Winter Olymics (Warning: Geezer rant!)

[JB White]

I know I'm not the only one not taking a liking to this "nation neutrality" or whatever the local talking heads prefer to call it. Most of us don't sit glued to the TV all day long at home. Give us something to turn towards the TV and cheer for. PC and Kumbuya aint cuttin' it.

I LIKE seeing national colors and flags on the snow boarders. I LIKE seeing Yanks and Chinks and Polacks etc. all shaking hands then competing hard against one another out on the field of play.
I can surely do without the athletes all waving and wrapping themselves in flags. It's often seen as taunting anyway, but I do miss seeing who is competing ALL THE TIME. I certainly don't want to watch a hockey game where both teams are wearing grey. Put the flags back on the shoulders and the national team codes on ALL uniforms where we can see them.



While I'm at it, Baseball. In the same vein I'm sick of players all wearing Mariano Rivera's number 42 on Jackie Robinson day as well. Put Jackie's number on the team hat instead of the regular team logo, or a large 42 on the sleeve or shoulder. I like to know 'who's on first' without the misguided assistance of guys like Joe Buck & Co. (the volume is usually off).

That's it so there. Pffffft! :icon_tongue:

[clintonhater]

Ought to compete as individuals, as was done in ancient times--idea of "competition," "medal counts," between countries of vastly different sizes & populations is idiotic. Maybe also there'd be less incentive to dope. And no excuse for the silly bombast of playing national anthems, etc.

[JB White]

The more I've been able to see, it appears that some teams are showing their national pride on their uniforms. Good! I thought the entire Olympics was going the neutral route at first.
Medal counts? The USA hasn't got any....yet. That will change :)

[Ken The Kanuck]

Funny thing is that it is only in the winter Olympics that I watch many of the sports which are represented. These are some wonderful young athletes doing a terrific job, especially given the pressure they are under.

I salute all these folks.

The young American snowboarder won the gold and it was great to see the comradeship between the athletes.

KTK

[Vern Humphrey]

Someone help me out. Why would ANYONE get excited about SOMEONE ELSE playing a game?

Now you want to go skydiving, scuba diving, backpacking, hunting, fishing, trail riding with pack horses or similar sports, I'm your man. I can understand why I would want to participate, but why would I waste my time watching someone else do it?

[JB White]

Aww c'mon Vern. You're going to ruin baseball and auto racing for me too. *sniff*

[Ken The Kanuck]

Someone help me out. Why would ANYONE get excited about SOMEONE ELSE playing a game?

Now you want to go skydiving, scuba diving, backpacking, hunting, fishing, trail riding with pack horses or similar sports, I'm your man. I can understand why I would want to participate, but why would I waste my time watching someone else do it?

For me it is the appreciation of the effort and god given talent that these folks exhibit. To be the best in the world does not come easy. I too enjoy what you list (or at least I have, although the next time I jump out of a plane it will be on fire).

I also enjoy the sportsmanship that so many of these young folks exhibit, try to remember they only get a crack every 4 years and very few of them are making large coin.

KTK

[clintonhater]

...very few of them are making large coin.

KTK

Maybe not, but they're being supported by grants & subsidies in something they enjoy doing, as opposed to working everyday at a job they hate--like me, for many yrs.; nobody needs to cry over their hard life. Cry over the hard life of vets learning to live the rest of their lives in wheelchairs, without hands, etc.; no front-page photos, no TV adulation, no product-endorsement contracts, for them

Living near the "Olympic Village" of Lake Placid, NY, I get to read almost every week in the local paper about the millions of TAXPAYER dollars poured into the training facilities they are provided by this state. Upgrading the old luge run, for ex., cost 30 million several yrs ago; easily a billion on all the other venues over the last 20 yrs. And this is only one of dozens of Olympic training facilities all over the country that WE pay for.

[m1ashooter]

I really miss the free world vs the commies in the games.

[Dolt]

Ought to compete as individuals, as was done in ancient times--idea of "competition," "medal counts," between countries of vastly different sizes & populations is idiotic. Maybe also there'd be less incentive to dope. And no excuse for the silly bombast of playing national anthems, etc.

As long as they take money from the USOC, they belong to America, not themselves. If they want to go freelance let them pay their own way.

[Major Tom]

We don't watch the Olympics! We see the high lites every news cast and that's more than enough for us. About 10 more days of competition followed by weeks of post Olympic coverage. We have been recording TV shows and movies to get us thru it all.

[holdover]

I do not watch it because of the commercials, got away from network and paid TV over 5 years ago, getting old and time is too important to me to watch commercials about 20% of viewing time, usually the same one over and over. I watch highlights when I can. As to the athletes many of them have huge sponsorship, there are many po folks out there also competing and to them especially I wish the best, but the whole world of "amateur sports" has been redefined. I was surprised that there were no NHL players representing USA this year.

They do some amazing things on the snow.. And how about that gal who scored two goals in 6 seconds..

[clintonhater]

..."amateur sports" has been redefined.

"Amateur sports," what a f* joke. Think of poor Jim Thorpe being stripped of his medals because he accepted a few dollars playing bush-league baseball--which he needed to pay his room & board.