You know, I think the Olympics has "jumped the shark"

[SoCalDem]

The handwriting was on the wall in Munich, and ever since, security has overtaken the light-hearted sports extgravaganza it was supposed to be. Every place that "wins" the bid for it, ends up stressed to the max, and most lose money on the deal. A few insider-rich folks make a lot, and the citizens of the city take it on the chin for DECADES sometimes.

There's more news about doping, cheating and protesting than there is on the actual sportr covered.

What coverage we get in the US, at least, is chopped up and edited so much, the events have no continuity or context.. We get to endure endless hours of Ken & Barbie sitting around cracking wise with each other, and we get the travelogue and commercial stuff, but the sports are dosed out in tiny segments, and usually only the American end of it.

I LIKE to watch the 34th place pairs skaters from Bulgaria...It makes the eventual winners look at that much better when you see the events unfold naturally..

I don't even enjoy them anymore :cry:.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

1. Well, All I Know Is I Can't Wait For The Hockey Tournament.

It is going to be amazing this year.

[yvr girl]

2. I like Canadian coverage so much better

They show most stuff live, and then rebroadcast popular events during primetime.

[AlCzervik]

3. i just want to see the huge ski jumps and the Super g, love those

everything else---eh.

[SoCalDem]

5. I actually like the Curling..hockey not so much

Like the ski jumping and the skating (except ice dancing :puke:..)

[AlCzervik]

7. curling is pretty interesting to watch, i can take or leave hockey

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. And Mare Daley wants the 2016 summer Olympics in Chicago...

:scared:

I don't know a single person here who wants them. Nor to pay the cost of building all the venues to host them. Jeez. This city has seen enough cost overrun boondoggles in the last few years that the taxpayers simply cannot afford.

[Island Blue]

16. Are there any mountains near Chicago?

Don't you really need lots of really big mountains when hosting the Winter Games?

[SoCalDem]

18. They are after the summer games.. They do have that big lake

for the water sports & sailing events:)

[greatauntoftriplets]

20. He wants to host the summer games....

not winter.

Either way.... :eyes:

[KharmaTrain]

21. This Chicagoan Sure Doesn't Want Them

It's bad enough trying to navigate around town when the Bears or Cubbies are jamming up the expressways, I don't need three weeks of constant gridlock so a lot of corporations can make money and people waive flags. We can handle that with one St. Patrick's Day parade.

I agree that the Olympics have turned into an albatross for the cities that hold them. Besides the tremendous expenses in building venues that will only really serve a purpose for part of the time, the disruption of civic life and business has no upside to this or any "world class city".

[greatauntoftriplets]

29. Me either....

And I live Far North and work in the suburbs. My objection is that the $$$$$$ spent on creating venues could be spent on much better things that benefit those of us who live here.

[BushOut06]

6. You know, if they really did that, more people would watch

If they really did shark jumping, that is. Ski downhill, hit the ramp, and fly over a tank with a great white shark. Betcha people would tune in for that!

[Hardrada]

52. I would. And maybe the Bulgarians would win that event!

[Booster]

8. Don't give up on the Olympics.......out of them comes some of the

best stories of humanity ever. I love the Olympics, even with the few bad stories that come out, and I think that has a lot to do with the producers trying to catch viewers than anything else.

[El Supremo]

9. Hey! This may be the only night that I don't have to put up with...

GDMF FIGURE SKATING!

[SoCalDem]

12. BITE YOUR TONGUE

Skating is the only thing that makes the winter games tolerable..

The summer olympics have NO redeeming features

[tridim]

28. I like Speed Skating, Downhill, Snowboarding and Hockey

Biathalon? Figure Skating? Ice Dancing? Give me a break.

I have to admit those fire jets are pretty cool.

[El Supremo]

31. Little anemic bulimic girls on skates...

or little anemic bulimic gymnasts on mats. Same thing - PRIME TIME!

Look, I hate any "sport" where the judges hold up numbers.

Oh, did I forget to say where Babbling Bob Costas can shove his mike?

[SoCalDem]

32. The foreign skaters have some "shape" to them, and most do quite well

I's like to see a minimum weight ..just like they now have a minimum age..

It's interesting to look at past champs.. The women actually had Boobs & hips..and they still managed to win medals:) Of course they did not have to spin as fast..

[El Supremo]

33. That is quite an image you just painted in my mind!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[SoCalDem]

37. Exhibit A

[El Supremo]

38. Uh Oh

I just lost it.

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[SoCalDem]

39. Exhibit B

[El Supremo]

40. I'm thinking more along these lines.

Oh, I guess that your 1st picture was of Katarina with some really bad makeup.

[tridim]

10. Anyone else notice the video makes everyone look really bad?

I think it's the HDTV on regular TV thing, but it shouldn't look this bad. The athletes all look like they have really bad skin. I hope the get it fixed before the events start.

[Streetdoc270]

11. And dont forget all the stories....

Inbetween 5 mins of event coverage we have to see 20 mins of human interest stories on how the atheletes endured hardships to reach the Olympics. No don't get me wrong, I feel for the sacrifice that many of them have made, but I watch the Oympics for the competition, not the drama.

[SoCalDem]

15. EVERY athlete has endured hardships..

Sports is a field fraught with aches, pains, injuries and financial hardship.

[tocqueville]

13. I'm sorry for you, but it's not like it here

no or very few commercials and live + reprisals of highlights. Mostly bilingual (for interviews) skilled commntators.

I'm so sorry I live in a "socialist" country :P

[htuttle]

25. That's how coverage was here in the states when I was a kid

...except for the billingual part. They would switch between ongoing events to keep things live, and most of the commentators knew what they were talking about (and talked a lot less).

But that was 30 years ago...things have changed here a lot since then.

[Bluebear]

14. Canadian coverage rocks.

No "human interest" stories that drone on and on. No "up close and personals". They DO show the ice dancers from Belgium that place 17th, and no Dick Button talking over every note.

[SoCalDem]

17. I used to love the school figures. That was a true test of a figure skater

and those figures leveled the playing field so the "technicians" could compete against the wild and crazy jumpers..

[Bluebear]

23. the best ever....

Trixi Schuba (Austria)

[NYFlip]

35. I did them

They were cold and boring especizlly zt 5:30am. I'm glad they're gone. I do love figure skating just not figures.

[Karenina]

41. I found them meditative...

Yes it was early morn, cold and mind you, I began at 35. What I liked was in spite of the fact that I wasn't awake, I was able to train my body to find its center of gravity. The mental discipline of not buying into an imperfect tracing as a "failure" was important to me at that time. It resonated with my life work as a double reed player.

[NYFlip]

42. It might have been because I was around 12 and wanted to jump and spin.

I'm 35 now and might appreciate them more than I did then. None of us could wait to get up to the 4th test to quit.

[Bluebear]

46. For you......

[NYFlip]

48. Thanks

They're cool and so cute.

[Karenina]

49. I hear ya, Sweetiekins!

I finally figured out my body couldn't handle what it would take to land a double. Managed a throw waltz. But it was NOT about being scared. A kid from the Disney show taught me cartwheels on ice after I told him I was secure with them on land. Broke a bunch of small bones in my feet. A 7-yr-old kid taught me how to avoid injury. Got video doing 5 in a row... the length of the rink. The girls who knew I was older than their moms all said, Karenina is OUT THERE! But they looked after and taught me well.

[NYFlip]

50. That's so cool

I remember having so much fun skating with all the old time skaters in their 60's, 70's and 80's. We just held hands and skated. It was fun. Thanks for making me remember this. I still love jumping and spinning.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

26. Is Dick Butthead still alive? Sheesh . . .

[Pithy Cherub]

34. DB's signature wardrobe needs a serious malfucntion.

He doesn't even have a garanimal system to make stuff match.:P

[CrazyOrangeCat]

47. She said 'garanimal' !!!

Heh-heh.

:spray:

[CatholicEdHead]

45. I would rather see the other countries participating

But the focus is on mostly the US athletes, and only sports they think they can make money on through endorsements (e.g. snowboarding) get lots of the focus. The biathalon and other smaller sports get relegated to an off time on a cable channel not everyone gets (e.g USA).

[SoCalDem]

54. A very long time ago, one of my sons and I stayed up very

late and watched skating preliminaries..(he was waiting for hockey to show a game he wanted to see), and we both just about cried for a young couple from some little country.. They both muct have fallen 5 or 6 times, their costumes looked homemade, but they were THERE representing thier country and trying their best.. When they left the ice, she in tears, the people there (not that many) gave them a standing ovation.. THAT's what the OLYMPICS is really about:)

[leftofthedial]

19. they've all become professionals

in sports far less interesting than the actual pro sports that saturate all media

[flyarm]

22. US OUTFITS PITIFUL COPIES OF CANADIANS YRS AGO!

HOW CAN WE HAVE DESIGNERS HERE IN THE USA WHO AREN'T PISSED OFF?

THE USA HATS ARE COPIES OF CANADA YRS AGO..AND THEY ARE MADE BY ROOTS A CANADIAN COMPANY..WHAT IS THIS SHIT??

DID YOU ALL SEE HOW ADORABLE THE CANADIAN OUTFITS WERE??

AND WE HAVE OLD RETREADS OF CANADA!
WE COULDN'T GET ANYTHING ORIGINAL??????????
FOR A USA MANUFACTURER???

OH YEAH ..WE OUT SOURCED ALL OUR MANUFACTURERS!!

THANKS BUSH..WE ARE THE NEW HAS BEENS!

FLY

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

24. What In The World

was that all about.

[name not needed]

51. HOLY SHIT HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF CAPS LOCK

YEAH ITS GREAT LOWER CASE LETTERS DONT GIVE PEOPLE HEADACHES AND PERIODS PREVENT NONSENSICAL RUN ON SENTENCES

[colorado thinker]

27. I've had this horrid little thought

that maybe the Americans would not fare so well during the Olympics this year, that the world community would perhaps make it very difficult for the American athletes to win in any event, as a protest of sorts. Am I just being paranoid?

[Bjornsdotter]

30. Agreed

I like seeing every skier, every skater etc. I hate the way the Olympics are presented here.

But I get sucked in every four years and end up writing and calling the network that broadcasts it...to tell them they do a lousy job.

We went to the Olympics in Salt Lake and will try to go to Vancouver 2010. If you get the chance go...there's nothing like being there. It may restore your faith in the games.

Cheers!

[LynneSin]

36. I know how you feel and I feel the same way

When I have Brian Williams spewing propaganda at the opening ceremonies. Why is he co-hosting with Costas? Where is Katie Couric maybe she could have been a little bit nicer when the Iranians walked into the stadium

[2Design]

43. that was so disresptful = those people aren't their government

[TInCanCommunications]

44. "Jumped The Shark" has "Jumped the Shark"

Sick of it already.

I'll never be sick of Olympic hokcey.

[Catchawave]

53. There will never be another Miracle on ice :(