2012 Olympics thread

Goot

Opening ceremonies were today so figured we might as well have a thread for Olympic talk.

WTCG

I was going to start the thread but you beat me to it...

I'm excited for the next 17 days. Originally I was planning to go to London but it just didn't work out. However I'm not excited about about the perennial crappy television coverage that NBC will be providing to us. I guess you can call NBC the Buck-McCarver of Olympics television broadcasting.

greencrow

I hope we do well in baseball.

Goot

<< <i>I hope we do well in baseball. >>



I'm so annoyed its not in the games anymore.

drwstr123

The worst sport coverage I've ever seen.
Crap video angles, erroneous commentary, babble about the coach with full face shot while play is ongoing.
Should be called, "The Third World Games."

AkbarClone

They may have dropped baseball--but we can not help but get pumped by the Trampoline!

BOO YAH--a double backword piked somersault!

Who are you guys rooting for this year in trampoline? Anyone miss Alexandre Moskalenko? (Ahh, the good old days).

PowderedH2O

I don't know how serious you guys are about the Olympics, but I am a junkie. I have one of the biggest collections of Olympic autographs in the United States. The coverage we get now is AMAZING compared to what it was awhile back. In 1996, I watched the "coverage" of the shot put. They showed the three throws that won the medals for the men and women. Same thing for the javelin. A number of events got no coverage whatsoever, since there was no American presence. Yes, the announcers are frequently lame (but I give an A+ to the Dan Hicks/Rowdy Gaines combination and also I think Brandi Chastain is honest and candid as a soccer analyst). But at least there IS coverage.

WTCG

At this point the U.S. is getting their butts kicked in the gold medal count. The U.S. has been mostly relegated to silver and bronze while China is winning gold after gold.

Boy did the US gymnasts lay an egg today. They were 1st in the qualification round but in the finals round litterally tumbled to 5th and out of medal contention. For Team USA some positive surprises but some disappointments.

Justacommeman

The Dutch field hockey team is hot. MJ

Justacommeman

<< <i>At this point the U.S. is getting their butts kicked in the gold medal count. The U.S. has been mostly relegated to silver and bronze while China is winning gold after gold >>



5 gold 7 silver 5 bronze. Pretty balanced. MJ

WTCG

<< <i>

<< <i>At this point the U.S. is getting their butts kicked in the gold medal count. The U.S. has been mostly relegated to silver and bronze while China is winning gold after gold >>



5 gold 7 silver 5 bronze. Pretty balanced. MJ >>



Team USA caught up pretty well today and are currently tied for the overall medal count. However of the 17 China has more than half (9) are golds, and that counts for more than the 5-7-5.

WTCG

<< <i>The Dutch field hockey team is hot. MJ >>



The cheerleader effect helps: when there's a group of women wearing identical attire it makes the entire group look more attractive than they really are if viewed individually. It works with cheerleaders, sales teams and on television shows like "Deal or No Deal".

Goot

<< <i>

<< <i>The Dutch field hockey team is hot. MJ >>



The cheerleader effect helps: when there's a group of women wearing identical attire it makes the entire group look more attractive than they really are if viewed individually. It works with cheerleaders, sales teams and on television shows like "Deal or No Deal". >>




Meh, pretty sure theyre still hot.

pmcollectour

Saw the USA basketball team play Tunisia today. Team looks good.
Guy from Tunisia took of his sneaker after the game and Kobe signed it.

PeteZaria

<< <i>

The cheerleader effect helps: when there's a group of women wearing identical attire it makes the entire group look more attractive than they really are if viewed individually. It works with cheerleaders, sales teams and on television shows like "Deal or No Deal". >>



...and twins.

WTCG

China keeps winning the golds while the US is largely underachieving in everything else that isn't swimming (and even that hasn't gone as well as expected) or women's gymnastics. So far there haven't been any real surprise wins but there have been surprise losses and chokes.

VikingDude

Banned from badminton for tanking games? I thought it was hard to make a call like that until I saw some video clips.

Justacommeman

<< <i>China keeps winning the golds while the US is largely underachieving in everything else that isn't swimming (and even that hasn't gone as well as expected) or women's gymnastics. So far there haven't been any real surprise wins but there have been surprise losses and chokes. >>



China was favored to win the most gold medals them anyone else so hardly surprising. They dominate diving. Four golds today. The US won the team women's gold in gymnastics which is the glamour event of the Olympics. They actually had probably the single best team performance/dominance of any Olympics ever. Not to be outdone China did have that impressive gold in table tennis today. They actually could have padded their gold total in badminton if not for the fact that their best team was disqualified for trying to throw a match.

Nathan Adrians gold tonight in the pool was a big shocker for the US and Danyell Leyva's come back in gymnastics was just awesome. Love these games and yes I even like the Chinese team a lot .

MJ

Dboneesq

<< <i>Guy from Tunisia took of his sneaker after the game and Kobe signed it. >>


That's a Classic!

WTCG

Team USA finally making a good run at the golds and for the first time ever a gold is won in Judo. Good Thursday for Team USA.

With that said I would like to see the US win a few more medals in something that isn't swimming, (or any other watersport), volleyball or gymnastics.

Justacommeman

<< <i>Team USA finally making a good run at the golds and for the first time ever a gold is won in Judo. Good Thursday for Team USA.

With that said I would like to see the US win a few more medals in something that isn't swimming, (or any other watersport), volleyball or gymnastics. >>



Let's see they won medals in rowing as well. What would you like to see them do better in? Archery, badminton, boxing, weightlifting, diving and table tennis? Those are like the only other events that have concluded. Honestly I could care less about any of these and I would guess that would be the case of most. Boxing used to matter not that the US ever dominated. It is so disgusting now (judging) that they should just scrap it.

Looking forward to the conclusion of volleyball and the start of the track events.

MJ

WTCG

<< <i>

<< <i>Team USA finally making a good run at the golds and for the first time ever a gold is won in Judo. Good Thursday for Team USA.

With that said I would like to see the US win a few more medals in something that isn't swimming, (or any other watersport), volleyball or gymnastics. >>



Let's see they won medals in rowing as well. What would you like to see them do better in? Archery, badminton, boxing, weightlifting, diving and table tennis? Those are like the only other events that have concluded. Honestly I could care less about any of these and I would guess that would be the case of most. Boxing used to matter not that the US ever dominated. It is so disgusting now (judging) that they should just scrap it.

Looking forward to the conclusion of volleyball and the start of the track events.

MJ >>



Except in small isolated circles (usually the yuppie types or wannabe hipsters who actively seek European acquaintances because they think hanging around Europeans will make them look sophisticated), Americans care about soccer as much as they do about field hockey. That is they don't except when an American team is playing. As soon as the American team gets bounced the American public no longer pretends to care. Same could be said about almost every Olympic sport.

Contending national programs cannot become one-dimensional. Australia is one example. When their one specialty takes a talent lull like it is in right now the damage is often too far broken to recover in four years. Without swimming the US would be behind Great Britain in the medal count.

The US should be strong contenders in weightlifting, wrestling and boxing. Lots of medals in the martial arts, badminton and weightlifting ripe for the picking. More resources should be devoted to those events and others with a large number of medals up for grabs.

The "table tennis isn't a real sport" argument is a convenient argument Americans use to justify futility. Instead of belittling other sports other countries are dominant in Americans should improve their competitiveness in those sports.

China is weak in the track and field events but that doesn't mean they're not dedicating resources to improving their standing in those events. One thing is for sure though, they're not going around telling people that track and field sports are not real sports.

Justacommeman

Wei,

The US doesn't subsidize Olympic athletes. The same can not be said for many nations including China. Yes, the glamour events in the Olympics the US winners can expect BIG paydays and have existing endorsement deals. It won't be in the sports you mentioned and those US athletes won't have any type of sponsorship. As you know I spend 120 days a year in China and love the country, people and culture. It just is what it is.

Oh, and I just watched China get a gold and a bronze in the trampoline tonight. Yes, the trampoline.

MJ

57loaded

400 meter men's final - - first time ever no representation from USA

also liked watching the "Blade Runner".