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Post by sader1970 on Jul 29, 2021 10:25:52 GMT -5
Beach volleyball has 2 on a side, the "other" volleyball has many more (6, off the top of my head). And, you don't get floor burns in beach volleyball but might get sand in your . . . . .
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Post by hcpride on Jul 29, 2021 10:27:32 GMT -5
Los Angeles is planning on using as much of their existing regional sports infrastructure as possible if I remember correctly. Boston reached some kind of finalist position for the 2024 bid and then Professor Zimbalist from Smith College and other experts on publicly funded sports venues and the usual NIMBYs slammed it and LA emerged as kind of a White Knight for a U.S. bid. One of their rationales was they have experience putting on an Olympics and they have much of the infrastructure in place without billions of new construction. Brisbane was awarded the 2032 games without a competing final bid. Australia's public debt as a percentage of GDP is 32% compared to 70% for the U.S. and 219% for Japan. These Olympics have really backfired for Japan. I always thought Boston had most of the infrastructure in place to put on games. What Boston lacked was the infrastructure to deal with millions of fans/visitors to the city at once I'm not sure how long NBC's broadcast rights last, but I think ratings are pretty low right now and if that trend continues, likely the next television contract won't do as much to off set the costs I gotta agree that a large and modern American city (Boston, LA, NY, DC, etc.) with several universities (dorms and athletic facilities), mass transit, highways, and an airport at hand could host the games with a minimum of fuss and expense. I was in London during the Games several years ago and barely noticed the activity and/or disruptions. I think that is generally considered a successful Olympics. US Ratings are reportedly quite low compared to past Olympics.
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Post by sader1970 on Jul 29, 2021 10:32:49 GMT -5
Large time zone differential and inability to watch many events live at a decent hour almost assuredly tanks the ratings. How many want to watch an event that they already know the results (other the Crusader fans after a big win)?
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Post by hcpride on Jul 29, 2021 10:33:12 GMT -5
Iranian 2021 Olympic Gold Medal Winner (Pistol) Javad Foroughi has a rather interesting (and not in a good way) back story if various media reports are to be believed. For starters, he is a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/sports/2021/07/800_312996.html Here's what wikipedia (always reliable, of course) has to say: Foroughi is a nurse in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and served in Syria in 2012-13 as part of the Corps' medical deployment.[4] Iranian human rights organization, United for Navid, set up after the execution of Navid Afkari, decried Foroughi's Olympic medal in a public statement, believing that due to his membership in IRGC, he "is a current and longtime member of a terrorist organization".
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 29, 2021 11:07:32 GMT -5
Beach volleyball has 2 on a side, the "other" volleyball has many more (6, off the top of my head). And, you don't get floor burns in beach volleyball but might get sand in your . . . . . Yes, they are sexualizing the beach volleyball version. If you actual look at it as a sport, there isn't much that happens.
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Post by rgs318 on Jul 29, 2021 11:08:57 GMT -5
Fair enough. After watching beach volleyball where were is so much area for each player to cover, indoor volleyball almost look like a "crowd" out there...but the teamwork is impressive.
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Post by sader1970 on Jul 29, 2021 11:21:46 GMT -5
Huh? Really? While I haven't watched it this Olympics, it strikes me as a lot happens but very quickly. It's not like golf. [Firing for effect]
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jul 29, 2021 14:35:41 GMT -5
Fair enough. After watching beach volleyball where were is so much area for each player to cover, indoor volleyball almost look like a "crowd" out there...but the teamwork is impressive. I was in a bar awaiting some takeout the other night and the big screen had on the Men's Italy-Poland indoor volleyball game. I have always liked the sport-enjoyed intramurals at Holy Cross. These Olympians were amazing-the talent and athleticism required are extraordinary. It is a great sport in my opinion
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Post by WCHC Sports on Jul 30, 2021 8:59:20 GMT -5
I think part of the issue is that for the prime time events, they hammer swimming and women's gymnastics every night. Sure I could go to, I don't know, NBCSN, one of the other regional channels (maybe? are they even showing those events at night?), Peacock, Twitter, Swallow, Robin, Cardinal, Oriole, whatever... but for TV? Putting on one of the more-odd/weird/unusual events and sports would be fantastic. How much swimming can I watch? Oh, now they're going to do four laps instead of two? No thanks. Give me pole vaulting, discus throwing, judo, fencing, shooting, hell even synchronized swimming.
NBC should be showing the Olympics ALL DAY. On the main channel. Easy to find. They should pre-empt their soap operas and other local news stuff shy of national disasters if they want to make a big deal of it. Even so, at 2 PM, I can't watch TV, I have a job to do.
A production note? Perhaps there should be a little word, graphic, or comment when they show an event to talk about the rules. How is gymnastics even scored? What do the colors and numbers mean on these events' scoring? Swimming is easy to understand mostly. Some of the others not as much.
====================================================================================================================================
I've long thought, but since solidified after seeing what was done in Rio (razing parts of the city, stadia used for two weeks and then never again, now crumbling), that the Olympics should only be held in the US and Europe. We already have arenas for indoor/outdoor sports of all types of events. Mass transit, security, accommodations... all top notch. And it doesn't have to jam everything into one city so it has to build more venues. What is needed already exists in these major metropolitan areas, if not across those singular countries.
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Post by alum on Jul 30, 2021 11:26:15 GMT -5
I really don't care much for Olympics team sports, especially if the US is not involved and while I enjoy gymnastics and diving for a while, I don't really understand the scoring. I like track and swimming and other sports where there is a clock or a tape measure.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 30, 2021 14:57:51 GMT -5
I've long thought, but since solidified after seeing what was done in Rio (razing parts of the city, stadia used for two weeks and then never again, now crumbling), that the Olympics should only be held in the US and Europe. We already have arenas for indoor/outdoor sports of all types of events. Mass transit, security, accommodations... all top notch. And it doesn't have to jam everything into one city so it has to build more venues. What is needed already exists in these major metropolitan areas, if not across those singular countries. Japan has the same facilities as most USA/Europe countries. The handball facility for example held swimming/diving in the 1964 olympics which they turned into two competition level indoor facilities. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoyogi_National_GymnasiumThe large stadium in Japan was rebuilt also as part of the 2019 Rugby World Cup which Japan hosted.
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Post by timholycross on Jul 30, 2021 16:57:59 GMT -5
I think part of the issue is that for the prime time events, they hammer swimming and women's gymnastics every night. Sure I could go to, I don't know, NBCSN, one of the other regional channels (maybe? are they even showing those events at night?), Peacock, Twitter, Swallow, Robin, Cardinal, Oriole, whatever... but for TV? Putting on one of the more-odd/weird/unusual events and sports would be fantastic. How much swimming can I watch? Oh, now they're going to do four laps instead of two? No thanks. Give me pole vaulting, discus throwing, judo, fencing, shooting, hell even synchronized swimming. NBC should be showing the Olympics ALL DAY. On the main channel. Easy to find. They should pre-empt their soap operas and other local news stuff shy of national disasters if they want to make a big deal of it. Even so, at 2 PM, I can't watch TV, I have a job to do. A production note? Perhaps there should be a little word, graphic, or comment when they show an event to talk about the rules. How is gymnastics even scored? What do the colors and numbers mean on these events' scoring? Swimming is easy to understand mostly. Some of the others not as much. ==================================================================================================================================== I've long thought, but since solidified after seeing what was done in Rio (razing parts of the city, stadia used for two weeks and then never again, now crumbling), that the Olympics should only be held in the US and Europe. We already have arenas for indoor/outdoor sports of all types of events. Mass transit, security, accommodations... all top notch. And it doesn't have to jam everything into one city so it has to build more venues. What is needed already exists in these major metropolitan areas, if not across those singular countries. That's the big thing - other than the opening ceremony, you can spread the venues all over the place. It's been done before, too. 1984 games had some soccer matches at Harvard Stadium, for example.
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Post by hcpride on Jul 30, 2021 17:25:43 GMT -5
That's the big thing - other than the opening ceremony, you can spread the venues all over the place. It's been done before, too. 1984 games had some soccer matches at Harvard Stadium, for example. I could do without much of that opening ceremony.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 30, 2021 17:58:01 GMT -5
I think part of the issue is that for the prime time events, they hammer swimming and women's gymnastics every night. Sure I could go to, I don't know, NBCSN, one of the other regional channels (maybe? are they even showing those events at night?), Peacock, Twitter, Swallow, Robin, Cardinal, Oriole, whatever... but for TV? Putting on one of the more-odd/weird/unusual events and sports would be fantastic. How much swimming can I watch? Oh, now they're going to do four laps instead of two? No thanks. Give me pole vaulting, discus throwing, judo, fencing, shooting, hell even synchronized swimming. NBC should be showing the Olympics ALL DAY. On the main channel. Easy to find. They should pre-empt their soap operas and other local news stuff shy of national disasters if they want to make a big deal of it. Even so, at 2 PM, I can't watch TV, I have a job to do. A production note? Perhaps there should be a little word, graphic, or comment when they show an event to talk about the rules. How is gymnastics even scored? What do the colors and numbers mean on these events' scoring? Swimming is easy to understand mostly. Some of the others not as much. ==================================================================================================================================== I've long thought, but since solidified after seeing what was done in Rio (razing parts of the city, stadia used for two weeks and then never again, now crumbling), that the Olympics should only be held in the US and Europe. We already have arenas for indoor/outdoor sports of all types of events. Mass transit, security, accommodations... all top notch. And it doesn't have to jam everything into one city so it has to build more venues. What is needed already exists in these major metropolitan areas, if not across those singular countries. That's the big thing - other than the opening ceremony, you can spread the venues all over the place. It's been done before, too. 1984 games had some soccer matches at Harvard Stadium, for example. Sapporo is hosting the marathon and that is 500 miles from Tokyo.
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Post by rgs318 on Jul 30, 2021 18:48:53 GMT -5
...and the participants have to run from the Olympic Village to the start of their course.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jul 30, 2021 19:27:52 GMT -5
Excellent warmup for elite distance runners.....
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jul 31, 2021 23:52:41 GMT -5
Some random Olympic thoughts--
I checked out the Israeli baseball team and, sure enough, it is composed of mostly if not all Americans including Ian Kinsler and several other MLB veterans. My guess is that the Israeli team managers seek out American players who are Jewish or who have Jewish mothers, enabling them to become citizens of Israel after a three month stay there. No doubt a number of other foreign national teams will have plenty of Americans. There are different rules for getting dual citizenship--my brother and I contemplated going for Irish citizenship at one point, having grandparents from Eire, but did not follow through. No doubt the Italy and Ireland could build ice hockey teams just with guys from Boston.
Pau Gasol, at age 41, is on the Spanish basketball team and I am sure he is still a force to be reckoned with on the court even after retiring from the NBA.
American Andrea Filler is on the Italian softball team thanks to her Great Grandmother:
"She won a court appeal to earn Italian citizenship, for which she is eligible through her great-grandmother, challenging an Italian law that stated that citizenship could only be passed down the male side of the family. The case took almost three years to reach its outcome. "It was very hard mentally to maintain a positive attitude because I felt like the future of my softball career was entirely dependent on the Italian court's ruling. The process to get dual citizenship was long, confusing and felt like a roller coaster. Playing in the Olympics would be a culmination of 18 years of dedication and sacrifice to become the best softball player I can be. I feel even more proud to possibly represent Italy because I would be honouring the heritage of my family." (journalgazette.net, 01 Nov 2020)"
Here's one more in the nationality change arena. American Xander Schauffele won the golf gold medal. The silver medalist was former PGA pro Rory Sabbatini--born in South Africa, went to U or Arizona and later became a US citizen, later married a Slovakian woman and changed his citizenship to Slovakian. He lives in the US.
Note- I am not criticizing any of these athletes
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Post by hcpride on Aug 2, 2021 6:19:28 GMT -5
US Women’s Soccer (FIFA world ranking #1) has been very unimpressive. A loss to Sweden (3-0), a win over weak New Zealand, a tie with Australia, a shootout win over the Netherlands, and now a loss to Canada. We still have a chance at 3rd place and did the woke gesturing quite well if that is any comfort to disappointed US sports fans.
Men’s 100M won by a relatively unknown sprinter from Italy (father is American).
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Post by rgs318 on Aug 2, 2021 6:21:28 GMT -5
He is American as well (born in the U.S. with dual citizenship).
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Post by HC92 on Aug 2, 2021 6:35:39 GMT -5
Will be nice to see some turnover on the USWNT. They were mediocre to bad throughout this Olympics.
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Post by hchoops on Aug 2, 2021 9:32:08 GMT -5
Hopefully a coaching change also To play for a draw from the start with the pre Olympic #1 is absurd.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Aug 2, 2021 9:36:10 GMT -5
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Post by rgs318 on Aug 2, 2021 9:48:04 GMT -5
I believe there should equal rewards for men's and women's teams. However, some pf the comments and behavior from the women's soccer players were, IMO, needlessly nasty (and seemed to put down the performance of the men's team). It seems ironic that this group gave us the worst American performance in this sport in years.
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Post by timholycross on Aug 2, 2021 9:57:18 GMT -5
All politics aside, a horrible decision to award a PK on that play. The worst that instant replay can offer. Common sense says that's a foul on the offense, not the defense. Worse than that, if a human awarded a foul to the defense, they'd award it outside the box, not millimeters inside it, therefore a PK.
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Post by timholycross on Aug 2, 2021 9:59:37 GMT -5
I believe there should equal rewards for men's and women's teams. However, some pf the comments and behavior from the women's soccer players were, IMO, needlessly nasty (and seemed to put down the performance of the men's team). It seems ironic that this group gave us the worst American performance in this sport in years. Great game last night by the young men's team. Points out even more the women's team trotted out a tired (players, not philosophy) act in the Olympics.
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