I love sport, but the Olympics are creeping me out. The eerily empty venues. The massive torch on the stadium at a time when the world is sucking oil–very Munich. The way the Chinese hurdler, the gold medal guy at Athens, tried to run so as not to disappoint China even though he had a damaged Achilles, grimacing in the blocks about to destroy himself. The reports that the Chinese calculated how many sports were up for grabs, x years ago, and began molding children to win them. The absence of diversity in the pool or on the diving boards. The underage Chinese gymnasts and the lies to cover it up. The weird fakeries in the opening ceremonies– the lipsynching, the dressing up of majority Han ethnic children in native garb to impersonate ethnic minorities who were not invited. The superpower rivalries, the American pole vaulter saying she wanted to "kick some Russian butt…" The general absence of the Third World and Europe, Africa, the subcontinent. The general atmosphere of joylessness/nationalism/air conditioning…
I like the Visa ads where Morgan Freeman says, Go World. Would that it were true.
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What, this wasn't good enough for you?
http://i38.tinypic.com/ipbimb.jpg
"The absence of diversity in the pool or on the diving boards."
I cried about that, too! Seriously, how would you remedy the situation?
Phil, apparently it's not the Olympics that are "creeping" you out, as much as it is the Chinese race themselves. As for the pisspoor bunch of items you cobbled together above: is that all you got?
The last time I checked, China was not the one: (1)outspending the rest of the world combined on weaponry, (2) fomenting a deadly clash between American vs Russian interests in order to further Jewish interests, (3) with religious idiots pointing and howling 'evil' at the rest of the world, (4) attacking Iraq, causing death and destruction to 25 million people, (5) threatening a nuclear holocaust on another 75 million people of Iran, (6) backing a client/controller Jewish State which is starving 1.4 million sub-humans in Gaza, and mis-treating another 4.6 million in the West Bank: very Munich-like, very leibensraum-like.
So the Chinese are guilty of "molding children" eh? John Stewart said it best: those Chinese gymnasts should be working in sweat-shops making unifirms for our child gymnasts. Would you call Phelps normal or molded (6-4 w/ 32" waist)?
Here's a non-racist idea for you: if you don't like the wasteful spending of billions of dollars on huge facilities every four years, why not hold the Summer Games in Greece (where they belong) every four years?
I've gleaned the same refridgerated sense as Phil; from the opening epic and throughout, it sure did feel like watching
Munich–imagine what a chinese Leni Riefenstahl could do with the whole thing. (Maybe the next games should be in North Korea–just to trend along.)
I don't think what cogit8 says is inconsistent, and his points are as valid as Phil's, especially regarding the fact the USA spends more on arms than all other nations combined coupled with John Stewart's serious joke.
How do you feel about the lack of diversity on the US basketball team or on the track for the 100 and 200 m dash?
How about ping-pong?
The Olympics have long ceased to be operated in the spirit they were intended – money, greed, vanity, drug scandals professionalism in an amateur competition – have IMO, been responsible for the lack of interest and atmosphere..
The World Cup(football/soccer)remains the premier world sporting event. If you are looking for true sporting atmosphere and the proper spirit of competition – this is it.
Even this past summer's Euro championships in Austria were superbly organized….
I haven't been watching on TV, only NBC's on-demand videos at their Olympic web site, but I don't get any sense of eerily empty stands. For example yesterday's Women's Steeplechase, hardly a famous crowd pleaser, looked to be in front of a packed stadium. Perhaps we're just watching different events.
One great aspect of these games is the obvious enjoyment it's bringing to the Chinese people. The tradition of being a gracious host is old and deep. And I don't begrudge them the pride they take in what they've accomplished. I'll bet there isn't a single Chinese anywhere in the country complaining about all the money spent. But for some reason many western commentators are indignant — as if it were their money. Let's see how the UK population responds to what their politicians do with the London games. (The same politicans responsible for the Millenium Dome.)
Yeah, you got an equal point there, D
I dont' know guys… did you see the men's 4X100 meter freestyle? If that wasn't breathtaking sport, I don't know what was!
It stills doesn't make sense to me that professional athletes compete in Olympic basketball. I have a hard time getting excited about spectator sports anyway though I can appreciate the feats of the athletes themselves. Don't care much beyond that. If there's anything of merit I can catch it in the highlights reel.
Monkeystan is doing baaaad! Next Olympics we'll ask for the inclusion of the noble sport of zionism. With the PAZ-JEW coaching Monkeystan nobody will beat us, not even the americans with their wittysquad. The israelis? Never mind, right now they are a bit obssessed with fencing and in any case their habit of false flag sporting makes them easy prey.
LanceThruster, yeah–look what happened to Jim Thorpe! When did things change?
Instead of Iraq americans should have invaded Jamaica. You're olympically doomed.
LanceThruster, yeah–look what happened to Jim Thorpe! When did things change?
Posted by: charles Keating | August 20, 2008 at 10:35 AM
Thanks, Charles. I knew the name of Jim Thorpe and that he was a gifted Native-American athlete, but did not know of his Olypmics controversy.
A 1989 rule change by FIBA allowed USA Basketball to field teams with professional players
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