The Olympics are next month, and although I've never been a big sports guy I have always loved the Winter Olympics.
Looking forward to the biathlon, snowboarding, skiing, curling, and skating to name a few.
Anyone else excited?
Not really, but using the power granted to me by the "Great Pumpkin" I hereby proclaim these prophesies : that it will be cold and there will be snow, in most the areas where snow is required.
I don't watch the Olympics. I think the whole "Spirit of Competition" thing is great for the athletes, but the games have never done anything good for the people living in the cities where they were hosted.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... mpics.html (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/07/the-curse-of-the-olympics.html)
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politi ... ties/2689/ (http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2012/07/why-hosting-olympics-bad-cities/2689/)
And the IOC is full of the worst kinds of assholes.
5 Things They Don't want You to Know About the Olympics
http://www.cracked.com/article_19733_5- ... mpics.html (http://www.cracked.com/article_19733_5-things-they-dont-want-you-to-know-about-olympics.html)
QuoteBut let's say that, for whatever reason, which probably has to do with the fact that the Olympics murdered your parents and left you a wealthy vigilante orphan, you're against the Olympics altogether. Don't expect to use your freedom of speech to voice your anger against sports-themed injustices. The IOC demands that during the games, special rights be given to the host city. Not just strutting rights among the other cities of their nation, although that's a given, but also the right to squash all local laws regarding free speech. The London contract, for example, spells out that all billboards throughout the city must be rented by the city and that only sponsors of the games will be able to use them. If anyone wants to put up an anti-Olympics billboard, they are banned. Police even have the power to enter your house and rip down an anti-Olympics sign.
As a knitter, this particularly pissed me off.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... q-K8PRDtsI (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/06/usoc-london-2012-knitting-controversy/1#.Uq-K8PRDtsI)
QuoteThe U.S. Olympic Committee sent a cease-and-desist letter to a knitting website, Ravelry.com, arguing that their "Ravelympics" infringes on their copyright. In the competition, knitters (and crocheters) form teams and compete in events like the "afghan marathon" and the "cowl jump" and "sock put." Good, clean knitting fun, right?
Wrong. The USOC's letter stated: "We believe using the name 'Ravelympics' for a competition that involves an afghan marathon, scarf hockey and sweater triathlon, among others, tends to denigrate the true nature of the Olympic Games. In a sense, it is disrespectful to our country's finest athletes and fails to recognize or appreciate their hard work."
The knitting community didn't take kindly to the USOC's contention and proved that javelin throwers aren't the only ones with pointy sticks. Knitting fans took to social media sites and flooded the USOC's Facebook page with complaints. The USOC issued an apology Thursday.
I was one of those people sending every online letter of disdain I could. I know I sound all crochety an bitter, but I just don't do Olympic games. :/
Yeyyyyy! I LOVE the Olympics, especially the winter games.
Any sport that has the potential for limb-shattering sudden endings such as speed skating, downhill, grand slalom and bob sledding are alright by me. This is OMFG-Darwin! at its finest. Why I also enjoy cross country racing on motorcycles, having personally wiped out a bike or two back in the day.
Quote from: "GrinningYMIR"The Olympics are next month, and although I've never been a big sports guy I have always loved the Winter Olympics.
Looking forward to the biathlon, snowboarding, skiing, curling, and skating to name a few.
Anyone else excited?
Hell yes, I love the Olympics.
I've always enjoyed the Winter Olympics, they've always been fun to watch. (I also watch summer but only swimming, rowing and some gymnastics)
I like rooting for the US of course, along with Germany and the UK.
It's not everyone's thing and I respect that, I also admit to the corruption and threats that the games bring. And I also admit that it's mainly propaganda for the Victors at best, and opportunities to harm people at worst (Munich)
I'll still watch and enjoy them, but I will never argue against those who don't want to. As marzi pointed out, there are many reasons not to.
USA!
I won't be watching the games because they are being held in Sochi. The IOC also proved to be a spineless organization by not standing up to Russia's barbaric laws.
Maybe I'll watch them in 2018 if they are held in a civilized place like Canada or Iceland.
That being said, I will root for the USA, Germany, Canada, Sweden, and the UK.
I've never watched the olympics in my life, and I don't intend to start now. I don't watch any kind of sport... if I wanted to see sports I'd go out onto a field and play myself :shock:
I used to look forward to the Winter Olympics. Never cared that much about the summer games. I especially liked the alpine skiing events which were easy to follow because there were only three events: slalom, giant slalom, and downhill. Then they started introducing artsy fartsy events, where winners were decided by jingoistic judges voting for their homeland. Granted the graceful athletes were talented ski dancers and true showmen with fine teeth, but this wasn't really a competitive event in my opinion. Although oddly, it might be the best way to bring sports to the world, because I've always thought that the best way to wreck an athletic yearning is to turn a joyful physical pursuit into a fucking competition.
I'm not that interested in the Olympics anymore. I'm sick of knowing who's the best, or who's in the Superbowl this year. Why people watch the Mariners play the Yankees year after year is something I don't understand. It seems like a big waste of time. Just go out an play catch with your son or daughter, take them skiing, and swimming. Teach them to enjoy healthful activities for their own good. But sitting on your ass in front of a TV watching gladiators doesn't seem like something that will help your kids.
Quote from: "SGOS"I used to look forward to the Winter Olympics. Never cared that much about the summer games. I especially liked the alpine skiing events which were easy to follow because there were only three events: slalom, giant slalom, and downhill. Then they started introducing artsy fartsy events, where winners were decided by jingoistic judges voting for their homeland. Granted the graceful athletes were talented ski dancers and true showmen with fine teeth, but this wasn't really a competitive event in my opinion. Although oddly, it might be the best way to bring sports to the world, because I've always thought that the best way to wreck an athletic yearning is to turn a joyful physical pursuit into a fucking competition.
I'm not that interested in the Olympics anymore. I'm sick of knowing who's the best, or who's in the Superbowl this year. Why people watch the Mariners play the Yankees year after year is something I don't understand. It seems like a big waste of time. Just go out an play catch with your son or daughter, take them skiing, and swimming. Teach them to enjoy healthful activities for their own good. But sitting on your ass in front of a TV watching gladiators doesn't seem like something that will help your kids.
I'm only 18 SGOS, let me indulge in youthful activities for a while longer
Quote from: "GrinningYMIR"I'm only 18 SGOS, let me indulge in youthful activities for a while longer
I remember 18 through 23 fairly well. Those 5 years I competed mostly because that's what the cool kids did, but after a basketball game one night when I was 23, it just hit me that competing wasn't something I enjoyed that much. I moved on to running and skiing just for the pleasure of the activities themselves. Watching others play sports was never that high on my list. I don't like watching. It's too passive for me. Yet I understand others like to do it and it's important for the economy.
Quote from: "GrinningYMIR"Anyone else excited?
I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone is sending any gay athletes.
I only watch hockey, the World Cup and the Olympics. Everything else bores me to tears, so I agree with you there
Quote from: "GrinningYMIR"I only watch hockey, the World Cup and the Olympics. Everything else bores me to tears, so I agree with you there
I've never been to a hockey game, but I'd like to go to one sometime. I worked with a woman in Chicago years ago who loved going to watch the Blackhawks. She said the part she liked best were the fights. I liked her a lot, but her interest in watching violence was a bit of a red flag. Of course we tended bar together. It's not like I met her in church.
Quote from: "SGOS"Quote from: "GrinningYMIR"I only watch hockey, the World Cup and the Olympics. Everything else bores me to tears, so I agree with you there
I've never been to a hockey game, but I'd like to go to one sometime. I worked with a woman in Chicago years ago who loved going to watch the Blackhawks. She said the part she liked best were the fights. I liked her a lot, but her interest in watching violence was a bit of a red flag. Of course we tended bar together. It's not like I met her in church.
The fights are entertaining but people tend to think that's all hockey is; granted it is an aggressive sport and the players do hit each other HARD. But it's not all that, there's the thrill of seeing someone make the hat trick and the excitement that comes when your goalie makes a spectacular save.
It's the one sport I truly enjoy, but usually I wait for the playoffs before I seriously watch.
Lastly; not the Blackhawks!!
New York Rangers fan through and through!
Quote from: "GrinningYMIR"Lastly; not the Blackhawks!!
For her, it was probably about two hunky guys pounding on each other. Not so much about the home team. I dunno.
1) Russia shouldn't be hosting the winter olympics. That is a travesty.
2) The IOC has lost their damned minds, first complying with russia's gay hate mongering, and secondly telling atheletes that they can't have a political point of view.
I'm probably going to watch some of the events, but certainly not all. I'm looking forward to the ice hockey and the alpine disciplines. Figure skating and cross country skiing is a big no-no.
By the way, here's a funny account of the origin of the games ;^)
[s:11zx62qr]URL snipped[/s:11zx62qr]
Please don't advertise your blog in your first post. Read up on the forum rules first :)
Lindsey Vonn is out of the Olympics, can't say I'm disappointed. Never really liked her for some reason
I can't stand the friggin' olympics. It was bad enough before but now that they allow professionals in all pretense of "sportsmanship" is gone.