# Worst Olympic Sports
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [July 31, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001 "2012-07-31T23:06:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 6
### Author:  [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/101 "2012-08-02T03:12:43Z")
> [@Ximenean](#):
>
> I don’t see why it does. You’re the one making absolute statements implying that the USA single-handedly saved the world.
Listen, the rest of the world had plenty of time to come up with Chuck Norris, but eventually we just couldn’t for you any longer. Don’t get all huffy because your nation dawdled so long. 😉
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### Author:  [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/102 "2012-08-02T03:50:20Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#):
>
> I think the equestrian events don’t belong in the human olympics.
Excellent point.
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### Author:  [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/103 "2012-08-02T04:03:56Z")
> [@JohnT](#):
>
> The above rule holds true even for subjectively scored contests, but not for sports dominated by below-18yo teenagers.
Nice save 😉
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### Author:  [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/104 "2012-08-02T04:08:22Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#):
>
> Football (some of you call it Soccer) shouldn’t be included. For the men at least it’s not the pinnacle of the sport, most of the top footballers would rather not play in it, the sport is full of prima-donnas who wouldn’t know Olympic spirit if it smacked them in the face, the size of the tournament means it has to start days before the opening ceremony, and most of the matches are played in half empty stadia. At last it’s more meaningful for the womens game - the British women played in front of 70,000 fans last night which is unheard of.
Bring back the junior rule for Association Football, I liked seeing the under 23’s play off. Let us see the next generation coming though and removes the danger of injury from the top players who actually play for a living.
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### Author:  [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/105 "2012-08-02T04:49:00Z")
> [@sisu](#):
>
> Bring back the junior rule for Association Football, I liked seeing the under 23’s play off. Let us see the next generation coming though and removes the danger of injury from the top players who actually play for a living.
Doesn’t Olympic men’s soccer already do this? The rosters must all be 23 or under save for 3 overage exceptions. And you are never going to see most of the sport’s well-known players anyway because the Olympics are on the same 4-year cycle as the Euro tournament. All of those players are already on special extended vacation schedules from their regular clubs to make up for it (except Jordi Alba, who is crazy).
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### Author:  [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/106 "2012-08-02T05:23:01Z")
Could they move the Euro tourney up or back a year?
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### Author:  [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/107 "2012-08-02T07:52:31Z")
> [@etv78](#):
>
> Could they move the Euro tourney up or back a year?
It’s deliberately arranged right now so that in every even-numbered year, you have either the Euro or the World Cup. The spacing works out quite nicely for that. I don’t think they’d knock that off balance just for the Olympics, which have a long-standing tradition of not being all that important in top-level soccer.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/108 "2012-08-02T11:21:08Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#):
>
> Rowing would also be pretty tough to do while smoking.
I watched a tree guy cut down several big trees from the top down using only an extension ladder, some ropes, and a chainsaw caribinered to his belt. At one point he used a pre-placed rope to swing from one tree to another.
The entire time, even while running the saw, he chain smoked cigs. Just sayin.
ETA: He even smoked right through a minor wasp attack.
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### Author:  [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/109 "2012-08-02T11:22:44Z")
> [@Sitnam](#):
>
> I’ll be the voice of contention. While I understand the hate for judged events as being subjective they are clearly more of a ‘sport’ than curling, bobsledding, archery or any other activity you can do while smoking.
For curling, if you can smoke while walking or running on ice, up to 1.7km per game, while sweeping a broom and exerting up to 2500kJ of work on the ice and exerting a vertical force of 146N, while sweeping up to 4 times per second while moving 2 meters per second, and this causing your heartbeat to be 170-200 beats per minute, then you’re a more talented smoker than anyone I know.
[Cite](http://www.jssm.org/vol8/n4/1/v8n4-1pdf.pdf)
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### Author:  [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/110 "2012-08-02T12:31:59Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#):
>
> If ever there was a monument to pointless distinction, it must surely be the shooting events.
>
> 10 meter air pistol, 10 meter air rifle, 25 meter pistol, 25 meter rapid fire pistol, 50 meter prone position, 50 meter 3 position, both skeet _and_ trap… Why don’t we just add 35 and 70 meter quick-draw and 50 meter firing from a lawn chair?
What would make the shooting (and archery) events more interesting, and athletic, would be if they had to run a timed 5K cross-country course, with obstacles, with their weapon. They would get a score for their time and one for accuracy. Like the biathlon in the Winter Olympics.
They could mix it up with equestrian and have to do it on horseback as well.
As it is - agree - pointless.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/111 "2012-08-02T13:22:31Z")
> [@snowthx](#):
>
> What would make the shooting (and archery) events more interesting, and athletic, would be if they had to run a timed 5K cross-country course, with obstacles, with their weapon. They would get a score for their time and one for accuracy. Like the biathlon in the Winter Olympics.
>
> They could mix it up with equestrian and have to do it on horseback as well.
>
> As it is - agree - pointless.
[They do](http://www.biathlon.net/summer.html), just not at the Olympics.
ETA;There’s also the [pentathlon.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentathlon)
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/112 "2012-08-02T13:23:25Z")
> [@snowthx](#):
>
> What would make the shooting (and archery) events more interesting, and athletic, would be if they had to run a timed 5K cross-country course, with obstacles, with their weapon. They would get a score for their time and one for accuracy. Like the biathlon in the Winter Olympics.
>
> They could mix it up with equestrian and have to do it on horseback as well.
You’re getting close to the modern pentathlon, there.
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### Author:  [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/113 "2012-08-02T13:45:24Z")
And this year for the first time the pentathletes have to intersperse their shooting with 1 km runs.
I really like the idea of them wearing period costumes that someone mentioned up thread.
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### Author:  [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/114 "2012-08-02T14:33:45Z")
> [@etv78](#):
>
> I understand that you ended your post with a wink, but PLEASE get this through your skull: The people who call football soccer are the people who saved you from annahilation, many times. ANd allow you to have the wonderful health care and work conditions you so enjoy! Show some appreciation! (Sorry, I just couldn’t let this attitude go unchallegened again)
Germans are avid players too. So, Europeans would still be playing fußball without your help. What else matters?
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### Author:  [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/115 "2012-08-02T14:38:44Z")
> [@hogarth](#):
>
> Considering he said archery and curling are possible while smoking, clearly needing both hands in not a requirement.
I must admit that, IME, a lot of archers are smokers. I don’t think many sports have so many of them.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/116 "2012-08-02T15:12:53Z")
> [@etv78](#):
>
> Hitler overran most of Europe, and the only reason Britain survived is because our help was UNconstitutional! (not saying we shoudln’t have done it, but merely it’s illegality) WWI was a bloody stalemate until we entered the war. Our Cold War defense spending allowed Europe to have the ridiculously high standard of living they enjoyed.
[MODERATING]
If you want to get into a debate over history and war and blah blah blah, take it to some other forum/thread. You are derailing this one. Stop it.
This applies to everyone. No more of this nationalist/historical arguing. Stick to sports and Olympics and things that belong here.
As to the issue of whether the sport is called football or soccer, it’s called both, everyone, so suck it up and just accept that English has different words for things. It’s not on topic here.
RickJay
Moderator
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### Author:  [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/117 "2012-08-02T16:27:14Z")
I really think dressage takes the cake as the worst Olympic event. I didn’t even know it existed until this year, thanks to some coverage on it on NPR the other day. I think it’s because Mitt Romney (or his wife?) owns a dressage horse in the Olympics, or something? Anyway, the report was on whether or not dressage is an “elitist” competition, with of course the people who like it saying it’s not.
Right…because it’s so easy to get a-hold of a $60,000 horse, $5000 worth of clothing and gear, stable fees, thousands upon thousands of dollars a year for training, etc…and to top it off, the horse does a good deal of the work.
Granted, there are plenty of other non-equestrian sports that require a good financial investment as well, but there are plenty that don’t. Equestrian events, especially dressage, are basically a show of who can spend the most money for the best horse and trainer.
And also, their clothes look goofy.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/118 "2012-08-02T16:35:51Z")
> [@bouv](#):
>
> I really think dressage takes the cake as the worst Olympic event. I didn’t even know it existed until this year, thanks to some coverage on it on NPR the other day. I think it’s because Mitt Romney (or his wife?) owns a dressage horse in the Olympics, or something? Anyway, the report was on whether or not dressage is an “elitist” competition, with of course the people who like it saying it’s not.
>
> Right…because it’s so easy to get a-hold of a $60,000 horse, $5000 worth of clothing and gear, stable fees, thousands upon thousands of dollars a year for training, etc…and to top it off, the horse does a good deal of the work.
>
> Granted, there are plenty of other non-equestrian sports that require a good financial investment as well, but there are plenty that don’t. Equestrian events, especially dressage, are basically a show of who can spend the most money for the best horse and trainer.
>
> And also, their clothes look goofy.
They should get rid of the horses and make the equestrians run the course-in their gear. 😃
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### Author:  [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/119 "2012-08-02T16:46:58Z")
> [@bouv](#):
>
> I
>
> Right…because it’s so easy to get a-hold of a $60,000 horse, $5000 worth of clothing and gear, stable fees, thousands upon thousands of dollars a year for training, etc…and to top it off, the horse does a good deal of the work.
I’m just guessing, but I would think the top horses cost more than that. Didn’t Romney list the annual expenses alone at like $70k?
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### Author:  [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/120 "2012-08-02T17:14:51Z")
From NBC’s prime time coverage, I didn’t know there was anything other than gymnastics and swimming.
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