Olympics 2012

[king mob]

All the Olympics-related sponsorship ads I saw are all PATRIOTISM PATRIOTISM HOPE OF THE NATION STIRRING MUSIC.

It doesn't really wash with us does it?

I much prefer this "here are some sports players who are harder than you" approach.

Fuck yes. We should just have an ad with Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins beating people up and starting a riot.

[Dreadstar]

I enjoy a heck of a lot of the Olympics. I love the track and field, and the gymnastics, and especially the swimming. I enjoy watching some of the team sports, volleyball is one in particular. Some of the shooting events can get me interested.

Other stuff, not so much. I never understood rhythmic gymnastics, it just looks like something that began in the special Olympics. Ping pong is a game, not a sport, along with badminton, but OK, I can see the massive amount of skill involved, so let it slide. Trampoline? Are you kidding? I'm OK with the track cycling, and completely uninterested in road cycling (I just watched the Tour de France, for god's sake), and don't understand why BMX and mountain biking are part of the make up. Synchronized swimming will make me change the channel to catch a WNBA game. I give beach volleyball a pass because, well, duh. It's still not an Olympic sport to me, though. And don't we already have this huge world-wide sailing competition?

The Olympics have become diluted, and I could care less about near on a half of the gold medals that are going to be handed out to whomever. Hell, I could care less about a bunch of the medals coming from legitimate sports like archery.

But man, I'm still going to be watching for the ones I *do* care about.



***And as a postscript, I'm going to be so very happy when they get the professionals out of the team sports. Just as long as the other countries follow suit (which they won't). Anyone remember Teófilo Stevenson? Holy crap, was he great. But don't ever tell me he wasn't a professional.

[king mob]

don't understand why BMX and mountain biking are part of the make up.

BMX racing is wonderful though, but in this year's Olympics it will be a dozen hoodies chasing each other for a quarter of draw round a council estate in Hackney.

[Dreadstar]

BMX racing is wonderful though, but in this year's Olympics it will be a dozen hoodies chasing each other for a quarter of draw round a council estate in Hackney.

I'm sure that many of those competitions included are wonderful. But Olympic? Heck, they removed baseball and softball, and can see those as more Olympic than "trampoline."

Just an opinion, mind you.

[Dreadstar]

And since I got a doublepost out of that, I'll toss in another: Team Handball.

It's like water polo without the water.

What? Did a bunch of guys who couldn't swim decide to get together and complain that the Olympics was discriminating against the doggie-paddle challenged?

[Charles RB]

BMX racing is wonderful though, but in this year's Olympics it will be a dozen hoodies chasing each other for a quarter of draw round a council estate in Hackney.

I'd watch that.

And they should form a team called the Hackney Hoodies, like all those 2000 AD future sports strips.

[Vibranium]

I'm sure that many of those competitions included are wonderful. But Olympic? Heck, they removed baseball and softball, and can see those as more Olympic than "trampoline."

Just an opinion, mind you.

removed because the IOC is rife with anti American sentiment that doesn't make them tons of money like the basketball team does

and I feel bad for our UK posters for having to deal with all of that mess

[Diamond Princess]

***And as a postscript, I'm going to be so very happy when they get the professionals out of the team sports. Just as long as the other countries follow suit (which they won't). Anyone remember Teófilo Stevenson? Holy crap, was he great. But don't ever tell me he wasn't a professional.

Does anybody know why he never went pro (at least not to my knowledge)? I never understood that.

[Dreadstar]

Does anybody know why he never went pro (at least not to my knowledge)? I never understood that.

Cuba, at the time, didn't allow such things. I believe it was part of the communist creed or something like that.

[Chris N]

I have on family member in the Olympics I need you all to root for, even the Brits:

Christina Loukas

[chicainery]

I have on family member in the Olympics I need you all to root for, even the Brits:

Christina Loukas

Very awesome!

[Alan Lynch]

I have on family member in the Olympics I need you all to root for, even the Brits:

Christina Loukas

Cool! Good luck to her.

I love watching all sorts of random sports I wouldn't ordinarily go near. Stuff like swimming, cycling etc. Football shouldn't be there at all so I'll be actively avoiding that. I've also got a trip to London next week so dreading getting the Tube anywhere.

[king mob]

I'm sure that many of those competitions included are wonderful. But Olympic? Heck, they removed baseball and softball, and can see those as more Olympic than "trampoline."

Just an opinion, mind you.

Baseball is bollocks anyhow. BMX'ing is just amazing to watch. Softball is for kids.

[king mob]

I'd watch that.

And they should form a team called the Hackney Hoodies, like all those 2000 AD future sports strips.

There's a rumour on Twitter that the opening ceremony has hoodies in it along with a very political section praising Nye Beven, the NHS and the welfare state. I know they're a recreation of a moshpit at the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, and the music picked to represent modern Britain goes from the Beatles, to Bowie, then the Pistols then Primal Scream, Blur, Oasis and Tinie Tempah from what Tweets were saying today.

I'm actually increasingly of the opinion that Danny Boyle might pull something very different off and not just take the piss out of these sort of things.

[king mob]

I've also got a trip to London next week so dreading getting the Tube anywhere.

Hahahahahahhahaha. Oh you're fucked getting anywhere and if it's as hot as it is now you'll die.