a sport, not a fashion show. But that seems to be an unpopular suggestion.
Dick Button said on the last episode of Olympic Ice -- we need the judges not to be anonymous, and we need the judging system to be cleaned out. There was a Russian judge there who has been suspended, for years at a time, three times. Why is someone like that still eligible for Olympic judging? An athlete gets caught with steroids and their career is ruined; a judge is corrupt many times over and they keep coming back.
I just don't trust the ISU to clean house as they ought to, frankly.
posted by litlnemo at 4:22 PM on February 27, 2006
Weren't the Olympics basically revived by the Nazi's to show their superiority to the rest of the world?
posted by Justin Case at 5:03 PM on February 27, 2006
posted by Justin Case at 5:03 PM on February 27, 2006
Well, they were revived in 1896... so, no. The 1936 Olympics in Germany were supposed to be a big Aryan-fest, though.
posted by litlnemo at 5:21 PM on February 27, 2006
posted by litlnemo at 5:21 PM on February 27, 2006
The 1936 Olympics in Germany were supposed to be a big Aryan-fest, though.
Yeah. And oooops.
For my part, I certainly see figure skating per se as a sport, even with style points -- style demonstrates a maturity of form.
Maturity of f...? Getouttahere! You almost had me going there.
Let's ratchet that up a notch. I say we demand hockey centers also do flying camels at the face off.
And better yet figure skating is head to head - two pairs at a time on the ice. Witness the graceful full-speed body-checks up against the boards. AND The pair that completes the routine the fastest wins. Now THAT would be cool. Maturity of form. heh.
Same with free-style. Every competitor should go simultaneously - who ever jumps highest and completes the course of jumps first wins. Tackles allowed. Think of the form! And the carnage!
I think figure skating and freestyle skiing as highly athletic. And highly entertaining. But they are not sports.
They are rather extreme tests and demonstrations of certain athletic attributes that are derivative of another sport. The coordination required to skate or ski at the highest levels, for example. Though, IMHO, the crucial elements of sport competition have been exorcised.
posted by tkchrist at 6:10 PM on February 27, 2006
Yeah. And oooops.
For my part, I certainly see figure skating per se as a sport, even with style points -- style demonstrates a maturity of form.
Maturity of f...? Getouttahere! You almost had me going there.
Let's ratchet that up a notch. I say we demand hockey centers also do flying camels at the face off.
And better yet figure skating is head to head - two pairs at a time on the ice. Witness the graceful full-speed body-checks up against the boards. AND The pair that completes the routine the fastest wins. Now THAT would be cool. Maturity of form. heh.
Same with free-style. Every competitor should go simultaneously - who ever jumps highest and completes the course of jumps first wins. Tackles allowed. Think of the form! And the carnage!
I think figure skating and freestyle skiing as highly athletic. And highly entertaining. But they are not sports.
They are rather extreme tests and demonstrations of certain athletic attributes that are derivative of another sport. The coordination required to skate or ski at the highest levels, for example. Though, IMHO, the crucial elements of sport competition have been exorcised.
posted by tkchrist at 6:10 PM on February 27, 2006
GuyZero: My 7-year-old son's idea for a winter olympic event:
Truck racing, up a icy hill, where the trucks have no tires. As in, on the rims. Kinda like bobsled in reverse.
Your son is gonna love this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHsw66dz4A
posted by vbfg at 5:15 AM on February 28, 2006
Truck racing, up a icy hill, where the trucks have no tires. As in, on the rims. Kinda like bobsled in reverse.
Your son is gonna love this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHsw66dz4A
posted by vbfg at 5:15 AM on February 28, 2006
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posted by DrDoberman at 6:58 AM on February 27, 2006