A friend and I were watching syncronized swimming yesterday. We couldn't believe it was an Olympic sport, but at the same time, we couldn't stop watching because it was so strange. It was like a train wreck, we just kept say "this is really a sport?"
The speed walking doesn't make sense to me. As it has been pointed out already, a race where you're limited to how fast your allowed to go doesn't make sense.
I see the point about judging making a sport less of a sport. As a former gymnast, even when scoring is subjective and therefore there can be controversial, a scoring system which makes sense can make it possible to have the right results. Unfortunately, the Olympics are a big stage and this time with questions about underage athletes, incompetent judges and the home gym advantage, it really takes away from the elite athletic talent it takes to compete in gymnastics.
You obviously have no clue about equestrian events.
It is not the age of the rider, it is the skill. Age has nothing to do with the equestrian events, except perhaps if they had the cross country endurance events. It is however all about the skill of the rider, it is that skill that makes the horse great.
And the equestrian events do not involve judging either, except perhaps dressage.
Yeah, but then you've got to throw in snooker and darts and bowling and poker and scrabble and anything else that takes skill but isn't exactly athletic.
You obviously have no clue about equestrian events.
It is not the age of the rider, it is the skill. Age has nothing to do with the equestrian events, except perhaps if they had the cross country endurance events. It is however all about the skill of the rider, it is that skill that makes the horse great.
And the equestrian events do not involve judging either, except perhaps dressage.
I think the point is most people think the Olympics should be about human athletics and not animals being controlled by the humans. Then again I believe equestrian events have been part of the Olympics since the ancient games about 700bc.
I do enjoy watching it but I still call it a ######ed "sport" for the games. But that just my opinion.
The speed walking doesn't make sense to me. As it has been pointed out already, a race where you're limited to how fast your allowed to go doesn't make sense.
But your not limited on how fast you go, you just have to follow the rules and you can go as fast as your body allows under those rules. the rules are one foot must always be on the ground. These guys average around 9mph over 31 freakish miles...to me that is being an athlete. a lot more than a lot of these "sports".
Seeing this on TV just makes me want to change the channel. How can you have a race based on who's the fastest, while simultaneously limiting how fast one can move?
Not to mention how ridiculous they look; I've seen polio survivors move less awkwardly. What's next a crab walk race? Log rolling? Ministry of silly walk competition?
Agreed, I can see booting baseball out as it's not much of an international sport outside of Japan and the americas but softball is played huge in almost every part of the world. If they boot softball they should boot basketball as well.
I don't see how you figure softball is any more widespread than baseball. Baseball's governing international body lists more than 110 member nations. In addition to the Americas as you say, baseball is popular throughout East Asia. Baseball has pretty good participation in Europe, especially Holland and Italy. Baseball is quite popular in Australia (not as much as cricket though), and Australia won the silver medal in baseball at the last Olympics. My baseball team here in Sydney is over 100 years old.
I don't see how baseball could be considered any less international than, say, handball necessarily.
I don't see how you figure softball is any more widespread than baseball. Baseball's governing international body lists more than 110 member nations. In addition to the Americas as you say, baseball is popular throughout East Asia. Baseball has pretty good participation in Europe, especially Holland and Italy. Baseball is quite popular in Australia (not as much as cricket though), and Australia won the silver medal in baseball at the last Olympics. My baseball team here in Sydney is over 100 years old.
I don't see how baseball could be considered any less international than, say, handball necessarily.
Well, The CBC said the other night that softball is played around the world about 20-1 more than baseball, I know here in Canada that amounts to mostly beer leagues and it's probably more of a "rec" sport than baseball but then again hockey is played that way here too.
Anyway my point was they are talking about taking it out of the games..which is something I totally disagree with.
[quote=flylock shox;1410715]Thank you for this thread.
And having just watched Tae-kwon-do for the first time, it's gotta go too. I have no idea what scores a point. It just seems random.
quote]
Yeah, what the hell was that about? I would imagine you watched the same one I did, where the canadian faced some chick from Sweden or something, and even the announcers were confused as hell. They just kept going "okay the canadian girl just kicked her in the stomach for a point...oh wait I guess that isn't a point", "okay so they're tied at 0 points....no wait, it looks like the swedish girl just got a point...maybe it was that kick to the chest..well no, because the canadian girl blocked that" 'Anyways, moving on....oh wait, it looks like the canadian has just had a point deducted? hmmm, I wonder what happened"
...and the whole time I was watching it thinking "what the hell counts for a point". They're just wailing on eachother, feeding shot after shot, and the judge was just seemingly picking random shots and awarding a point. Maybe I just don't know the sport at all, but it looked confusing for sure.
They look incredibly stupid. However when you walk for 20 - 50 km that certainly shows that you have great stamina.
Yup, those badasses walk further than a marathon. Despite the motion looking silly, and the concept seeming contradictory, those people are in insane shape. I think it would have been better if they used that athletic ability for something more traditional though.
Get rid of judges for wrestling, Judo and boxing and other martial arts. Make it a fight til the other guy can't go on, then the president of the IOC decides whether its mercy, or death.
Get rid of judged artistic events or anything that combines a ball, ribbon or backyard recreational device for 4 year olds. I'm looking at you gymnastics.
In track, add alligators and predators to the steeple chase. Add living targets to javalin, the hammer throw, shotput.
In the long jump put a bear in the pit.
In the high jump line the outside of the landing zone with spikes.
In Softball, since its a beer league sport, beer league rules would apply (Come on there would be nothing hotter then a drunken Jenny Finch hitting on a team official.
In base ball, there are three pitchers choice grenade pitches.
Add exotic dancing as an event, the winner is the one with the most money. There are no losers.
Add another medal. The famous poopy popsical for the guy who finishes in last place.
For swimming, once the winner taps the senser, a shark is released into the pool to clean up the stragglers.
Since Jesus, or god, or allah is thanked so many times, the Olympic committee should request that he lights the torch, preferably by using lightning.
In weightlifting, encourage steroid use among the competitors, we all want to see the winner lifting a monster truck over his head don't we?
Come on, you guys would all watch this wouldn't you.
It certainly creates the whole thrill of victory, agony of defeat.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Also any event with a horse, BMX, beach volleyball, etc etc etc, the list goes on and on.
__________________
MYK - Supports Arizona to democtratically pass laws for the state of Arizona
Rudy was the only hope in 08
2011 Election: Cons 40% - Nanos 38% Ekos 34%
I already said this in another thread but equestrian shouldn't be an Olympic sport. It is a leftover from an earlier time. It is very elitist, the richer you are or the more people you know dictates how well you will do because you will have access to a great horse which makes the difference. It's not a level playing field at all.
Location: Wondering when # became hashtag and not a number sign.
Exp:
Walking may look goofy...but they are every bit as "athletic" as any other sport going.
Seems a lot of people just want sports eliminated because they dont understand why they exist.
I really dont understand this mentality.....just because something is different than "your" normal, hardly means it isnt important in other parts of the world. This what the Olympics are all about....allowing a stage to showcase your best against their best in ANY event deemed worthy, and let the chips fall where they may.
I mean I can see where somebody in a place like Zimbabwe would see hockey and say....why the hell is that an Olympic sport? So few countries actually play it. And you would have a hard time arguing that point as it's the same argument being made here by so many about other sports.
I've been thinking about starting something similar every day since the Olympics started. Now I have somewhere other than my living room in which to rant.
Well, you could have been ranting in the thread in the Other Sports forum. 900+ posts so far.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
