When watching or reading about the Olympics, do you care how well athletes from your country do?
Me - not really. And it bugs me when the network shows sports I have no interest in - like beach volleyball and swimming - IMO primarily because Americans are expected to do well.
Not really. I am though an Olympics Homo. I deeply care about the really hot guys that compete wearing next to nothing.
It depends. With the sports I follow, such as soccer, I’m a homer. For the other sports, not so much. In fact, I cheer for China most of the time.
Absolutely. I don’t really care about the overall medal count–though I think it’s cool that the U.S. usually does really well overall in the Summer Olympics–but yes, I root for the U.S. competitors, and then have an eclectic assortment of other countries whose athletes I will root for.
I also often will root for people who are really really good at their events–like the world-record holder in the swimming events.
(OK, so those world-record holders are often people I would root for anyway because they are from the U.S. or my eclectic and variable list of favorite other countries, but still . . . )
I am a homer. I do tend to root more for the Americans. Then, I tend to root for the Canadians (Gotta keep up that North American Vibe, ya know?) and then the Indians and Brits. And somewhere in those last three I always end up cheering for the Australians because hey- they’re the Australians. Though in the smaller random events, I usually do end up cheering for the “leaders” of an event - such as the worlds best vaulter or floor exercise person, I’ll root for them then.*
But the US always takes priority- that’s my Home Team, ya know? Otherwise, what’s the point- I view it the same as Football or Baseball, if I’ve got a home team in the fight, I will tend to cheer for them vs. another team.
*Though I have noted interestingly enough- I don’t root for China. I think it has to do with the whole “Project 119” thing they mentioned at the start of the Olympics- that China has been actively training and attempting to knock the US off the medals count by focusing on specific events- that’s caused me to view them as “the Rivals”- so I now end up cheering for the US, and then “Not China” sorta deal, as China has become the Rival team, so if anyone else beats China, that’s just as good in my book, though I’d prefer the US medaling.
I cheer for China because I’m sick of getting lectured about how China is evil from people who get all their news from an alternative rag at the non-Starbucks coffeehouse.
Hell yes. Although I don’t agree with your definition of homer. A homer is somebody that is an apologist for their team no matter what. If your team deservedly loses and you’re bitching about the refs, you’re a homer. If you claim your team is the best regardless of their talent, you’re a homer. You’re not a homer just for rooting for a specific team.
I tend to root for the competitors from the smaller, poorer countries from Africa, Eastern Europe, South and Central America, etc.
I feel the US’ wealth and the leisure it affords should give most of its athletes an advantage. And I think success might generally mean more for a competitor from a smaller, poorer country - and for that country’s image.
I guess I tend to cheer for the underdog.
I find the whole “medal count” thing a bit silly. Like some kind of nostalgia for the cold war. As an American in China it seems especially odd to see both sides of this. As if how well people swim proves anything about anyone’s political system.
I am rooting pretty hard for Cameroon, and I wear my Indomitable Lions jersey whenever they play. Cameroon doesn’t have a lot of presence on the international stage, and it doesn’t even have much of a presence on it’s own stage. So the national football team kind of IS Cameroon’s national identity. Much more so than it’s unelected government, diverse cultures and difficult-to-get-around landscape. Cheering for the Lions really is cheering for Cameroon and I love Cameroon.
I’m an anti-homer. In general I don’t tend to cheer for dynasties. I tend to root strongly against the U.S. I root for countries who have had less Olympic success, where athletes had to over come more, where the athletes look like they are having fun, and where winning means more to their cultural identity. Plus, I root for the eclectic group of countries I like (Australia, New Zealand Italy, etc.).
Nope. I like to see the Olympic bobsled from Jamaica win. I rooted for Eddie the Eagle. I always want the underdog to fly in the face of huge programs.
I usually root for the US. If the US isn’t playing in a match, I pick a team based on some other factor, like, if I have been to the country and liked it, or if I have known someone cool from that country, or if they have cool uniforms.
Yesterday I cheered for Bulgaria against the US in men’s volleyball, though. The US has tons of medals, and Bulgaria has one (a bronze). Men’s volleyball is one of their best sports, and best chances for a medal. Unfortunately, the US won, but I guess BG still has a chance for the bronze.
Heh, I root against China because they really pissed me off with their non-stop Olympic obsession starting three years ago, and the fact that I’ve had to listen to dozens of kids giving speeches about why the Beijing Olympics is important to them.
I do make exceptions for Chinese athletes that seem a little less robotically patriotic, or if they’re ridiculous underdogs (like vs. US in basketball, vs. Brazil in football, etc.).
Do I cheer for the US? Not really, unless they’re playing China, and they’re not the Dream Team 
If it’s a sport I follow, I usually have a favorite (could be from anywhere) that I root for. If it’s a sport I’m not familiar with, I root for the home team.
Sports are more fun for me when I’ve taken a side. Barring other information (which I won’t have with a sport that’s unfamiliar to me), cheering for the home team seems as good a reason as any other for picking a side.
I assume you live there.
When I lived there, I found that many Chinese were against the Olympics, feeling the money could and should go elsewhere. They were generally happy and honored, but would not have chosen it originally.
Have you not experienced this? If not, why does it make you cheer against them?
I absolutely go nuts for Team USA. I am never more patriotic than during the Olympics.
After the US I generally root for our allies and countries I like; Canada, England, Australia, Japan, France, Mexico, Jamaica, (Russia until this year but I’m feeling kind of :dubious: about them right now) - and then for the underdog; small African countries, Papua New Guinea, etc.
. . . and in these games I’m kind of ABC - Anybody But China. They’re our biggest competitor, just the opposite of the underdog, and I honestly feel like they cheated in women’s gymnastics (even though I’m sure someone on Team USA will get busted for doping I think it’s worse when a whole country cheats than when an individual cheats.)
I pay very little attention to the Olympics- like most people in Texas, I follow NFL training camps more closely than any Olympic event.
To the extent that I watch any Olympic events at all, I almost always root for any American over any foreign competitor… except in sports like women’s diving. Then I’ll just root for the best looking woman.
Nah, really I’m more interested in seeing a good race/match/etc.
For instance, my favorite event so far this year was the 100 Free (mens). The duel between Bernard and Sullivan was pretty fun to watch. As I recall, the Canadian didn’t even make the final in that one.
I’m also not about to watch wrestling just because some Canadian is in the final.
The 100m mens final should be brilliant as well. Usain Bolt is going to massacre the world record (The commentators were also talking that he has 100/200/400 world record potential. If he tries that triple next olympics, it’d be one of the greatest athletic feats I’ve ever seen).
I kinda rambled there, not sure if I answered your question, so no I’m not a homer.
I don’t even watch the Olympics or care much. However, I’m pleased when a Scottish person wins something (YAY, Chris Hoy! ) , but other than that I’m in the “Jamaican bobsleigh” underdog camp. I actually remember seeing the Jamaican bobsleigh thing, and I think we had just switched on the television or just changed channels or something and and at first assumed that this was some kind of joke programme, not a real thing at all. So while we tried to stop laughing at the whole idea, we were wildly cheering on the Jamaican bobsleigh team.
It’s handy being a small country - one can (very) often support the home team AND the underdog at the very same time. 
Heheh, I think a lot of London people feel the same way about their Olympics (2012?) and a lot of Glasgow people feel the same about the 2014 Commonwealth Games.