The title pretty much says it all. I know rifle competitors who catch cat naps while in shooting position! You know a sport isn’t of the spectator variety when the competitors are sleeping during the competition. Mind you, I’ve grabbed a quick nap at the beginning of a pistol match, (slept through the first relay, shot the second, scored the third), and shot my best competition score to date, amazing what you can sleep through when you need to.
-DF
Holy Crap! None of you guys sleepwalk, I hope.
I used to like ice skaing, when it was only on every 4 years instead of every 4th weekend.
I generally frown on judged events (except ski jumping, where good form a good distance are generally synonymous). For some reason maly gymnasicts seems more “pure” than female gymnastics (maybe because it is less pouplar.)
I like the opening/closing ceremonies, but only the mandated lighting of the torch, march of nations, Olympic oaths, etc. Not the dance numbers (tho I liked the classic urn siloettes(sp?) in the Atlanta games)
I also kind of like the athelete info, but agree it is WAY overdone.
I dislike boxing, but not because it is boring. Any sport one can see regularly is also not my favorite.
Brian
I suspect that if the athletes still performed naked like in Ancient Greece, many of these answers would be different.
I don’t know about that. Have you seen some of them in their spandex (gymnasts), or skating costumes?
Sounds like a great new thread.
I know someone beat me to it but I was going to mention the “up close and personal” segments. When they first started doing this (Sarajavo?) it was done pretty good. There are some competitors who have incredible stories that need to be told. In the last couple of Olympics the personal storieshad more air time than the events. This is sports. Make it interesting for sports fans. It seems they are trying to bring in an audience that doesn’t like sports. Try showing more live events instead of edited taped coverage with heart warming stories.
Of the actual sports*, I’d have to say that the marathon is the most boring.
Booth Announcer: …that ribbon waving is some crazy shit. Now let’s check in on the marathon!
Field Announcer: The Kenyan is still in the lead, followed up by the Nigerian, and in third is the barefoot Kenyan.
Booth Announcer: Wow, exciting events down in the streets of Athens!
Dammit, forgot the asterix…
“Actual sports” would discount all forms of gymnastics, diving, synchro. swimming, ice skating, sailing and equestrian*.
**If you want equestrian to be a sport, you have to make a giant horse-sized medal to wrap around the horse’s neck. Do that, and I take you off the list.
There was a push a while back to make bridge an Olympic sport. Bridge. Picture a room filled with people, most of them over 60, sitting motionless except for the occasional flip of a card or tapping of the Alert flag on a bidding box. That would be ratings * gold *.
Seems to work for poker.
I was going to say that. One of the surprise hits over the last few weeks has been late night poker games on ( I think )* Discovery Home and leisure * , the UK equivalent of* The Learning Channel*.
I hear there’s actually a movement going on right now to get poker added to the Olympics. Really.
You couldn’t be more wrong.
Badminton, at the international level, is NOT your backyard game. It is very, very fast and a lot of fun to watch.
In graduate school I had a two classmates that were from Indonesia. At a class picnic I asked if they wanted to play badminton and they enthusiatically said “YES!” We didn’t know at the time that badminton is very hotly contested throughout Southeast Asia.
The entire class ended up watching them give an unreal demonstration of the real game.
Damn it, plnnr beat me to it.
The very first event I saw at the Atlanta games was badminton. Not because I wanted to (I was there to watch the cycling) but because a friend of a friend had tickets. Since my friend wanted to go, I went too. Damn it is a fast and exciting game. Some amazing rallies that were a blast to watch. Loud and exciting fans too (I think that Malaysians and the Indonesians were going to throw down blows like euro football hooligans). Denmark also had players who could compete against the asians.
The next night I was on my own, and where was I? Right by the badminton venue looking for a ticket. I found one, and discovered something more exciting that badminton. Doubles badminton.
If I had to compare it to other events, I’d say it’s at least as exciting and action backed as volleyball.
I went through a period in high school where I played badminton every day. There was a clique of Indian and Asian kids at our school who were normally quiet and studious. I don’t recall any of them participating in team sports, but when it came to badminton I was outmatched.
I have played most of the more common sports and I have never been as tired as when I played badminton and table tennis, freaking exhausting.
The reason given for all the endless profiles of athletes and the seeming dearth of actual competition shown by American networks is that the Olympics are watched by the regular television audience, not by sports fans.
And, according to TV network execs, during primetime, the remote control belongs to women more often than men. So for the Winter Games, you see a lot of figure skating. And in the summer, you see a lot of gymnastics.
And you see all the heartwarming profiles because the networks think that’s what appeals to their principal viewers.
I consider myself a big sports fan, but I’m not very interested in seeing much of the Olympics. My girlfriend, who likes sports to a certain extent, but usually doesn’t watch them on TV, is very excited over the Olympics, but the part of it that she likes the most is the Opening Ceremonies.
At keast in the US, they have the additional coverage available on cable. The NBC prime time show will be filled with profiles, swimming and gymnastics. At least the MSNBC/CNBC/Bravo coverage will be interesting and show real events.
This will be the same over here on the BBC interactive facility on digital satellite and terrestrial broadcasts. With this service you can choose one of four sports or features at any one time. So you will not be stuck with a sport or interview you are not interested in .
Although I’m a shooter and would give my left nut to be able to shoot at this level, I have to agree.