7/4 Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Olympics=Sports=Distraction for Sheep. Sorry, just my opinon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted August 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Hey, if that's your gig, then I can understand where you're coming form. I thought you might have been one of these anti-sports whiners (of whom, btw, I was a most vociferous one from the age of about 14 to about the age of 26, when I quite accidentally had my childhood passion for baseball reignited, which led to everything else eventually coming back, just with eyes wider open). Yes, I love sports. But, as anyone who cares to notice is well aware by now, there is an ugly underbelly to most sports -- News Flash -- even baseball, which you and I love. The Olympics has had, and will continue to have, its share of ... cheaters, just to be clear. But more than that, the presentation of this mammoth soap opera is what gets to me. Didn't there used to be truces among nations in conflict during the Olympic Games? Now, they start wars timed to the start of the Olympics (see Russian-Georgia). Cynical? Yeah, maybe. But ... there's a grain of truth in there somewhere. I'm the coach of the U.S. men's soccer team ... My son would like a few words with you, none of them particularly pleasant, I'm afraid... I haven't seen the result, but I'm guessing the coach pulled the goaltender during extra-time penalty kicks, or something like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Here's something that almost everyone will pay attention the 50 most beautiful women of these Olympics http://www.webtvhub.com/the-50-most-beauti...res-and-videos/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Hey, if that's your gig, then I can understand where you're coming form. I thought you might have been one of these anti-sports whiners (of whom, btw, I was a most vociferous one from the age of about 14 to about the age of 26, when I quite accidentally had my childhood passion for baseball reignited, which led to everything else eventually coming back, just with eyes wider open). Yes, I love sports. But, as anyone who cares to notice is well aware by now, there is an ugly underbelly to most sports -- News Flash -- even baseball, which you and I love. The Olympics has had, and will continue to have, its share of ... cheaters, just to be clear. But more than that, the presentation of this mammoth soap opera is what gets to me. Didn't there used to be truces among nations in conflict during the Olympic Games? Now, they start wars timed to the start of the Olympics (see Russian-Georgia). Cynical? Yeah, maybe. But ... there's a grain of truth in there somewhere. More than a grain, actually... But they're grains that I can usually overlook in favor of the basic "drama" of the competitions themselves. I've also gone through the "jaded" phase and have now pretty much realized that shit's always going to be fucked up somehow by somebody, always, and that that's actually part of the drama too, cheating, hype, and all that underbelly crap. Always has been, really (and by always, I mean always). But what has also always been is the basic human elements of competition, especially what for me is the most compelling one - how you handle the competition against your ultimate opponent - yourself. It's in this area where sport and music have the most in common, I believe, to say nothing about where sport & music provide the most basic encounter with everybody's reality. And that, not the hype or the sordidness or the exploitation, is what keep me watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted August 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 ... But what has also always been is the basic human elements of competition, especially what for me is the most compelling one - how you handle the competition against your ultimate opponent - yourself. It's in this area where sport and music have the most in common, I believe, to say nothing about where sport & music provide the most basic encounter with everybody's reality. And that, not the hype or the sordidness or the exploitation, is what keep me watching. Can we get an "amen" from the congregation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vajerzy Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 I like watching them and will watch them whenever I can- I find it fascinating seeing athletes from all over the world- from nations I hardly know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Anybody see the 33 year old German womens gymnast? That's right - 33 years old. And very much in contention. Her story is more than a little touching (and amazing): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oksana_Chusovitina These are the kind of inspirational tales you find out about every Olympics, it seems, the type of things that trump all the petty politics and crass hype machines. As with damn near everything else in this life, when you get down to the most basic level (and yeah, sometimes it takes forever and a day to get there...), it's all about people. Just people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Unbelievable finish in the relays keeps Phelps hopes alive, but Phelps is not the story here, Jason Lezack is, swimming the last leg, and closing a seemingly insurmountable lead by the French, who had been talking some smack, and now appear...stunned. I mean, this Lezac cat just dug deep and did it, just willed it into being. Got to love that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 I made big bucks last year betting on the Special Olympics - I mixed steroids in with my kid's medications, he ran the 100 yard dash in about 4 seconds and broad jumped about 80 feet - Be careful Allen; Pete Rose has friends... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connoisseur series500 Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Thrilling victory for the US relay swimmers over the favored French team. I love the winners from small countries. Zimbabwe has a dynamite female swimmer by the name of Corigan (I think.) She's awesome to watch. I hate that our coverage is limited to the events where the US is strong. I miss the chance to see outstanding foreign athletes in other sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 I hate that our coverage is limited to the events where the US is strong. I miss the chance to see outstanding foreign athletes in other sports. I think that was probably the thing that drove me away from Olympic coverage. All the coverage slanted to the USA, the obsession with medal counts over individual effort. And, at the risk of having Berigan bring up terms like "hate America crowd", that obnoxious "USA USA" chant drives me up the frickin' wall... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 (edited) Presented without political comment... U.S. President George W. Bush, and daughter Barbara Bush attend the National Aquatics Center on Day 3 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008 in Beijing, China. By Cameron Spencer/Getty Images. Edited August 11, 2008 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 lookin' bit bit goofy.... . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 I hate that our coverage is limited to the events where the US is strong. I miss the chance to see outstanding foreign athletes in other sports. I think that was probably the thing that drove me away from Olympic coverage. All the coverage slanted to the USA, the obsession with medal counts over individual effort. And, at the risk of having Berigan bring up terms like "hate America crowd", that obnoxious "USA USA" chant drives me up the frickin' wall... Gotta say that's what gets my goose, broadcasts from other country tend towards ethnocentrism, fortunately my country is so crappy in sports they don't have other choice to show something else since we're always the first eliminated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connoisseur series500 Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 I'm getting tired of all the Michael Phelps coverage. They chatter on about him endlessly. The Olympics consists of many events involving many athletes. It's more than just one athlete. Looking forward to women's gymnastics this evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 I'm getting tired of all the Michael Phelps coverage. They chatter on about him endlessly. The Olympics consists of many events involving many athletes. It's more than just one athlete. Looking forward to women's gymnastics this evening. Me too! I hope USA's Michelle Phelps does well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted August 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 I didn't watch the opening ceremonies but ... apparently there was a little bit of illusion going on: Cute kid singing some cute song was lip-syncing because the real singer was deemed too ... unattractive ... at the last minute. A political decision from on high, apparently. Something about crooked teeth (those darn 8-year-olds). And, the super-nifty fireworks display? ... what people saw on TV was an animated re-creation. Word has it the Chinese censors are setting world records scrubbing the internet of complaints from their countrymen. Vat a country! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Watched the opening ceremony. Could care less about the athletics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 I've actually been enjoying these Olympics a lot more than I thought I would. It just doesn't get much cooler than synchronized diving. I'd give every one of those divers a 10.0 just because I couldn't do that!!! And I don't care about the hype: Michael Phelps is unreal! I'm enjoying his quest for gold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Oh yeah, and the beach volleyball has been exciting as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connoisseur series500 Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 (edited) The 100 m freestyle final is still to come, but I'll say it now. Aussie Eamon Sullivan is a bad mofo! Edited August 13, 2008 by connoisseur series500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 Unbelievable finish in the relays keeps Phelps hopes alive, but Phelps is not the story here, Jason Lezack is, swimming the last leg, and closing a seemingly insurmountable lead by the French, who had been talking some smack, and now appear...stunned. I mean, this Lezac cat just dug deep and did it, just willed it into being. Got to love that. Old news now - I been away - but that may have been the single most exciting swimming competition I've ever seen. And the melodramatic backstory - the French "mouthing off" - made it all the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 Phelps is a fucking freak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 ain't no brothers in the 50 m free style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unbeknownst Recordings Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 (edited) Found myself watching the zillion meter women's bicycle race and went "oh yeah that's right the Olympics is on." Same race as I saw last time. The girl who goes out in front early doesn't win, instead it's some other girl who has done nothing so far, and the commentators make themselves feel clever by saying 'Pellaton' instead of 'big bunch of bikes.' Edited August 15, 2008 by Unbeknownst Recordings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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