Are the damn Olympics over today?

[bluestateguy]

I can't wait. The Olympics are plugging up valuable time on the network newscasts, what with the meaningless controversies, soap opera stories and poster boys/girls of the year.

I can't wait until the real Olympics in China in 2008.

[in_cog_ni_to]

1. Olypmics? What Olympics?

;) I have no clue. I stopped watching them YEARS ago.

[zalinda]

3. Yeah, me too........but, I sneaked a peek at the

ice dancing.........wow, disappointing. So I got the Torvill & Dean video from the library and watched it. They were better 10 years ago at 37 than those who were competing last week. Very sad.

zalinda

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Olympics? Do you mean the bi-annual nationalist ritual?

That sells the unnecessary to the unthinking while telling us all about "our" jocks?

[Greyhound]

12. Yeah, that's the one.

Fodder for the sheeple. :rofl:

[Alleycat]

21. What???

Fodder for the sheeple? Isn't that the American Idol show?

[Greyhound]

28. That too. It's all circus for the sheeple. Watch the shiny object...

nothing to see here, move along. Here's a candy bar, no go back to your cubicle and be quiet.

[Alleycat]

4. Why the disdain this time around?

For two weeks now everyone has been bitching about the Olympics. Not only on DU but apparently the ratings are down as well. It seems people would rather watch American Idol then the Olympics. Do you think the olympics in China will be any different? It will still be commercialized, the hype from the networks will still be there. I watched just like I do every two years (winter/summer). I am not a huge sports fan normally but I did enjoy them. I like watching all the athletes do well, hate it when something goes wrong.

Explain to me why everyone is so against them this time around. I don't really get it. It fact the quality of TV lately really sucks with the exception of a few show here and there.

Give your thoughts and feeling so I can see your point.

[PCIntern]

7. b/c they more resemble the X-Games

in terms of coverage of the really moronic athletes, whose monosyllabic performances are startlingly bad. The participants from Europe and the Former USSR Republics have better diction and vocabulary than these 'party-on!' morons who've been giving interviews. I'm sure there are some American athletes who are well spoken, but they don't give them there air time say, of this Bode idiot. A real loser...

Wha'ts more, the anchor folk are not presenting this with any knowledge of the individual sport - sort of a generic, did we win the medal or not? mentality. The other AM, all MSNBC did was show our kids falling, being disqualified, etc., and lamenting instead of showing winning performances by others. It was absurd. I can't wait to have Imus back...at least his guests can speak.

[Greyhound]

17. I think it's because it's not about athletics anymore. Ever since the

'72 games it just become so political and it's changed from athletes competing with each other, to "how can we cheat to show 'our' country is better than 'their' country". I'm just bored to death by it anymore. Where's Eddie the 'eagle'? The Jamaican bobsled team? It's all just pre-canned flag waving crap. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to hear the winners were all pre-determined months ago.
:beer: :smoke:

Added: I'm not thrilled with the new "sports" they keep adding so that we are assured medals.

[Trevelyan]

5. I also stopped watching them a long time ago but have been glad for the

free gymnastics videos of the classic era in gymnastics 1970s and 1980s.

http://gymnnetwork.castledell.com
http://www.bestlaidplans.org/gymnastics/requests/
http://www.gymoholic.tk/

[ThomWV]

6. Have They Started Yet?????????????????

Like I give a shit ........

[spanone]

8. They are gonna go on till Bode Miller wins a medal...indefinitely....

[newyawker99]

22. They will have to wait another 4 years for him to win.

He lost last night. I think he was
way over-hyped.

[kurth]

9. Well, people have been waiting for YEARS to see men's curling

Next new Olympic sport: Men's pissing on ice

[Mr_Spock]

10. Wow. Cynical. snide, meaningless

What a waste of my time reading this post - I at least enjoyed some of the Olympics - this post is pure tripe.

[PCIntern]

11. So did I

but the majority of the coverage was insipid. The feats of the athletes are amazing...the skating, due to the rule changes over the years, has changed somewhat over the years, but the level of competence, in some cases, genius of some of these people is remarkable.

It's sort of like separating out the allegiance to the troops when you disdain the war. Love the sports, hate the commentating...

[Mr_Spock]

16. I didn't even notice the commentators - they are not participating!!

I could care less & often turned the channel when there was no athlete to be seen competing. I enjoy the competition and have been following several of these atheletes for three olympics. The OP probably hates sports & people who watch it - easy to find fault when you approach from that vantage point.

[im10ashus]

19. I've rarely missed an evening of watching.

It sure beats the other crap that is being force-fed down our throats.

[Neecy]

27. it was mixed...

The hockey guys did a good job covering the men's and women's hockey tournament. I thought the coverage of the skiing and speed skating events was insipid and dull.

I've liked watching the Olympics - I've just tuned out the ridiculous Bode self-hype and the pimping for the US athletes, most of whom got their butts kicked.

[alarimer]

32. I agree that the coverage was bad

I love the Olympics though. I think in its purest form (like the UN), it can be a force for good. There is something very idealist about the intent of Baron de Courbertin, who was the founder of the modern Olympic movement. I remember one year (I can't remember which ones) where, at the closing ceremonies, all the athletes sort of mingled together; there was no separation by country, they were just enjoying themselves. I admit it has become a commercial spectacle in recent years. I think there are too many sports (especially in the summer). And the commentary has always been jingoistic.

[Warpy]

13. What ruined it for you?

Several things did it for me: the nonstop blabbering by blowdried pinheads to the point you can't even hear the music at the opening ceremonies or enjoy any of the routines. One announcer for singles figure skating was such a negativistic asshole I had to shut the whole thing off, the bozo just ruined everything.

Then there are the human interest stories, the soppy, saccharine stuff that makes Horatio Alger come alive again all over the world. Give me a break, already.

Then there's the choppy coverage, moving from ice dancing to speed skating to ski jumping and back to ice dancing with no schedule that would allow one to skip uninteresting events and focus on the interesting stuff.

Oh, and don't forget all those commercials every 8 minutes, endless 30 second spots with screaming announcers breaking any concentration you might have, causing you to forget just who was being scored when there was a return to programming.

[PCIntern]

29. Well put. n/t

[SpiralHawk]

14. Ahhh - Props for Anton Apollo Ohno - Gold Medal Winner

in the 500 Speed Skating event last night

It ain't all bad

Brilliant and heartening athletic effort by Apollo -- and done with class and true sportsmanship

[Mr_Spock]

18. I enjoyed that as well

I like that kid - he's got a personality and is pretty talented too...

[Alleycat]

23. Yes

He was very good. He lived at the village to train. He put his heart into every competion and he took the high road even when he did not come in first. I think he should be the example of an Olympian.

[Frank Cannon]

15. I didn't watch one second of the Olympics after the opening ceremony

That told me, then and there, all I needed to know about how NBC was going to cover the rest of the event, and I couldn't be less interested.

I got to catch up on a lot of reading the last couple of weeks.

[MoonRiver]

20. I agree.

Olympics, :boring:

[MichaelHarris]

24. They were over for me the day

Curling finished up. Man what a sport, so exciting, such atheletes. Do they have any steroid or blood-doping problems?

[kurth]

34. Yep, exhilarating to watch - incredible training and athleticism

We need Monday Night Curling. Forget the NFL...

[johnfunk]

25. Over at last... but kudos to the Italians...

... for stripping the opening ceremonies of many of the traditional proto-fascist trappings that have always troubled me about the entire Olympics ® movement.

[AngryAmish]

26. Olympics are the playground for corporations, royalty and tyrants

Plus they expect us to pay for it (advertising etc.).

The main problem with the winter olympics is that many of the "sports" are not really sports but activities. I have nothng against activities but please be honest about it.

Plus i don't ski and I don't like people that do. If you have ever met a jerk it is more likely than not that he or she skis. Prove me wrong.

[Renegade Six]

30. Damn.

What happened, did you fall an the bunny slope when you were a kid? Some of the coolest people I have ever known were ski kids. Maybe I spent too much time in small town Vermont, where the slopes were like the what mall is tokids in the 'burbs. They all hang out out. (and get some exercise to boot)

[CowTow]

31. olympics

i thought the olympics was something we really supported? you know, all the different countries and nationalities joining together, competing against each other, the diversity -- everything...

[Tactical Progressive]

33. Actually, I think the Olympic coverage has been pretty good

Both for watching them and for switching over occasionally during breaks while watching something else.

[Rainscents]

35. Screw the NBC. I watched it on CBC and they had great coverage!