OT: Olympics - I have SOME standards
 

The Olympics are coming in about three weeks. I'm sure to watch more than my share of it, rooting for random Americans and outstanding play anywhere I can find it. I'll also check out sports that I would never give a second glance to at any other time (OK, I admit I watched some curling during '02, just to check out what Jim's new game will be like :p).

However, there are at least three Olympic "sports" I won't be watching and will turn the channel if they happen to show up:

Equestrrian events - I'm sorry, but horses weren't built to perform gay little jumps. They were meant to be ridden hard - with or without whip in hand; with or without chariot/buggy behind them.

Synchronized swimming - Ordinarily, pretty women in wet swimsuits is a good thing, but this isn't the best way to utilize them.

Rhythmic gymnastics - Hoops and ribbons are for springtime celebrations, not for games.

Thank you for reading. I'm off to watch lawn mower racing now. :D

Hey!!! There are laws against that sort of thing! Sicko!!!! ;)

Great line. And I agree wholeheatedly. :)

I think The OC needs to addHot Dog eating contests into the olympics. Didnt you all hear Kobayashi being compared to Jordan by the commentators. Truly one of the worlds best athletes.

I'll be watching MLB and preseason football. Anything but the Olympics.

I don't get why we need to have anything synchronized ...big f-ing deal. Truly baffling how diving and swimming got in.

When do we get synchronized golf or how about synchronized running.

It's funny, I always would have agreed with you, before Atlanta. A family friend of ours from Bulgaria invited us to the Rhythmic Gymnastics event because his mother was the coach of Bulgaria's team. I was actually surprised and impressed by how much work and athleticism goes into this event. Now I'm not saying I'm going to be searching my dial for it (that dial is for soccer!) but it's not the completely bogus event you might imagine.

You're only questioning diving and swimming?

In the syncronized world. What else is syncronized?

Umm, we are questioning whether swimming is a sport???

I am with everyone on some of these (such as synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics) being ridiculous, but swimming seems like one of those core sports which would need to be included no matter what.

Oh, I didn't even realize there was synchronized diving. I knew about swimming thanks to Martin Short, but diving? Sheesh. I was just referring to swimming and diving as ...*yawn*... events.

Oh there's syncronized diving.

No, I never said it wasn't a sport. I'm just questioning why swimming and about 96% of the other events are even in the Olympics, since they're pretty freakin' boring to me. Now diving...anything that has an artistic merit category should be thrown out of any legitimate competition, but that's just me.

Combine sports, competitions, events, etc., that I wouldn't watch if the only thing on TV was a Diane Feinstein speech, Olympics or not, with sappy, human interest story TV coverage, and it's a no-brainer whether I'll be watching. Put it this way...when soccer is probably the most interesting of the events to me, that says a lot. And none of it is good.

I know I'm in the minority, so this is all IMO. YMMY. PDRMOTCFEMO. And all of that other stuff.

And there's more to it than, "OK, ready...1, 2, 3, jump!"???

Not yet but I've heard the Bulgarian team is working on a triple linde with a high five at the apex of the dive. Athens officials are unsure whether they can get the additional 4 springboards required installed in time.

hey, if you want a good sappy story, check out the U.S. Olympic shootings sports team. I think eight of them are members of the U.S. Army, and it'll be very interesting to see what kind of reaction they get from the crowds over there. I've talked with a few of them and they seem to be outstanding individuals.

Just to make perfectly clear, I'm not questioning the athleticism or dedication of the athletes that perform these sports. I was merely commenting on my lack of interest in them.

I hope your friend's mom does well (or did well, if she's retired).

Isn't ballroom dancing an olympic sport?

I like watching swimming. The races are exciting.

I do not believe that there is synchronized diving.

I would like to see American football as an Olympic sport. Can you imagine?

"The Luxembourg QB takes the snap ... he pitches the ball to the half back who is attempting to run to the sideli... OH DEAR!! Ray Lewis on a stunt has strick the half-back. he is not moving. I think... yes, the referee is signaling that the Luxembourg half back has been killed. thats three kills today for Lewis to go with one for Derrick Thomas and one for Roy Williams. This is really going to hurt Luxembourg's chances in their later games."

Well, Swimming, along with Gymnastics (damn women) and Track and Field have always garnered the highest US tv ratings for the olympics, with basketball gaining in recent years. All are easy to understand, and tend to have Americans prominently featured.

Equestrian, on the other hand sends viewers away in droves. Has anyone ever watched the dressage event? The object of this appears to ride the horse around the ring while looking as pompous as possible. It is THE biggest waste of broadcast spectrum, easily outdistancing bicycle and yacht racing.

I agree with you on the art not sport thing.

Unlike synchronized swimming, it is not considered a separate sport from diving, rather there are event is diving that involve multiple divers going at the same time. The first diving event televised is the women's synchronized 3m springboard.

I thought about making a comment about how appropriate it was that Ray Lewis led the team in kills. Then, I thought better of it.

If you liked watching it, you should try playing it if you get a chance. Depending on where you are in Michigan, you may be able to find a club that's close to you.

(I'm an ex-member of the Curling Club of Houston, unfortunately there's nothing closer to South Bend, Indiana (where I'm moving in a couple of weeks) than Chicago that I'm aware of.)

If only Fox was showing new episodes of The OC this summer.

I wouldn't say I liked watching curling. I would say it's moderately interesting, but I have little grasp of the rules. I'd rather play poker or darts.

I'm in the middle part of the state, so there might be a curling club or two nearby. We certainly have ice rinks.

My wife watches every chance she gets.

The rules of curling aren't all that complicated. You're trying to get as many of your rocks as possible closer to the center of the bullseye than the other team. When you deliver the rock, you must release it before the near hog line, and if it doesn't clear the far hog line, it's removed from play. I don't think there are any other major ones to remember, at least not if you're watching.

why dont we have skateboarding/other "extreme" sports in the olympics, I'd take that over synchronized swimming any day.

great ray lewis comment btw. Lmao at that one

One extreme sport has mad the olympics, BMX. Im not sure if its going to be in this years, but it will definately be there in 4 years.

Snowboarding half pipe is in the Winter Olympics, and I personally think that freestyle aerials are pretty extreme too. I'd love to see skateboarding half pipe in the Summer Olympics, the things those guys do with their boards are amazing.

I'm surprised Leonard Little wasn't mentioned. As we know, at least as of april, he's still practicing his technique.

I was discussing the Olympics with my wife the other day, and I was trying to figure out which events I wouldn't mind watching. I could watch volleyball, swimming, the field events of track and field, and water polo. I don't think I could get into any of the others, at least not at the Olympic level. During the winter Olympics, however, I could watch just about all the events. I think the only thing I really couldn't watch would be ice dancing. I can be amused by a ski jump or a bobsled, and I think the curling is quite entertaining. The luge and moguls have a "cool factor" for me. Then, of course, there's hockey. The summer Games just don't do a whole lot for me, although I have to say that I could watch a ton of women's volleyball... which I just might do.

Hell, I'd tune in for the resurrection of Derrick Thomas alone.

Did I miss something? Is Men's and Women's soccer not part of the Summer Olympics anymore?

I personally love watching olympics, Mostly track and field, swimming, diving, and soccer. I wouldnt mind watching the shooting events, or some of the other events, but those hardly are ever shown.

Man, I'd love to see you riding your horse 'hard' and then noticing that in front of you is a stone wall ;). Your horse isn't made for gay little jumps, you have to crash through that stone!


FYI, dressage comes from the military, well European 1600s calvary to be specific. Yes, the aim was to be 'pretty', but it is also good for training the horse to do what you need it to do on the battlefield. So, at the very least, it was more useful than some of the other sports on TV.