# Anyone else have zero interest in the Olympics this year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 14, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804 "2016-08-14T18:02:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/61 "2016-08-17T03:12:19Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > They still do the Olympics? 😕 > > Why? Apparently some people are still all about going down somewhere to throw things in. Weird, I know. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/62 "2016-08-17T03:39:04Z")
Well fuck y’all, I’m still loving the Olympics. Over-commercialized and steroidized and professionalized and all the rest of it. There is still incredible beauty in the finest athletes in the world competing. Simone Biles dueling with Aly Raismain on the floor. 41 year old gymnast Oksana Chusovitina still plugging away, even though she hasn’t won a gold since 1992, or any medal at all since 2008. The sheer strength and poise of the competitors on the men’s rings. Great stuff. I’ve just scratched the surface. The sublime Usain Bolt. The precision of the springboard divers. The teenagers competing for the first time. Pole vaulters. High jumpers. Soccer, basketball and rugby. It’s not that y’all don’t like the Olympics. It’s that you don’t appreciate world class athletic competition. And that’s fine, but it doesn’t make the Olympics any less great. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/63 "2016-08-17T04:08:53Z")
If you’re a sports fan, that’s great. Enjoy. I mean that. Some of us just don’t give a damn, and that’s not some moral or intellectual failing, just having different interests. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/64 "2016-08-17T05:11:02Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > If you’re a sports fan, that’s great. Enjoy. I mean that. > > Some of us just don’t give a damn, and that’s not some moral or intellectual failing, just having different interests. It’s actually both. Because someone said that. On fucking Mars or in fucking Estonia or in outer fucking space maybe. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/65 "2016-08-17T05:13:40Z")
Moving the Winter Games to off-years was the final proof to me that they were more about self-promotion and enrichment of the movers and shakers than pure amateur athleticism. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/66 "2016-08-17T10:54:53Z")
If only there were a thread for people who WERE enjoying the Olympics to post in Then \*\*Blank Slate \*\* would not have to come in this thread and take a dump. I appreciate world class athleticism. I do. But I refuse to support the most corrupt international sporting organization. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/67 "2016-08-17T13:45:53Z")
I think the last time I watched any Summer Olympic coverage Mary Lou Retton was in the gymnastics competition. I think the fall of the Soviet Union largely killed the Olympics. Before that they were this grand playing out of the cold war every four years. Now the competition has been overshadowed by the economics and the corruption, and, of course this time, the muggings and the raw sewage. I will admit to watching Olympic Curling whenever it’s on. There is so little Curling broadcast in the states. Even Canada has taken it off the broadcast channels and you can only see it if you have Canadian cable. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/68 "2016-08-17T14:47:40Z")
Apparently it’s not enough for **Blank Slate** to enjoy the Olympics. Others must as well. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/69 "2016-08-17T14:49:27Z")
> [@quiltguy](#): > > I’m old enough to remember when mailmen and janitors and barbers and schoolteachers and all manner of the workaday public would/could lay aside their mundane pursuits to compete in the Olympics. Real people who practiced on their own(after or before their jobs), sacrificed a lot, did their best, competed, then went back home to their jobs. I have zero interest in seeing pampered professionals competing at THEIR “everyday” jobs, you know, the ones where they get bundles of bucks, are on magazine covers, and have their butts kissed. I also remember when the IOC acted as though they were unaware that pros were infiltrating the competitions, and they tried to make us believe otherwise. They should be ashamed to call it The Olympics. Yes. I lost interest in the Olympics over 30 years ago for that reason. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with that level of competition. It’s just that athletes with that level of support already had other outlets, and now the real amateurs are left with nothing but an occasional local charity event with nearly zero publicity. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the Olympics as it exists now discourages more amateurs than it encourages, because a true amateur has zero chance of even being allowed to compete. And not just the Olympics. Kickstarter has been pretty much ruined by professionals as well, only quicker. Kickstarter began as a way to help people who had abilities/ideas but little or no access to funding have a chance at getting their ideas/work off the ground. Now it’s mostly established professionals allowed to maximize their profits by getting others to donate all startup costs, but giving little of value in return. Seriously, a guy who’s been in the software business for over 30 years, who was able to pay in the neighborhood of $30 million _out of pocket_ for a trip to the space shuttle needs to beg for donations to launch a new game? And after 3 years and over $3 million donated it’s still an [upcoming game?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_of_the_Avatar:_Forsaken_Virtues) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/70 "2016-08-17T14:53:14Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Never been interested. Never watched. I don’t care how other people are doing in their competitions. I would be happy to play a sport or compete with others, for my own amusement and health, but why would I give a rat’s scrotum about what others are doing in that regard? I’m happy that they’re able to do something that they enjoy, and excel at it, but watching a person run in a circle is only slightly more interesting than watching grass grow, and far less interesting than even your average talent show or school play. I could spend the same time watching a play, reading a book, chatting with friends, playing a sport, playing a game, or basically doing anything else that isn’t watching someone else doing something fun, while not doing something fun myself. Why would you watch other people doing a play? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/71 "2016-08-17T15:03:55Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > …a true amateur has zero chance of even being allowed to compete. Not true. If they’re good enough, they can get in. Of course, an athlete good enough to get into the Olympics is almost by definition good enough to beat professionals, and therefore good enough to be a professional, if they’re interested. They may be unlikely to stay amateur. But a number of for-now amateurs in this class are in Rio, like Tiffany Chan. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/72 "2016-08-17T15:11:10Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > The television ad fest that is put on every few years by quite possibly THE most corrupt international organization interests me not a bit. It is so incredibly far from the olympic vision of amatuer athletes representing their country. > > In this thread, I just spent more time on the olympics than I have otherwise. That’s why I didn’t watch. I DVR everything I watch on ad-supported TV, but to DVR the entire Olympics just seemed too daunting. I still read up on the results after the fact, but no way I could sort through all that stuff to watch things that might actually interest me. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/73 "2016-08-17T15:48:47Z")
I sort of don’t care. I am not much for watching sport at any time. It especially annoys me that things like football, golf and tennis are included, as these sports already seem to get a lot of exposure, and already have their own very high profile championship events. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/74 "2016-08-17T18:12:23Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Well fuck y’all, I’m still loving the Olympics. Over-commercialized and steroidized and professionalized and all the rest of it. > > There is still incredible beauty in the finest athletes in the world competing. > > Simone Biles dueling with Aly Raismain on the floor. 41 year old gymnast Oksana Chusovitina still plugging away, even though she hasn’t won a gold since 1992, or any medal at all since 2008. The sheer strength and poise of the competitors on the men’s rings. Great stuff. > > I’ve just scratched the surface. The sublime Usain Bolt. The precision of the springboard divers. The teenagers competing for the first time. Pole vaulters. High jumpers. Soccer, basketball and rugby. > > It’s not that y’all don’t like the Olympics. It’s that you don’t appreciate world class athletic competition. And that’s fine, but it doesn’t make the Olympics any less great. This is still taking a crap in this thread, though…if the idea behind the topic doesn’t apply to you, just don’t post. Also, do NOT say “fuck you” to any other poster here, even as a mass, in-general statement. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/75 "2016-08-17T18:26:45Z")
I used to really enjoy the Olympics (and still like some of the winter stuff) but this year I haven’t watched anything. I’m following the corruption and the sexist headlines and the green pool news with far more interest than the actual sports. They pissed me off when they shot the jaguar. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/76 "2016-08-17T19:15:22Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Not true. If they’re good enough, they can get in. Of course, an athlete good enough to get into the Olympics is almost by definition good enough to beat professionals, and therefore good enough to be a professional, if they’re interested. They may be unlikely to stay amateur. But a number of for-now amateurs in this class are in Rio, like Tiffany Chan. So what’s her day job? How long did it take her to save up enough money to be able to take unpaid time off to compete? Did she practice on her own after work or on weekends? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/77 "2016-08-17T19:39:37Z")
Um, **Doug** , she is a college student on scholarship at Southern Cal… ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/78 "2016-08-17T20:05:42Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Um, **Doug** , she is a college student on scholarship at Southern Cal… And somehow manages to spend a lot of time playing golf in Asia. Including two professional wins. There’s nothing wrong with that in and of itself. But amateur it ain’t. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/79 "2016-08-18T01:56:27Z")
I tried watching the opening ceremonies a couple of days later but could only find a single video on Youtube. The video had a lady on the right side of the screen, frozen, and silent. The soundtrack was in, probably, Portuguese, and I am guessing that the lady was a translator. However, because of the soundtrack and this lady taking up a large part of the screen, I was really unable to determine what was actually going on, and I have not tried looking more videos up since. Mostly my only interest in the Olympics are the opening and closing ceremonies and I was disappointed that they weren’t really available (didn’t watch them on NBC). Bob ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804/80 "2016-08-18T02:06:58Z")
NBC should have the right to broadcast NBC coverage, and if someone copies and uploads their NBC video they should be able to file a copyright grievance. What NBC SHOULD NOT be able to do is limit all video coverage of the olympics. The olympics is supposed to be this cool global world peace Earth shit. No one should OWN the olympics. If Joe Schmoe wants to film the olympics he should be able to. Upload that shit. Let us all enjoy it. Nope. NBC uber alles! Fuck NBC. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-have-zero-interest-in-the-olympics-this-year/762804.md?page=5)