thebin
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Post by thebin on Aug 22, 2008 12:23:02 GMT -5
I think you took my proposal much more seriously than was intended. Perhaps I should have put a smiley face after it.
I just want ping pong out because it's manifestly a game and not a sport. Ditto with curling. I'm actually stunned that bowling isn't a medal sport. But I guess I shouldn't be, the US would clean up in bowling and that doesn't tickle the IOC's fancy like mixed doubles ping pong.
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theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Aug 22, 2008 13:32:47 GMT -5
I think you took my proposal much more seriously than was intended. Perhaps I should have put a smiley face after it. I just want ping pong out because it's manifestly a game and not a sport. Ditto with curling. I'm actually stunned that bowling isn't a medal sport. But I guess I shouldn't be, the US would clean up in bowling and that doesn't tickle the IOC's fancy like mixed doubles ping pong. Another sport in that level is billiards. Personally, I think that golf is a sport. Since bowling, billiards, and table tennis are more physically active than golf, they get in.
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Aug 22, 2008 13:54:45 GMT -5
I think you took my proposal much more seriously than was intended. Perhaps I should have put a smiley face after it. I just want ping pong out because it's manifestly a game and not a sport. Ditto with curling. I'm actually stunned that bowling isn't a medal sport. But I guess I shouldn't be, the US would clean up in bowling and that doesn't tickle the IOC's fancy like mixed doubles ping pong. Another sport in that level is billiards. Personally, I think that golf is a sport. Since bowling, billiards, and table tennis are more physically active than golf, they get in. I would be very interestest to see the form of bowling, billiards, or table tennis that is more physically active than golf (without a cart).
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Aug 22, 2008 14:56:03 GMT -5
Watched the men's and women's 4 x 100 semifinals last night and saw the US drop the ball er, baton twice. Perhaps someone conversant with track could comment on why a large part of the field in these races seemed to be either DQ-ed or Did Not Finish. Why is the hand-off so difficult at this elite level. Why the Did Not Finish for a large number of teams? The only reason I can think of about the number of DQ/DNF, especially in the US heat (4 of 8) was that it was raining fairly hard. I think the Chinese gave everybody slippery batons, while they had one with rubber grips. But to have 6 of the 16 men teams in the semi-finals out with a DQ or DNF is unprecedented. And I believe there was more than one team DQ'ed in the women's semis. It is mind boggling what Bolt has done. I agree that I wasn't expecting MJ's 200m record to be broken for a long time. I guess it is like Beamon's LJ record. People thought it would last longer. Now Bolt has another gold and another world record in the relay. On the other hand I don't know what's happened to the US team. For example, in the jumps (LJ,HJ, TJ, and PV), not only did we not win a medal, we only had ONE man in the finals. The rest did not even qualify. That is bad for events that have been fairly strong for us.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Aug 22, 2008 15:12:15 GMT -5
The good news is that it has been this bad before. In 1972 and 1976, we won only six track and field golds each, I believe. We're going to be close to there as well. 1984 was inflated, but we came back in a vengeance later.
Some incentive/organizational changes may be in order for US Track & Field, and competition is only going to get harder, but they can come back.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Aug 22, 2008 15:13:05 GMT -5
Why is anyone concerned with getting golf in the Olympics? doesn't seem like much on an Olympic sport. And Golf already has the Four Major tournaments that assemble the world's greatest golfers for everyone to see and enjoy.
I guess my point is there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of urgency to get golf in. I never thought there was much urgency for tennis either for the same reasons.
Now softball and Baseball... there is no global equivalent.
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Aug 22, 2008 19:44:57 GMT -5
Some say that the CEO of USA Track and Field bailed out in the middle of an Olympic year leading to the problems. I don't think that makes such a big problem. I think one of the problems for the sprinters was Jamaica. They had their year. Usain Bolt has realized his potential that he has had since he set the world junior record about four or five years ago. He has had some injuries which have kept him from performing at his best. I guess he has been injury free for a while now.
I still can't understand the collapse of the jumpers.
Actually we have won at least 20 medals in track and field with one or two (or I hope three -Ryan Hall in the marathon) to go. We should get the gold in the men's 4x400m, and get some kind of medal in the women's 4x400m.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Aug 22, 2008 23:17:35 GMT -5
When the U.S. Women's Soccer team won the gold medal, they won the 1,000 gold medal in the history of the Olympics (Summer and Winter) for the United States.
The U.S. is the historical medal leader (though it's closer than it looks at times because of political changes). We've had some advantages, though. In early games we had more competitors than most countries, and Russia didn't compete until 1952.
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Aug 24, 2008 11:03:52 GMT -5
This was the Olympics when the aliens invaded our planet. One guy wins eight golds, seven in WR time, another guy wins three golds and breaks three venerable world records in dominating fashion, one guy commits the primary error of track distance running and leads the pack and still runs away from in the others in Olympic record time (one of his two golds), and one guy sets a nasty pace (without rabbits) in a hot and humid day and still runs away with the marathon in OR time by about three minutes, where the Americans are using common sense and running 9th and 10th and 20 somethng. I am just shaking my head on these events. www.letsrun.com/2008/5k0824.phpwww.letsrun.com/2008/marathon0824.php
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thebin
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Post by thebin on Aug 24, 2008 13:06:07 GMT -5
Having seen some rythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming in the last few days, I must say they are even lamer medal "sports" than I thought. They are primarily artistic endevours, complete with heavy make-up and costumes, which have an ancillary athletic component. As oppossed to say gymnastics which is a primarily athletic endevour with only an ancillary artistic one.
You could not possibly argue that these joke "sports" deserve medal status anymore than any broadway musical.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Aug 24, 2008 13:12:33 GMT -5
If rhythmic gymnastics stays in, you should just introduce all kinds of dance. Ballet is as much a sport as rhythmic is.
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thebin
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Post by thebin on Aug 24, 2008 15:09:45 GMT -5
I would say ballet is actually a more legitimate medal sport than rythmic or synch swimming- which looks like it should be performed by topless Vegas showgirls at Caesars.
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Aug 24, 2008 15:21:34 GMT -5
Looking at the total medal counts, I must say the British are not very impressive for a "country" of around 60 million and tremendous resources and athletic tradition- if not for track cycling and sailing, they would be looking at a grand total of 8 golds- they just aren't very good at anything people watch. Not quite as disappointing as India's total haul of 3 medals, though- do they play anything other than cricket?
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Aug 24, 2008 16:35:02 GMT -5
Since when do cycling and sailing not count?
8 golds/60MM people is roughly equal to 36 golds for 330MM people, isn't it?
Great Britain had a heckuva good Olympics.
As a disclaimer though, straight per capita straightlining is kinda silly.
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thebin
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Post by thebin on Aug 25, 2008 7:05:49 GMT -5
Sailing? Really? Do you really think Sailing should be an olympic sport? I'm ok with some cycling, but I don't know what half of those cycling events are but I'm pretty sure we don't need 10 of them. I think even most British sports fans will tell you that athletics (track), swimming and gymnastics are the biggies. Especially track which seem to be more popular in the UK than here despite the gap in recent achievements.
If we are going down the per capita route, China suffers but India is the least athletic country in the universe.
Australia and Jamaica the most.
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Aug 25, 2008 8:45:44 GMT -5
I don't mean to suggest that sailing and track cycling are totally unworthy events, but when 12 of your 20 golds come from events that the overwhelming majority of the world has never seen, much less participated in, then it does take some luster off your overall accomplishments. Great Britain used to be pretty good at track and field- now that the Jamaicans are running for their own country rather than GB (or Canada), Old Blighty don't look so strong.
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theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Aug 25, 2008 9:23:12 GMT -5
I don't mean to suggest that sailing and track cycling are totally unworthy events, but when 12 of your 20 golds come from events that the overwhelming majority of the world has never seen, much less participated in, then it does take some luster off your overall accomplishments. Great Britain used to be pretty good at track and field- now that the Jamaicans are running for their own country rather than GB (or Canada), Old Blighty don't look so strong. England lost the Rugby World Cup to South Africa, made it to the semis of the last World Cup, and finished fifth at the Cricket World Cup. Old Blighty's fine.
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Aug 25, 2008 9:30:19 GMT -5
I don't mean to suggest that sailing and track cycling are totally unworthy events, but when 12 of your 20 golds come from events that the overwhelming majority of the world has never seen, much less participated in, then it does take some luster off your overall accomplishments. Great Britain used to be pretty good at track and field- now that the Jamaicans are running for their own country rather than GB (or Canada), Old Blighty don't look so strong. England lost the Rugby World Cup to South Africa, made it to the semis of the last World Cup, and finished fifth at the Cricket World Cup. Old Blighty's fine. Given that they claim to have invented all 3 sports, I wouldn't say those are great finishes. They also failed to qualify for Euro 2008, routinely lose the Ashes to Australia, and have been getting beaten up by Wales in 6 Nations Rugby. For all their football madness they have won a grand total of one World Cup, and none since 1966. Of course now I am referring to England, which is different than the Great Britain Olympic team. Other than the Olympics, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland don't play together in much of anything important. It was often said that England's best way to improve left wing play would be to annex Wales, thus allowing the sublime Ryan Giggs to wear the 3 Lions.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Aug 25, 2008 9:36:30 GMT -5
Geez, Great Britain, not exactly known as a sporting powerhouse, finishes with the 4th most medals in the Olympics -- right behind the US, China and Russia -- and still they get criticized and their accomplishments marginalized? Not exactly the Olympic spirit is it?
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Aug 25, 2008 9:43:39 GMT -5
Geez, Great Britain, not exactly known as a sporting powerhouse, finishes with the 4th most medals in the Olympics -- right behind the US, China and Russia -- and still they get criticized and their accomplishments marginalized? Not exactly the Olympic spirit is it? Twisting the lion's tail is a sport all its own.
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