# What sport would you cut from the Summer Olympics? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 12, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114 "2013-02-12T20:32:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/101 "2013-02-25T19:43:34Z")
Thank you, Molesworth, yes that is exactly what I am talking about. I am a fairly serious tournament-level table tennis player, nowhere near olympic quality, but I am probably in the top 20 or so in my state. It kills me when people don’t recognize the athleticism in table tennis. I’ve heard that at the pro level, the only olympic sport where the athletes exert more energy than table tennis is soccer. It’s also said that from a fitness perspective the sport is more comparable to a combat sport than a ball sport due to the constant reaction times and footwork involved. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/102 "2013-02-25T20:10:17Z")
1 - I think people shouldn’t take it personally when certain sports are mentioned for the lack of “athleticism”. That particular criticism doesn’t lesson the respect for that activity in other respects such as the skill, cunning, etc. that goes into it. It just isn’t the same type of activity. 2 - I don’t understand how the prestige of other events compared to the Olympics should have a bearing on the sport. Granted, the NBA finals, the World Series, and the World Cup are their own events. However, I don’t think the Golden Globes should pack up shop because the Oscars are better. For that matter, I don’t think the MTV Movie Awards or the Nick Choice awards should either. 3 - I like a lot of the ideas thrown out. Consolidating the martial arts and swimming would be a great start. The 200 mile ultramarathon would be interesting. Dropping things where the level of athleticism is questionable is another. Honestly, I think the IOC put wrestling on the list solely as a marketing ploy. It got people talking about the olympics, and the events and is generating buzz in a non-olympic year. Plus, wrestling is on the cheap side as far as Olympic events go. No super-expensive facilities are required, or preparation, or equipment. On the other hand, the IOC doesn’t try very hard to monetize their brand. Olympic brand apparel would sell immensely well. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/103 "2013-02-25T20:14:55Z")
I think we need a summer biathlon that includes equestrian and archery. You have to ride and shoot at the same time, though. No stopping and getting off the horse. ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/104 "2013-02-25T20:16:26Z")
I chose shooting because I am anti-gun and what is the point if we already have archery? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/105 "2013-02-25T20:22:13Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Consolidating the martial arts and swimming would be a great start. I don’t remember anyone making that suggestion but I still think it is one of the best ideas yet. I would love to watch the 100 meter freestyle underwater MMA. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/106 "2013-02-25T23:19:38Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I think we need a summer biathlon that includes equestrian and archery. You have to ride and shoot at the same time, though. No stopping and getting off the horse. That’d be almost as cool as [skeet surfing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=MaXOHCNgYrc#t=18s). ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/107 "2013-02-26T04:11:31Z")
Looks like a no-brainer. Equestrian out, boxing out. Easy as pie. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/108 "2013-02-26T17:16:36Z")
Boxing? The modern pentathlon deserves the boot over boxing. Fencing, 200m freestyle, show jumping, 10m pistol, 3km foot race to duplicate Cossack training? Dubious. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/109 "2013-02-27T03:29:26Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > On the other hand, the IOC doesn’t try very hard to monetize their brand. Olympic brand apparel would sell immensely well. Who would get the profits? The IOC is not a company - it is a club of old guys (mostly) who happen to be the guardians of the most valuable brand in the world. When a host city gets selected for the Olympics, they have the right to produce Olympic-brand merchandise - for their Olympic Games. The IOC bigwigs get a cut of this - for doing nothing except granting use of the Olympic Brand. It’s just as well that they are all honourable citizens - otherwise some of them could possible be unethically influenced in their granting of the Olympic Rights to host cities. Imagine if there was a bidding process! Where cities basically de-based themselves to these people! That would be extremely distasteful. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/110 "2013-02-27T03:38:04Z")
Heaven forbid that such crass materialism could tarnish the Olympics. (Actually which international sporting body is the least corrupt? I know FIFA gives the IOC a run for their money). ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/111 "2013-02-27T15:36:48Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Taekwondo or Judo - too many martial arts with too many weight classes I agree. Replace them all with ultimate fighting. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/112 "2013-02-27T19:34:36Z")
Least Corrupt-Special Olympics (?) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/113 "2013-03-02T23:05:47Z")
To contextualize my earlier remarks on the global popularity of baseball, and the event ([now under way!](http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/wbc/2013/scoreboard/index.jsp)) disparaged as, > [@Knorf](#): > > …a tournament that no one pays attention to… As I said elsewhere, > [@Wrestling cut from 2020 Olympics!!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/96): > > _American_ interest may be mediocre, considering how great it actually is, but Americans are not the only baseball fans. Asian and Latin interest has been pretty strong. It turns out the championship game of the last iteration of the World Baseball Classic, in 2009, was actually the sixth-most-watched sporting event of the year, _planetwide_. The ‘09 WBC final was watched by more people than any American football game short of the Super Bowl, and by more than any basketball or hockey game that year, bar none. (Also, more people than saw any single game of the 2009 MLB World Series featuring the vaunted New York Yankees.) The WBC final was more-seen than any soccer game that year apart from the Champions League title match (which led all sporting events for global audience), any tennis game apart from the Wimbledon mens’ singles final, and any cricket or golf event whatever. Not too damn bad for its second occurrence! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114.md?page=5)