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The Winter Olympics

_JL_ said:
Shaun White tonight, baby. Don't miss it!
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That Jacobellis girl wishes she could be money like White. Dude never disappoints! Love watching him compete.
 
JPsuff said:
I don't watch any Olympics at all.

Ever since the Olympics went pro and the corporations took over, it's nothing close to what it's supposed to be, so what's the point?


-JP
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Wow.



.
 
Smallville said:
Wow.



.
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Wow?

Why wow?

It's the way I feel.

What bothers me is that there really are no truly amateur sports left these days. I remember when college football only had 4 bowl games; the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl. But when it became the "Mobil Cotton Bowl", that was the beginning of the end.

Nowadays there are what, 30 bowl games? Forty? It's ridiculous.

When the Olympics decided to let the NBA pros play, I just threw my hands up in the air. So Jordan, Magic, etc. "beat" the Lithuanian team and everyone's pumping their fists into the air and I'm thinking, "And this is worth celebrating because...?"

I'm sorry, call me a Luddite if you want but I think amateur sports should stay that way and that's what the Olympics used to be and I think it's a shame (and a sham) that's it's become what it has.


-JP
 
Kevin said:
That Jacobellis girl wishes she could be money like White. Dude never disappoints! Love watching him compete.
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Too bad, she was disqualfied :(

I hope it will be Canada vs. Russia in men's hockey!! The Canada team humiliated Norway!! They have an All-Star team there :good: GO Canada!! :clapp:

And (I'm probably going to get this wrong...) but...Hiller was the goalie for (ack, Sweden or Norway, don't remember) but his own NHL teammate scored on him hee hee
 
That's just what I said when I read it.

The Olympics have had "pros" for a long time, it's only recently that the U.S. joined in. Technically they weren't pros but when the Russian and Chinese governments paid for everything for their athletes even in the sixties and seventies, weren't those athletes in all but name, pros?

I agree, it should be amateurs in every sense of the word, but it hasn't really been that way since I've been alive.
 
Smallville said:
That's just what I said when I read it.

The Olympics have had "pros" for a long time, it's only recently that the U.S. joined in. Technically they weren't pros but when the Russian and Chinese governments paid for everything for their athletes even in the sixties and seventies, weren't those athletes in all but name, pros?
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But that's precisely what bothered me.

Why did we have to "be like them"?

I always thought that it was a far nobler thing to lose with honor than to win with ringers. Look at the 1980 US Hockey Team. If that team was filled with NHL All-Stars, would that win have meant nearly as much?

Just because "the other guys" are doing it doesn't make it right.


-JP
 
I think the Olympics the way they are now are about finding the very best in the world, whether they be pros or not. That's the way I like it, but I'm young so I don't know any other way.
Maybe there should be separate games just for amateurs.
 
_JL_ said:
I think the Olympics the way they are now are about finding the very best in the world, whether they be pros or not. That's the way I like it, but I'm young so I don't know any other way.
Maybe there should be separate games just for amateurs.
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I thought that the olympics were for amateurs only...since when did they allow pros into the sport? Having pros takes all the fun out of it. They're too good, hence they're pros haa haa
 
JPsuff said:
I always thought that it was a far nobler thing to lose with honor than to win with ringers. Look at the 1980 US Hockey Team. If that team was filled with NHL All-Stars, would that win have meant nearly as much?
-JP
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I want to agree with you on this but the hockey is going to be so good this year. Basketball is now a joke but look at baseball. They still use amateurs and nobody watched it, now its been replaced with womens tandem shuttlecock.
 
I guess you can say that about the Olympics, JP, but everything is turning corporate. A true amateur sportsman can't survive in this economic climate. I agree that the pureness and the innocence is lost, but in order to achieve the goal you have to have financial backers and those backers are going to want something back. Yes, the Olympics sold out, but haven't we all?

I like watching the sports you don't see on everyday tv. It's refreshing. I was watching the biathlon yesterday and you see these guys going 110% and they collapse from the exhaustion. These guys know that this maybe the only shot they'll have to winning, or for the guys that know they aren't winning, a chance to represent their country. I think that Olympic spirit is still there.
 
When I was watching the women's curling yesterday the point was made multiple times that they were amatuers, at least team USA was.
 
MO_Hacker said:
When I was watching the women's curling yesterday the point was made multiple times that they were amatuers, at least team USA was.
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And one of the Canadian women is 5 months pregnant. Thats hardcore, I have decided to honor them in my new avatar.
 
TheGasman said:
And one of the Canadian women is 5 months pregnant. Thats hardcore, I have decided to honor them in my new avatar.
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LMAO, a hang nail will keep a MLB player on the DL for a month but we've got pregnant women competing in the Olympics.
 
Spank818 said:
I guess you can say that about the Olympics, JP, but everything is turning corporate. A true amateur sportsman can't survive in this economic climate. I agree that the pureness and the innocence is lost, but in order to achieve the goal you have to have financial backers and those backers are going to want something back. Yes, the Olympics sold out, but haven't we all?
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I haven't sold out (at least I don't believe I have).
And just because "everything is turning corporate" doesn't make it right and doesn't mean that I have to like it or support it.


Spank818 said:
I like watching the sports you don't see on everyday tv. It's refreshing. I was watching the biathlon yesterday and you see these guys going 110% and they collapse from the exhaustion. These guys know that this maybe the only shot they'll have to winning, or for the guys that know they aren't winning, a chance to represent their country. I think that Olympic spirit is still there.
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I'll agree with you here (although I never quite "got" the whole point of the biathlon). But I understand what you're saying and to a large extent the "spirit" part is still there.

And I know that the Olympics have always had a political edginess to them and there's always been more than a little saber-rattling involved, but I still can't get all excited about a bunch of pros playing against each other because there's nothing compelling about that.

To me, "compelling" is rooting for the Jamaican bobsled team just because of the hopelessness it represented but it was fun to see what they could accomplish or how far they could go. THAT is what the Olympics are supposed to be about.


Yeah mon! :thumb: :D



-JP
 
MO_Hacker said:
When I was watching the women's curling yesterday the point was made multiple times that they were amatuers, at least team USA was.
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Wait - does that mean there are professional curling teams? :bulgy-eyes:
 
JPsuff said:
I'll agree with you here (although I never quite "got" the whole point of the biathlon).
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Dude... skis and guns, very James Bondish. Possibly the only sport that makes you look cool for wearing a skin tight outfit because you're lugging around a rifle. :D
 
bonknhead said:
Wait - does that mean there are professional curling teams? :bulgy-eyes:
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I think its more of an underground thing. I heard they play to the death in certain parts of Canada.:D
 
Germany currently has 1 more medal than the US :D
 
So has it hit 65* there yet? Maybe they should just change it to the Summer Olympics and give up on the snow! lol
 
Kevin said:
So has it hit 65* there yet? Maybe they should just change it to the Summer Olympics and give up on the snow! lol
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Very true...they've been having issues!!
 
Spank818 said:
Dude... skis and guns, very James Bondish. Possibly the only sport that makes you look cool for wearing a skin tight outfit because you're lugging around a rifle. :D
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Yeah but wouldn't it be more exciting if they were being chased by guards from the the evil IOC Headquarters firing MAC 10's at them?

And what about the Walther PPK? Where's that?

I mean come on! If you're gonna do it, then let's get this party started! :thumb: :D


-JP
 
JPsuff said:
Yeah but wouldn't it be more exciting if they were being chased by guards from the the evil IOC Headquarters firing MAC 10's at them?

And what about the Walther PPK? Where's that?

I mean come on! If you're gonna do it, then let's get this party started! :thumb: :D


-JP
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I think there was a comedian that said... hunting isn't really fair, especially for the deer. Wouldn't it be more interesting if the deer fired back? :silly:
 
TheGasman said:
It was on at noon but they gave Russia/Lativa prime time? Go figure.
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Thats because of Ovechkin. He is one of the best hockey players in the world and thats why it got primetime coverage.
 
Golf Chick said:
Germany currently has 1 more medal than the US :D
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Not for long. With the shorttrack and snowboard halfpipe scheduled today the USA will take the lead again.
 
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