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Old 02-13-2018, 03:30 PM   #1
troutman
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Default Steve Simmons: Mixed curling is an Olympic sham

http://nationalpost.com/sports/olymp...-created-equal

Mixed curling, invented in form for these Winter Games, does not belong on the big stage. You know that for this very reason: Most Olympic athletes train their entire lives just to qualify for the Games, let alone wind up on any podium. Yet John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes stood on a podium with gold medals around their neck having practiced once for half an hour in Winnipeg, before dominating the field here.

Once.

This is a longtime problem with understanding Olympic success. Not all medals, gold or otherwise, are created equal.

I’d love to tell you Morris and Lawes dominated the World Cup of mixed curling, but there is no such thing. In fact, the world championships of mixed curling is not played by two curlers. It’s played by four.

In other words, this is a made-up sport, added basically because curling draws television numbers and this gives television another sport that fills plenty of hours for broadcasters around the world.
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Old 02-13-2018, 03:35 PM   #2
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Yes, it's new. But you still have to be good at the curling.

It's no different than modifying the rules in any other sport.

If hockey created a 3 on 3 tournament, the current powerhouses would continue to be powerhouses with the new rules, regardless of practice time.

I think Steve Simmons needs to eat a snickers
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Old 02-13-2018, 03:38 PM   #3
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EDIT: Steve Simmons is a sham.
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Old 02-13-2018, 03:40 PM   #4
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I think that Steve Simmons is probably the most out of touch and unlikeable personality in Canadian sports media. Nobody should care what he thinks.

He’s right though, Mixed Doubles Curling is a made up sport unlike hockey and luge which are sports that definitely aren’t made up and they grew naturally in the wild.
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Old 02-13-2018, 03:42 PM   #5
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HOT TAKE.....

Why is it any different between the biathlon sprint and biathlon pursuit. No one trains specifically for either biathlon discipline.

The choice of what to give a medal for is arbitrary. Team figure skating is effectively Team gymnastics and no one argues that is a sham. Team figure skating his hurt thought that it isn't the total running sum of points instead of placement of each individual and eliminating countries for the last day makes come backs harder but that can be fixed.

Yes these events are made up to get ratings. But are they any more ridiculous than the Nordic combined or Alpine combined?

The argument that Morris and Lawes didn't participate in their sport before winning gold isn't really valid as they have trained their whole lives to be curlers and competed in what was a curling event.

For the Olympics to survive they need TV and Ticket friendly events that use existing infrastructure and add a minimal amount of athletes and coaches. If you don't have team figure skating in an existing arena how do you expect to pay for Ski Jumping that is used for 6 events.
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Old 02-13-2018, 03:50 PM   #6
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Steve Simmons is the worst sports "journalist" in Canada. He is truly awful and has been since he wrote for the Herald and the Sun back in the 80s. I was a child back then and still hated everything he wrote.


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In other words, this is a made-up sport, added basically because curling draws television numbers and this gives television another sport that fills plenty of hours for broadcasters around the world.
Hey genius, every sport in the world is "made up". Baseball diamonds and hockey rinks aren't naturally occurring.

Literally every sport exists because someone somewhere said, "Hey, let's try this. I bet it will be fun/challenging...and I bet I'll be better at it than you."
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Old 02-13-2018, 03:51 PM   #7
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John Morris should go meet Steve Simmons personally and see what he says.
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Old 02-13-2018, 03:55 PM   #8
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Strange take by Simmons.

EVERY sport is a "made up" sport. Just because it's new, doesn't make it illegitimate.

The fact Lawes and Morris didn't play together previously is a pretty simple one...they dont play together. Just like the hockey team, NHL or not, doesn't play together before playing together.

If I jumped on a luge tomorrow and it just happened i had some weird god given ability, so i tried out and qualified for my national team...does that mean i shouldn't be allowed to participate?

Or better yet, if I submitted an opinion piece to the Toronto Sun and they decided to publish it, should it be prevented because I hadn't done so before? I mean, I amde it up and Steve writes in the World Cup of opinion pieces every year, so assuredly something I do shouldn't be permitted and be calssified as a "sham".....amirite?
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Old 02-13-2018, 03:59 PM   #9
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What a garbage article. Lawes and Morris have played together before, at the Canadian Olympic Trials. And even if they hadn't, how would that be any different than any other team sport at the Olympics?

In 2002 Brad Gushue added Russ Howard to his olympic team, does that mean that tournament was garbage?

And mixed doubles is dumb because it's new? But snowboard slopestyle is legitimate because of its long olympic history...

Just a terrible article. I guess when Team Canada starts out the games strong, the journalists need to find something else to complain about.

Last edited by RatherDashing; 02-13-2018 at 04:02 PM. Reason: Mistake about women's luge
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:03 PM   #10
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Steve Simmons gets paid because people read his garbage, and he'll continue to compose more stupid articles like this because it'll capture people's attention.

One of the biggest trolls in journalism.
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:04 PM   #11
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This makes me so mad. Steve Simmons is a trash writer for bashing our athletes at the Olympics. They aren't a sham, you are Steve.
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:11 PM   #12
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Quote:
I’d love to tell you Morris and Lawes dominated the World Cup of mixed curling, but there is no such thing. In fact, the world championships of mixed curling is not played by two curlers. It’s played by four.
WTF is he talking about? There is a mixed curling world championship. It's been played since 2005 when only Europeans played it and then expanded to the world in 2015. There were 39 teams in it!

Sure now that it's a Olympic discipline countries take it more seriously. But that just like any other discipline.

A famous story is when baseball re-entered the Olympics in 1984 the Soviets tried to get good at it, but to no avail.

This is why hundreds of sports try to get into the Olympics.
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:12 PM   #13
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Classic clickbait article. A member of the national media writes a hot take that infuriates many. People share the story, therefore generating more attention towards the article, more clicks, and thus more ad revenue. Which then means Simmons generates more money and thus he stays around to write more hot takes.

I recommend folks ignore the article and don't give journalists like Simmons the minute of your time.
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:13 PM   #14
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I'll take mixed curling doubles over 95 per cent of winter Olympic sports and 95 per cent of sports writers over Steve Simmons.
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:13 PM   #15
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I haven't gotten to watch enough of it, but I sure like the mixed doubles curling. Shorter games, way more rocks in play, lots of choices to make on each end (who sweeps, etc). If my wife didn't suck at curling I'd love to play this format.

Also Steve Simmons is a git.
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:17 PM   #16
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Steve Simmons is a journalistic sham. Always has the worst takes
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:20 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root View Post
Yes, it's new. But you still have to be good at the curling.

It's no different than modifying the rules in any other sport.

If hockey created a 3 on 3 tournament, the current powerhouses would continue to be powerhouses with the new rules, regardless of practice time.

I think Steve Simmons needs to eat a snickers
This I would watch. What if a country like Japan were to create strictly 3-on-3 players.

Or 3-on-3 basketball in the summer games. I would watch that.

The Olympics need to be modernized to fit in with the new world. Nobody watches Fencing anymore (unless there's real blood involved)
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:22 PM   #18
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My five-year-old with a crayon could write a better story than Steve Simmons.
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:27 PM   #19
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Quote:
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This I would watch. What if a country like Japan were to create strictly 3-on-3 players.

Or 3-on-3 basketball in the summer games. I would watch that.

The Olympics need to be modernized to fit in with the new world. Nobody watches Fencing anymore (unless there's real blood involved)
They are having 3 on 3 basketball for the summer Olympics but have wierd player selection requirements to exclude NBA players
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Old 02-13-2018, 04:31 PM   #20
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who's willing to guess (without looking) who has won 3 out of the last 4 3x3 men's basketball World Cups

hint: it's not the US.
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