London to Host 2012 Olympics

[Staffan]

I am so GLAAAAAD Paris wasn't chosen for the Olympic games!

You guys got ITER instead. That's WAY better than silly Olympics.

 

[drothgery]

If they want a real olympics, get rid of most of the events. Get it down to track & field, foot races, gymnastics, swimming and other traditional events, get rid of the multimillion dollar training facilities that really blur the line between professional and amateur, and really enforce the Amateur part (how in the world were we allowed to field an olympic team of NBA players? Winning is nice, but that was taking the idea of amateur competition and tossing it out the window). While you're at it, ditch the "mascots", they are lame and I still shudder at "Izzy". A whole lot less product placement and conspicuous advertisement also would make it seem more honest and less like a glorified Coke and Visa commerial.

It's been a long time since the Olympics were anything close to a pure amateur event (the 1992 USA men's basketball team was just the public acknowledgement of this); the rules on how "professional" athlets could be vary a lot from sport to sport. In basketball, I'm pretty sure there were European pros involved long before 1992, and calling the Soviet teams that ended American dominance of the sport at the Olympic level amatuers would be ludicrous.

Me, I want to see the best athletes in any sport in the Olympics. And that's going to be pros in any sport where pros make real money (which does include track).

 

[loki44]

Actually, I watch perhaps 6-7 hours a week and three hours of that is when SciFi shows Battlestar Galactica and the two Stargate shows.

Dude, it's all relative. If you're watching that crap that regularly then I'd say you've got a problem. That's just my opinion though. In your opinion, what makes a predictable rerun of Battlestar Galactica more compelling than the finals of the 400m dash?

 

[loki44]

Me, I want to see the best athletes in any sport in the Olympics. And that's going to be pros in any sport where pros make real money (which does include track).

Thank you. I agree wholeheartedly. The line between "amateur" and "professional" is so blurred nowadays that it cannot be defined accurately. Nor should it have to be as far as the Olympics go. The best athletes from every country in every sport should compete for honours. When and where did this ideal of "amateur" athletes competing, as opposed to the "best" athletes, originate? I just don't buy it.

 

[MaxKaladin]

You don't like sports! What the freak is wrong with you?! What's there not to like? It's a freakin' game.....what's there not to like about that? What "nonsense" did you have to "put up with"? Please be specific.

What's not to like? Well, one thing I've never liked is the idea that there must be something wrong with me if I don't like sports.

Actually, to be completely accurate, I don't hate sports -- I just don't like them. I really don't care one way or the other about sports. They simply don't interest me yet fail to inspire any hatred in me. What I hate is the fan culture surrounding sports. The one that assumes that there must be something wrong with me because I do not like sports. The one that finds it unacceptable that I simply wish to not be involved and tries to drag me in anyway. The one that hounded me all through my school years to play -- evidently I was built right for football and people considered it some major sin that I wasn't interested in playing.

Some of the nonsense I have to put up with is a result of this sort of behavior. Inevitably, someone will try to strike up a conversation about the finals and when I mention politely I haven't been following them they look at me like I just kicked their dog. Some of them leave me alone at that point but you always have the "boosters" who then try to "pump me up" somehow. Sometimes, they do this by giving me highlights and/or statistics that are evidently supposed to make me excited about the finals. While I'm sure these are fine examples of basketball playing, I am simply not interested. I'm not trying to put anyone down -- I'm just not interested. Sometimes, they try to appeal to some sort of obligation to "support the home team". I do not feel this obligation.

Then there is the merchandising. There are vendors everywhere. You just can't get away from it. People go so mad over wearing team stuff and decorating things with team colors and logos and it drives a lot of the annoyance. Everything is about having the right "stuff" for the game. Did they go to the championships? Buy a t-shirt! Why don't you have team-merchandise in your cubicle? Where's your spirit? Did they win the championship? Yes? Then rush right out to one of the many roadside vendors or a store to buy more t-shirts -- and don't forget the mug and 10,000 other things! Why aren't you wearing a team championship t-shirt? Don't you have spirit? It's like team spirit is manditory. This is a big part of what drives me nuts.

Then there is the traffic disruption is when they win a championship. The first time it happened when I lived here I was out and found myself surrounded by people driving recklessly honking horns, weaving in and out of traffic, hanging out windows waving flags or screaming and other dangerous behavior. This year, more than 300,000 people tried to get downtown to celebrate and buy championship stuff causing a massive traffic jam for hours. I make a point of being home whenever they play championship games in case they win. I could deal with this if it were just one night, but it's really annoying when its just the culmination of days and weeks of hype and merchandising beforehand.

It's just omnipresent and I can't get away from it and people don't want to let me get away from it.

 

[MaxKaladin]

The World's Fair was based upon pure and crass commercialism, which is why it ultimately failed. Unlike the World's Fair, the Olympics have persisted because they ARE based upon the true spirit of competition (we can discuss the "Dream Team" in another thread).

I went to the Knoxville World's Fair in 1982 with my father and I enjoyed it. I loved having the chance to see all the national pavilions and learn a little bit about each culture.

As for the olympics persisting, it seems to me they're all about crass commercialism and national chest-thumping these days. I think there is very little "true spirit of competition" involved.

 

[MaxKaladin]

In your opinion, what makes a predictable rerun of Battlestar Galactica more compelling than the finals of the 400m dash?

I don't generally watch reruns, so it isn't really an applicable question. In any case, I just don't find anything interesting about watching a race like that. Why is it supposed to be interesting? A bunch of people put a lot of effort into being able to run fast and one of them turns out to be a bit faster than the rest. That's nice for him or her, but not anything that I'm all that interested in.

 

[MaxKaladin]

When and where did this ideal of "amateur" athletes competing, as opposed to the "best" athletes, originate?

The guy who revived the olympics came up with it when he revived the olympics. I don't remember his name offhand. He decided that the modern olympics should be a showcase for amature athletes right from the start.

I don't remember all the details, but the idea was basically for "gentleman" athletes (meaning idle rich guys like the one who revived the olympics) to be the competitors and his rules reflected that. I don't think they were all in place at the first olympics but he evolved them over the first few games to reflect his vision for the games.

 

[Turanil]

As for the olympics persisting, it seems to me they're all about crass commercialism and national chest-thumping these days. I think there is very little "true spirit of competition" involved.

<...>

In any case, I just don't find anything interesting about watching a race like that. Why is it supposed to be interesting? A bunch of people put a lot of effort into being able to run fast and one of them turns out to be a bit faster than the rest. That's nice for him or her, but not anything that I'm all that interested in.

I like what you says and agrees with it completely.

You guys got ITER instead. That's WAY better than silly Olympics.

Huh? ITER? What's that?

 

[johnsemlak]

The Guy was Pierre de Coubertin (sp?). The Amateur thing was not just his vision, but a view widely held by various upper crust types.