2008 Olympics: Do You Care?

[SmokeFan14]

I have a better one.
Q. Why is Basketball, with a USA team made up of NBA professionals, an Olympic sport?

Some of the other countries in the Olympics have players that play(ed) in the NBA, too. The game of basketball is no longer just "ours". Team USA only won by 11 points against Australia, for instance. Lately, we've been getting the crap kicked out of us in Olympic AND International play, and what do we do about it? We bring in my man Coach K to save the day... :up

 

[Pepper]

My point was not that the best Basketball team always comes from the USA but that they are, at least before and after the Olympics, highly paid (dare I say overpaid) professionals.

I thought the Olympics was supposed to be the best of the world's amateur athletes and once a player went "pro" they were no longer to be eligible. At least that's the way I remember from years ago and I wasn't paying attention when they changed the rules.

 

[Derwin0]

With the opening ceremony in Beijing merely hours away, how much of the Olympic games will YOU be watching?

My wife is already watching the opening ceremonies on CBC-HD this morning. I'll probably watch them on the tape delay, and catch different sports that interest me throughout the week.

 

[Derwin0]

My point was not that the best Basketball team always comes from the USA but that they are, at least before and after the Olympics, highly paid (dare I say overpaid) professionals.

I thought the Olympics was supposed to be the best of the world's amateur athletes and once a player went "pro" they were no longer to be eligible. At least that's the way I remember from years ago and I wasn't paying attention when they changed the rules.

The Olympic committee killed the amateur rules in 1983, because a lot of the Eastern block was using "professionals" already, and it stopped a lot of western middle class athletes from being able to train and earn a living. The different sports federations (which set entry rules for their respective sports) followed suit in the following decade.

As for "overpaid professionals", US basketball isn't the only culprit. Soccer has a bunch of those from other countries. If you ban them (because you think they make too much money), then you'll also ban the women of the WNBA who don't make much, or a bunch of the other sports as well.

What they olympics want is the best, and the best are usually pros.

 

[HD MM]

I don't even think we should be there. China already yanked the passport of one of our athletes for being the leader of a Darfur protest group. The restrictions on the press, the chinese public not being alowed to say nearly anything to the athletes or visitors. I don't know how we can participate in this sham.

This wouldn't be the first time the Olympics were held at a questionable site.

Remember the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany and the 1980 Olympics in Moscow?

 

[HD MM]

The Olympic committee killed the amateur rules in 1983, because a lot of the Eastern block was using "professionals" already, and it stopped a lot of western middle class athletes from being able to train and earn a living. The different sports federations (which set entry rules for their respective sports) followed suit in the following decade.

As for "overpaid professionals", US basketball isn't the only culprit. Soccer has a bunch of those from other countries. If you ban them (because you think they make too much money), then you'll also ban the women of the WNBA who don't make much, or a bunch of the other sports as well.

What they Olympics want is the best, and the best are usually pros.

And that's the way it should be.

 

[Derwin0]

Remember the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany and the 1980 Olympics in Moscow?

We boycotted the 1980 Olympics though.

As for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens showing up Hilter's "master race" made it all worth it. :up

Unfortunately FDR never invited him to the White House to honor him, luckily Eisenhower corrected that mistake.

 

[HD MM]

We boycotted the 1980 Olympics though.

As for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens showing up Hilter's "master race" made it all worth it. :up

Unfortunately FDR never invited him to the White House to honor him, luckily Eisenhower corrected that mistake.

Very true.

 

[Rangers484]

I used to care back in the day when they were still largely amateurs (not forgetting the E German feMALE swimmers, Russian "army" athletes as well as all the other communist country's finest).

Now it is all about medal counts. On US TV the "behind the scenes do you really care?" vignettes that take up more air time than actual sports really turn me off.

The Olympics used to be about the only time I got to see non mainstream sports on TV from start to finish.

Now the networks here Time Warp through the match right to the end while interjecting how Gilbert overcame his carpal tunnel surgery to compete in the tiddlywinks competition after his father tragically died mere hours before the start of the games..... Or it is more important to see a US gymnast finish 7th rather than the gold medal match/game in some other sport that does not involve a US team or athlete.

Just show the sports start to finish and keep the human interest part out unless it is truly relevant to how they perform.

And try not to pick countries who are guilty of the worlds greatest human rights violations to lift up the human spirit in sports competition. Seems to be a little hypocritical and not quite what the Greeks had in mind.

Sorry for the bitching, please return to your regularly scheduled programing...

 

[TNGTony]

Just show the sports start to finish and keep the human interest part out unless it is truly relevant to how they perform.

Preach it Brother! Amen!

See ya
Tony

 

[TenaGoble]

Opening ceremonies tonight or Monty Pythons Flying Circus? Decisions, Decisions

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I have been watching the Opening Ceremonies, which have been decent.

Its too bad I have to watch them live from Canada. I dont understand why NBC has to wait until tonight to show them

The CBC coverage does not have many commercials.

 

[Derwin0]

I have been watching the Opening Ceremonies, which have been decent.

Its too bad I have to watch them live from Canada. I dont understand why NBC has to wait until tonight to show them.

Advertisers. They won't pay as much for commercial space during the ceremonies if they've already been shown. And since the opening ceremonies usually command top dollar, NBC doesn't want to lower the "value".

 

[HD MM]

Will anyone else besides NBC be providing coverage?

Universal HD or USA HD come to mind as their sister channels that may be able to show more.

 

[jwfgeol]

Will anyone else besides NBC be providing coverage?

Universal HD or USA HD come to mind as their sister channels that may be able to show more.

NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Universal HD, Telemundo, Oxygen, and there are a couple of sports specific channels as well.

2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games | TV & Online Listings | Viewing Schedule | NBC Olympics

 

[Weezknight]

My wife and I are huge Olympics fans. Myself for the sport & competition, my wife for the stories behind the athletes.

The Soccer tournament will be the one thing I'll watch the most, through Live TV/Online/DVR. I'll also be following Women's Field Hockey because a local girl made the team, and I also like the Cycling, Swimming, and Volleyball competitions.

Of course the wife will have me watching the gymnastics, too.

Overall, though, it's one thing we look forward too every time they roll around be it Winter or Summer.

 

[bobojay]

My comment: shouldn't be there because it's communist.
Second:all it is anymore is an "all-star" professional sports event.
Third:who cares!

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The flame is just about to be lit. They way they are doing looks really cool.

Its lit... An amazing way of lighting it!

 

[Paul Wozniak]

I'll be watching religiously, if I can see through the smog.

 

[TNGTony]

The Opening Ceremonies were very interesting this year! I will watch them again on a "real" TV. Computer streams really don't do it for me. Watching the Argentine feed it was hilarious when the argentine team came out. They cut away from the pool feed to their own lone camera which was a good 50º out of phase probably because the camera was set on a sunlight filter and was in stadium lighting (or what I call smurf-vision) and followed the Argentine team all the way around the track into the infield!

See ya
Tony