# Which Olympic sport gets too much coverage? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 15, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103 "2008-08-15T15:48:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/21 "2008-08-16T02:13:56Z")
I think they show so much swimming not just because of Phelps and other Americans but because there’s so _much_ of it. When we get to track and field it’s going to be the same thing. There’s the hundred meter, the hundred five meter, the hundred ten meter, hundred fifteen while hopping on one foot, etc. And Jesus Christ, volleyball of any stripe. I have no desire to watch any sport, ever, that I was forced to play in any sort of mandatory PE class. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/22 "2008-08-16T02:31:56Z")
[QUOTE=Oredigger77] Women’s gymnastics. Their attempts to be artsy and beautiful just creep me out due to their age and the tumbling is horrible compared to the men. [/QUOTE] I agree with you in that there seems to be some sexualization of it and they are all way too young. Also, they are really young. The men do have more difficult tumbling passes in general, but the stuff the women do is still pretty tough shit. That double front Nastia did freeked me out. That’s not even common for men. I wish they would drop the dance routine and just tumble like the men. I’m pretty sure they hate it too. But they really like the fact that they get to take a step when they land a tumbling pass. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/23 "2008-08-16T02:32:59Z")
It would be nice, given all the time devoted to women’s BV, to have at least _some_ longering closeups of the non-American competitors. I thought one of the Norwegian women was pretty stunning, but she got virtually no camera time because it would have taken away from Misty and Kerri. Women’s gymnastics gets too much (and too icky) coverage for the same reasons women’s figure skating does in winter, and because it has the same **cough** drama queen **cough** demographic appeal. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/24 "2008-08-16T03:00:35Z")
Beach volleyball. And synchronized diving. The latter should have been televised for exactly one dive (ok, one pair of dives) along with the commentary “look what non-sport they allow now”. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/25 "2008-08-16T14:49:48Z")
[QUOTE=Ponch8] Gymnastics, diving, and (in the winter time) figure skating. If you need judges (as opposed to referees) to determine the winner, it’s not really a sport. [/QUOTE] I agree about the judges, but would narrow it down to the worst of the bunch: DIVING! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/26 "2008-08-19T01:50:14Z")
I love teh women divers. More please. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/27 "2008-08-19T01:52:10Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] Beach volleyball. 10 years ago, I would watch it occasionally as a time killer on cable sports stations. But, the last two Olympics have features hours and hours of beach volleyball. I’m sure their attire is a main reason for this. [/QUOTE] No way! Beach Volleyball is the best sport! ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/28 "2008-08-19T01:53:28Z")
[QUOTE=stuyguy] Yes, Beach Volleyball. Sure, the competitors are scantily clad and sort of hot, but the game is dull, dull, dull. An average volley is – what? – like five seconds long? The ball goes over the net maybe four times before someone scores a point and all the action stops. Rinse, repeat, over and over. There is no momentum to hold your attention. [/QUOTE] You clearly didn’t watch the America vs Belgium game then. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/29 "2008-08-19T03:08:28Z")
Anything that isn’t live gets too much coverage. I don’t want to watch stuff on tape delay. Ever. Sue me. Incidentally, that’s one of the reasons for so much beach volleyball - they have been starting the first match of the day (often with the Americans) at 9am Beijing time, putting it where they can throw it in live at 9pm EST for the US audience. Then all of the swimming live from 10 to midnight or so. It actually worked out really well for that first week. When I found out that I was getting mostly tape-delayed stuff from this morning tonight, my interest in watching past the beach volleyball match dropped precipitously. (Incidentally, I also find that I really like volleyball in general, both Beach and Indoor, and it isn’t a sexist thing - I’ve seen a couple of the Dalhausser/Rogers matches too, and those have been just as fun, or maybe more so since they have been competitive. Though I still do like bikinis . . .) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/30 "2008-08-19T03:22:25Z")
[QUOTE=Kiros] Anything that isn’t live gets too much coverage. I don’t want to watch stuff on tape delay. Ever. Sue me. [/QUOTE] It’s kinda hard to work around that when the Olympics are in a time zone that’s 12 hours earlier (later?) than EST. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/31 "2008-08-19T05:15:34Z")
Beach volleyball and Boxing. One of the channels spent the first FIVE DAYS showing nothing but boxing. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/32 "2008-08-19T11:12:41Z")
CNBC’s coverage was set up to just show boxing though. Put it on a channel which has very high male viewership. That way, no female has to see it! 😃 During 1984-2000, the ‘sob stories’ years, boxing was absolutely ignored in an attempt to pander to the female demographic. Putting it on CNBC, which has zero ratings when the stock market is closed was a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/33 "2008-08-19T12:18:20Z")
My wife says beach volleyball, but me… I think it’s beach volleyball. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/34 "2008-08-19T12:39:39Z")
[QUOTE=pravnik] \ Maybe they should do Judo naked. They could call it Nudo. [/QUOTE] Men’s Judo in the nude - Menudo! Ha! I crack myself up! I think they show too much beach volleyball, but it should be over now that the gold has been won. And too much rowing! That is one boring sport. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/35 "2008-08-19T14:50:51Z")
In winter it is womans figure skating. In summer it’s the womans gymnastics. Hour after hour of human interest and up close and personals. Followed up by volley ball. I have 3 channels and I try to watch boxing and softball. What is team handball. ? What a weird sport that is. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/36 "2008-08-20T00:31:37Z")
[QUOTE=Eyebrows 0f Doom] It’s kinda hard to work around that when the Olympics are in a time zone that’s 12 hours earlier (later?) than EST. [/QUOTE] I understand that - but they somehow managed to have compelling live coverage from 9PM - 1AM EST for the entire first week and change. Just for that I’m tons of impressed with NBC (even if I feel a little bad for the people doing sporting events at 9 or 10 in the morning over there). The live stuff has the side benefit of not letting them fit in nearly as many of the infamous “stories” (though the suits probably see that as a drawback . . .). ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103/37 "2008-08-21T01:43:57Z")
I’ll tell you what gets too much coverage is the damn song. They should play it at the start of the show and at the end of the show. It loses its impact when they play it coming in and out of every segment and commercial. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-olympic-sport-gets-too-much-coverage/460103.md?page=1)