# To those who think breaking should not be in the Olympics: Chillax. Or shove off **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** olympic-sports-track\ **Created:** [August 13, 2024, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633 "2024-08-13T00:32:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/121 "2024-08-14T18:16:30Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > This could be an episode of “When keeping it real goes wrong”. Sure, I’m not saying it was justified, it’s just an explanation of why things turned out how they did, and why people don’t consider Gunn’s participation as legitimate. I tried finding videos of her breakdancing outside of the Olympics and in my opinion she’s… Okay. She’s better than she showed in the Olympics, but I don’t see anything that impressive. She clearly can dance, which I would hope because she’s professional. But not great. I am not a breakdancer and not a great dancer in general. But I see dancers all the time since my daughter dances. Many of the kids who do hip hop at my daughter’s academy can outperform her. And we’re talking high school and younger. The Olympics should represent the best in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/122 "2024-08-14T18:29:32Z")
Agreed, she’s not great. She’s okay, at best. At age 36 there’s not a chance she could beat any of the younger Dancers. Dance, at high levels, is a limited thing, by age. It’s just so hard on the body. That is why Biles is so great, at her age (27) doing gymnastics the way she does. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/123 "2024-08-14T18:48:41Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > For myself? I judge the value of a sport by how often people in it go upside down. Soccer is a dumb sport. Gymnastics is the best sport. Breaking? Way up there with gymnastics. I want more Olympic sports where people spend time upside down, not fewer Combined bouldering and lead climbing’s your dawg, there. It’s like full-body chess, 15 feet up an overhanging wall. Debuted in Tokyo and was a success in Paris, so I’m hopeful it will be a permanent addition to the Games. **Mrs. SMV** and I have started semi-seriously talking about going to LA for the 2028 Games, and if we do, breaking and climbing are the two tix we’d try for. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/124 "2024-08-14T19:27:50Z")
I think that’s the root of the debate- what is and isn’t a sport, and why. I tend to think that at their purest, sports are athletic competitions that as part of their inherent nature, have a clear winner and loser. Something like a track race is a sport- someone clearly crosses the finish line first. Something like shotput is a sport- someone clearly puts the shot farthest. Basketball is a sport- one team makes more baskets than the other. Doesn’t matter if it’s ugly, if they’re limping, if they’re awkward, gawky, or just have strange looking form, what matters is who wins. There’s a sort of _Thunderdome_ kind of aspect to it - someone wins, and everyone else loses, and it’s not up to someone else. (which is why officiating issues are _so_ infuriating to competitors and spectators alike) Other athletic competitions aren’t so clear cut. Judged competitions in particular skate close to not being “sports” as such. And as such, there’s not much to distinguish gymnastics from artistic swimming, or either of those from breakdancing or something like ballroom dancing/Dancesport. Granted, gymnastics has gone a long way to formalize the scoring and the actual athletic things the athletes need to do in order to be scored, but there’s still a fairly large part that is subjective and comes down to how good or graceful they look while they do something. Breakdancing isn’t much different, except that it feels to me like it’s an attempt to athleticize/sportify a leisure activity, rather than try to impose some sort of artisticness onto something athletic. And it seems like maybe it was too early- I didn’t even know, as I’m betting many others didn’t either, that breakdancing was even a formally competitive event. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/125 "2024-08-14T19:45:47Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Judged competitions in particular skate close to not being “sports” as such. But keep in mind, this is just based on your definition. You like a clear objective measure of the winner. That’s fair. But there’s nothing that says this is the definition of a “sport”. To be clear, I know you are just expressing your opinion and not advocating for this definition to be the one used by everyone. But it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there’s nothing inherent in “sport” that means judging makes a sport less pure. That’s just a matter of opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/126 "2024-08-14T20:06:21Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > If you are worried about ‘cultural appropriation’, put that in the rules If you’re worried about cultural appropriation, it definitely shouldn’t be an Olympic sport. Unless we decide that only Italians and Greeks can participate in Greco-Roman Wrestling. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/127 "2024-08-14T20:08:02Z")
Of course it’s people’s or a person’s opinion. No one should be abused for having one. If you wanna like Breakdancing, and I do like to see any dancing, that’s fine. I personally think water polo is the weirdest sport. Kinda like Lacrosse, I’ve never understood it. So I find it kinda boring to watch. Breakdancing is as foreign to the Olympics as, say, Corgi dog races. Fun, entertaining but not a real sport. Surprise, that’s my opinion. I don’t pretend everyone shares the same opinion. I wouldn’t ever want them to. My _old soul_ thinks variety makes the world go 'round. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/128 "2024-08-14T20:10:20Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > For myself? I judge the value of a sport by how often people in it go upside down. Soccer is a dumb sport. Gymnastics is the best sport. Breaking? Way up there with gymnastics. Fool! You underestimate soccer’s power! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KKZN2vaxxxE/maxresdefault.jpg "WHAT A GOAL! 10 best bicycle kick goals | Premier League edition") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKZN2vaxxxE) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/129 "2024-08-14T20:12:39Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Fool! You underestimate soccer’s power! Look, you show me a soccer game where players are bicycle kicking every thirty seconds, and I’ll watch the fuckin match. Until then, hell no. Edit: mandatory footage of the kind of soccer I want to watch: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7hyt0ClX6Oo/maxresdefault.jpg "Shaolin Soccer Most Epic Scenes") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hyt0ClX6Oo&t=1s) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/130 "2024-08-14T20:13:43Z")
For upside down, _Artistic Swimming_. They stay upside down **And** underwater a lot of the time. Doing the moonwalk, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/131 "2024-08-14T20:25:49Z")
I think this is the performance that got her into the Olympics. [RAYGUN VS MOLLY | FINAL BGIRL | WDSF OCEANIA BREAKING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MorhA98eK7M) _I mean_ … That’s _better_ than her Olympic performance. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/132 "2024-08-14T20:49:27Z")
> [@Xocomil](#): > > That’s _better_ than her Olympic performance. Right? Yes (not that it’s saying much), but her opponent looked much better in that video, I don’t know how she won that. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/133 "2024-08-14T21:11:24Z")
> [@bump](#): > > And it seems like maybe it was too early- I didn’t even know, as I’m betting many others didn’t either, that breakdancing was even a formally competitive event. Breakdance championships are not new. The biggest event is arguably Red Bull BC One which will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. Other events, like IBE in the Netherlands and the UK B-boy championship (which is an international event) are even older. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/134 "2024-08-14T21:12:00Z")
Oh, Agree. She doesn’t have a good break or snap back. Her aerial stuff is not good it looks awkward and unset. Her standby, did I see her blow her nose? Awful. I say this as a critique not as judging her person. I’m sure she’s very nice, obviously intelligent. This is just not her talent. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/135 "2024-08-14T21:13:45Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I say this as a critique not as judging her person. I’m sure she’s very nice, obviously intelligent. > This is just not her talent. She also has more of a background in ballroom dance than hip hop, and I wouldn’t be shocked if she had ties within the WDSF that helped her. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/136 "2024-08-14T21:17:17Z")
Sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s had much in the way of popular exposure. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/137 "2024-08-14T21:21:53Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > But keep in mind, this is just based on your definition. You like a clear objective measure of the winner. That’s fair. But there’s nothing that says this is the definition of a “sport”. I was trying to offer a definition. That’s one of the issues at hand here. For example, why would breakdancing be a sport, and bodybuilding isn’t? Or why isn’t chess? Or E-sports? The whole thing needs to be defined, IMO. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I personally think water polo is the weirdest sport. Kinda like Lacrosse, I’ve never understood it. It’s water soccer where you throw the ball. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/138 "2024-08-14T21:24:07Z")
> [@bump](#): > > > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > > > I personally think water polo is the weirdest sport. Kinda like Lacrosse, I’ve never understood it. > > It’s water soccer where you throw the ball. Or rather handball while swimming. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/139 "2024-08-14T21:24:24Z")
> [@bump](#): > > For example, why would breakdancing be a sport, and bodybuilding isn’t? Or why isn’t chess? Or E-sports? In general, I want the Olympics to be something where you burn crazy calories (and go upside down a lot). I’m not crazy about target shooting, for instance. But I don’t care enough to gatekeep. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633/140 "2024-08-14T21:29:29Z")
They should have dodgeball. 13 yo. On teams. At least one Clark Kent looking nerd on each team. Of course he/she breaks out and makes the point winning kick and wins the gold for the whole team. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-those-who-think-breaking-should-not-be-in-the-olympics-chillax-or-shove-off/1005633.md?page=8)