BoredStiff
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Oh boy, it's times like this I'm glad I no longer watch TV - haven't since around 1979. In fact, I do not own a TV.
Of course, I catch some here and there, mostly at a relative's house. I even paid $6 each for three beers a couple of months ago at the ESPN Zone sports bar in Times Square to watch the Turkey vs. Germany European Cup quarterfinal. I was sightseeing Manhattan and it was game time and I didn't know where else to go. That's about the only thing I go out of my way for to watch on TV, international soccer. And I didn't even get to sit down, it was standing room only.
The beers were only 12 oz, btw.
The Olympics, otoh, I haven't followed to any degree since the Montreal games in 1976. I was 15 years old at the time, and since then I haven't given a rat's ass about the Olympics. At least not the summer ones - the winter ones I find fairly interesting, for the most part.
I don't know what it is, exactly, that I find obnoxious. Probably the extreme nationalistic jingoism put out by the msm (mainstream media) has a lot to do with it. At least here in the US. I'm really tired of hearing how this or that individual is "challening the world", or some **** like that. Give me a break.
Then there's the knowledge that the winning individuals will have their names splattered all over product endorsements for the next 20 years. Bruce Jenner, Mary Lou Retton, ad nauseum. I am so tired of hearing about these people.
So I caught some Fencing action today at the relative's house, only for a few minutes. As far as I could tell, it was a team event, although there were always only two contestants. (The American woman (women?) beat the French to take the bronze, fwiw.)
So I went to the Olympic Games website a little while ago, to check the medal count. Along the left site of the page, I noticed a listing of all the sports, or at least the major categories, which got me to thinking that another reason I no longer care about the Olympics is because there are too many events that really shouldn't be considered sports at all, let alone be represented at the Olympics.
So here's my list of olympic sports and whether or not I think they should be considered sports, and why. Actually, now that I think about it, they are no longer called sports, but Events, which of-and-by-itself speaks volumes. Anyway, here goes:
Archery: I would question whether this is a sport. It doesn't require much endurance to aim an arrow and although there is a good bit of mental concentration involved, it's not enough to qualify as a sport. Let's just hope no one decides to include horse archery as a future event, since it's been around since ancient times, like archery. Not a sport.
Badminton: LOL
Baseball: So, is it an official olympic event now or not? I hear different things from year to year. In any case, Baseball is a game, not a sport. Many of the game's most recognizable names hardly conjure up images of athletic figures, like this guy for example. And what's with the hat tipping when they run around the bases? I submit that any game that even allows it's players to wear hats (not helmets, hats) can't possibly be a sport, since the players are obviously not active enough if the hat stays on. Not a sport.
Basketball: It's a sport, although I would question whether a final score of 98:96 really proves who was the better team. All it proves is that the game happened to end when one team happened to be ahead of the other by a point or two. 15 seconds earlier it could have been the other team that was ahead. Although largely pointless for this reason, it's a sport.
Beach Volleyball: Simply playing a game in a different setting should not qualify it as an event. Otherwise, why can't we have the Beach 100 Meter Dash? Or how about Beach Cycling? (As an aside, I also frown upon the promotion of Beach Soccer (Futsol?) at the FIFA World Cup website, but I digress). Not a sport (although see Volleyball below).
Boxing: Unquestionably a sport.
Canoe/Kayak: I don't know enough about this to judge whether it's a sport. I mean how much athletic prowess is involved in guiding a little one-man boat down a river? Huckleberry Finn rafted down the Mississipi (sp), so hard can it be? I don't know enough about this.
Cycling: Definitely a sport. As a teen, back around the time of the previously mentioned 1976 Montreal Olympics in fact, I used to take my ten-speed to the Kissena Park, Queens velodrome (outdoor), which was quite fun.
Diving: Again, I'm not sure how much athleticism is involved in this, although I acknowledge that I've never seen an overweight person compete, unlike in Baseball. Then again, I see no reason why an overweight person couldn't compete, since the scoring is based on the execution of the dives, not the diver's physique. Not to mention it would be funny to watch. Don't know about this one.
Equestrian: This is the event that actually caused me to compose this list. I clicked on the Germany medal count to see which events they'd won and, as expected, three of their seven gold medals so far came in the equestrian events. Now, I have to ask, who's the athlete here, the rider or the horse? In other words, three of the German gold medals so far have been won by - horses. Should teaching tricks to an animal be considered an Olympic Sport/Event? And remember what I said about the wearing of hats in regard to Baseball earlier? Here, they sometimes wear tophats for chrissakes!
This is a joke of an event and definitely not a sport.
Fencing: Not sure about this one either. For some reason, the American woman I watched earlier today kept making shrieking/grunting sounds, not unlike those made by Maria Sharapova, although not nearly as loud. Those getups they wear don't look like they allow much air circulation, so I have to wonder how much of their sweat is due to physical exertion or mostly from having to wear those tight outfits. I tend to think this should not be a sport.
Field Hockey: This is just an obscure variation of Ice Hockey and therefore should not be considered as a sporting event.
Gymnastics: Definitely a sport.
Handball: Soccer played with the hand - weird, but yes, it's a sport.
Judo: I again don't know enough about this, but generally, the wrestling-type of events are definitely sports.
Modern Pentathlon: I don't know what they mean by "modern", but if it involves the traditional sports of running/sprinting, high jumping and so forth, it's definitely a sport. In fact, this and the triathlon are some of the best examples of all-around athleticism. I may be tired of hearing Bruce Jenner's name, but he was/is definitely and athlete.
Rhythmic Gymnastics: If this is the stuff where they twirl the ribboned batons and do tricks with balls, it shouldn't be a sport. For the most part, it's just a variation of traditional gymnastics, adorned with some gimmicks. Not a sport.
Rowing: Definitely a sport.
Sailing: Let the wind carry you whichever way it might. Not a sport.
Shooting: Again, like archery, it may take some mental concentration, but next to no physical prowess. Also, an overweight person could do it. Like archery, not a sport.
Soccer: Definitely a sport.
Softball: Just a variation of the above-mentiond Baseball and definitely not a sport for the same reasons.
Swimming: Unquestionably a sport.
Syncronized Swimming: A variation of swimming, with just some gimmicks added and therefore not a sport.
Table Tennis: Not sure about this one, mainly because I would again question the degree of athleticism involved. I mean, can a gold medalist in table tennis really compare, athletically, to a gold medalist in the triathlon or pentathlon? Also, I used to play table tennis and I'm no athlete, so there's another minus. On the other hand, there are some extraordinary YouTube videos of some amazing table tennis volleys. I don't know about this one.
Taekwondo: Is it necessary to include all the martial arts as separate events? Will there be a Kung-Fu event in the future? On the other hand, as previously stated, the wrestling-type of events are definitely sports. I don't know about this.
Tennis: Yes, it's a sport. Speaking of Maria Sharapova, I read a couple of years ago she had sex with a boyfriend on a tennis court. Presumably while the stadium was empty. I've always wondered whether she shrieked/grunted that time too, but I digress.
Track & Field: Arguably, the defining sports of the Summer Olympics.
Trampoline: ???
Triathlon: One of the defining events of the Olympics. Definitely a sport (see Pentathlon, above).
Volleyball: Definitely a sport.
Water Polo: I once read that Water Polo is the most demanding of sports - and I believe it. I remember a couple of times as a teen when some friends and I played some ball-type games in a swimming pool and it was very exhausting after only a few minutes. Playing a game while keeping your head above water will definitely tax a person's physical stamina. Unquestionably a sport.
Weightlifting: Although some of the athletes can be rather un-athletic looking (ie overweight), generally it is a physically and mentally demanding pursuit. It's a sport.
Wrestling: Definitely a sport.
And there you have it, one guy's opinion regarding "sports".
< Message edited by BoredStiff -- 8/15/2008 11:15:39 AM >
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BoredStiff
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OT: Sport or not a sport? (ie why the Olympics suck) - 
. Not sure if that will reverse the logic of you list, and also not sure if you argue that some of the sports/games/events/whatever (SGEW?) should be taken out. My take is that there are many Olympic SGEW's that are just there to get sponsor money in. Right or wrong? I don't know, but if you look at the Winter Olympics, you'll find a few mind boggling SGEW's there as well. 
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