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Post by hcpride on Jan 31, 2022 6:28:45 GMT -5
Seems to be very very little sports-oriented fanfare regarding the upcoming (this week) Winter Olympics in/around Beijing.
I do know there were many calls for a boycott (communist authoritarianism, Covid concealments, Hong Kong issues, treatment of minorities, etc.) and we’re part of a ‘diplomatic boycott’. Plus there are all the Covid restrictions on the ground for the athletes and spectators are severely restricted (sometimes banned) at all venues.
I have no idea about the sort of viewership (if any) on US TV’s/devices and can’t name even one US participant. I guess some people are a bit more into it - or interest will grow as competition begins.
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Post by Tom on Jan 31, 2022 8:38:24 GMT -5
The NHL normally shuts down for the Olympics. That is not happening this year to use the time for make-up games, Maybe if a bunch of American no-name college kids make a run like 1980, it will spark some interest.
From a TV standpoint, the biggest part of the Winter Olympics was figure skating. In days of yore, you could only really see it once every four years. It is significantly more accessible today. That takes away some of the uniqueness that makes the Olympics special
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Post by HC92 on Jan 31, 2022 8:38:44 GMT -5
Probably the least interested I’ve ever been in an Olympics. And I usually love the Winter Olympics. Between China as the host, 13 hour time difference, very few people I’ve ever heard of, no NHL players, etc, not sure how much I’ll be watching. Probably not much. Skier Mikaela Shiffrin and snowboarder Shaun White are two names most people will recognize.
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Post by rgs318 on Jan 31, 2022 9:45:59 GMT -5
I believe China will rack up a huge number of medals, motivated by a desire to save face for their choice as a site. Also, there will be huge censorship of any news regarding the impact of Covid.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 31, 2022 10:28:20 GMT -5
Also, there will be huge censorship of any news regarding the impact of Covid. + internment camps and other human rights abuses.
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 31, 2022 10:57:05 GMT -5
The NHL normally shuts down for the Olympics. That is not happening this year to use the time for make-up games, Maybe if a bunch of American no-name college kids make a run like 1980, it will spark some interest. From a TV standpoint, the biggest part of the Winter Olympics was figure skating. In days of yore, you could only really see it once every four years. It is significantly more accessible today. That takes away some of the uniqueness that makes the Olympics special I wonder if skating analyst Dick Button will make a "Weekend at Bernie's" appearance?
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Post by timholycross on Jan 31, 2022 11:09:15 GMT -5
Still alive, apparently, age 92, has survived a beating in Central Park and later on a serious head injury.
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 31, 2022 11:16:36 GMT -5
Figure skating coach Frank Carroll, HC '60 is still with us at 83.
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Post by WCHC Sports on Jan 31, 2022 11:30:22 GMT -5
I feel like we just had Olympics. I don't know if it's COVID, or the two year alternating between summer and winter, but it's Olympics Olympics Olympics.
For our infrastructure, and the fact that we largely don't systematically round up political opponents or religious/ethnic minorities and kill them, the Olympics should be held here. Like '92 says, the timezone differences alone and seeing on tape delay are reason enough to be less-than-enthused. We also don't need stories of athletes sleeping on cardboard beds, or stadia being built at extreme costs in poor nations that languish and collapse years later... just do them in the US and Western Europe and let's stop the IOC from "awarding" in random host nations that have no business hosting.
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Post by Tom on Jan 31, 2022 12:15:16 GMT -5
I feel like we just had Olympics. I don't know if it's COVID, or the two year alternating between summer and winter, but it's Olympics Olympics Olympics. Both. Winter Olympics moved to the even numbered year between olympiads . Combine that with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan getting postponed until 2021 and it was a quick turnaround
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Post by rgs318 on Jan 31, 2022 12:18:18 GMT -5
I just heard on the radio (anyone else listen to the "news" any more?) that all the snow you will see at the Olympics is man-made. It has not snowed in Beijing (which is at the same latitude as Central NJ). Actually, NJ currently has more natural snow that Beijing.
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Post by newfieguy74 on Jan 31, 2022 12:40:40 GMT -5
I just heard on the radio (anyone else listen to the "news" any more?) that all the snow you will see at the Olympics is man-made. It has not snowed in Beijing (which is at the same latitude as Central NJ). Actually, NJ currently has more natural snow that Beijing. And NJ has no concentration camps and has no plans (that I'm aware of) to invade Delaware. I listen to the news when I'm in the car, but I am a news junkie. My children mock/scold me for watching and listening to the news so much, and for having a physical newspaper delivered to the house (although I'm down to just Sundays).
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 31, 2022 13:07:11 GMT -5
Mr. Olympics Opening Ceremony Viewer: "Wow, look at those fireworks."
Mrs. Viewer: "Those aren't fireworks, they're bombing Taiwan."
The IOC will give the games to the highest bidder. Fewer and Fewer Western Cities want to risk the huge deficit they could be responsible for, unfortunately.
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Post by alum on Jan 31, 2022 13:38:07 GMT -5
I feel like we just had Olympics. I don't know if it's COVID, or the two year alternating between summer and winter, but it's Olympics Olympics Olympics. For our infrastructure, and the fact that we largely don't systematically round up political opponents or religious/ethnic minorities and kill them, the Olympics should be held here. Like '92 says, the timezone differences alone and seeing on tape delay are reason enough to be less-than-enthused. We also don't need stories of athletes sleeping on cardboard beds, or stadia being built at extreme costs in poor nations that languish and collapse years later... just do them in the US and Western Europe and let's stop the IOC from "awarding" in random host nations that have no business hosting. I think that they should build a permanent Winter Olympics facility in Norway (Lillehammer, perphaps) and have them in late January/early February. A real democracy with press freedom and relatively immune to climate change. Each member nation could pay for the construction/upkeep in some ratio to their ability to pay.
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Post by WCHC Sports on Jan 31, 2022 14:00:59 GMT -5
I feel like we just had Olympics. I don't know if it's COVID, or the two year alternating between summer and winter, but it's Olympics Olympics Olympics. For our infrastructure, and the fact that we largely don't systematically round up political opponents or religious/ethnic minorities and kill them, the Olympics should be held here. Like '92 says, the timezone differences alone and seeing on tape delay are reason enough to be less-than-enthused. We also don't need stories of athletes sleeping on cardboard beds, or stadia being built at extreme costs in poor nations that languish and collapse years later... just do them in the US and Western Europe and let's stop the IOC from "awarding" in random host nations that have no business hosting. I think that they should build a permanent Winter Olympics facility in Norway (Lillehammer, perphaps) and have them in late January/early February. A real democracy with press freedom and relatively immune to climate change. Each member nation could pay for the construction/upkeep in some ratio to their ability to pay. I love the idea, wherever it is. Something about the global Olympic forces coming to the same place of tradition, and trying not to make it not about awarding economic benefits and inflated contracts is appealing.
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Post by hcpride on Jan 31, 2022 14:17:44 GMT -5
The whole sorry spectacle smacks of Berlin '36. Maybe more like Garmisch-Partenkirchen '36. (The Nazis hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics that year.)
Wonder if any woke athletes or brave 'journalists' will ask to tour the concentration camps this Olympics. Or speak up for Hong Kong and Taiwan.
(On another note, the idea of Greece as a permanent Summer host and Norway as a permanent Winter host would make some sense.)
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Post by bison137 on Jan 31, 2022 17:31:15 GMT -5
The whole sorry spectacle smacks of Berlin '36. Maybe more like Garmisch-Partenkirchen '36. (The Nazis hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics that year.) Wonder if any woke athletes or brave 'journalists' will ask to tour the concentration camps this Olympics. Or speak up for Hong Kong and Taiwan. (On another note, the idea of Greece as a permanent Summer host and Norway as a permanent Winter host would make some sense.) Yes, very similar to Berlin 1936. Said that the world allows it to go on as business as usual.
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 31, 2022 17:48:43 GMT -5
I believe there will be no fans at the opening ceremony. It would have been interesting to hear the reception the Ukrainian team received.
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Post by newfieguy74 on Jan 31, 2022 17:49:39 GMT -5
I wish there was a Taiwan bobsled team.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jan 31, 2022 19:35:03 GMT -5
The NHL normally shuts down for the Olympics. That is not happening this year to use the time for make-up games, Maybe if a bunch of American no-name college kids make a run like 1980, it will spark some interest. From a TV standpoint, the biggest part of the Winter Olympics was figure skating. In days of yore, you could only really see it once every four years. It is significantly more accessible today. That takes away some of the uniqueness that makes the Olympics special There are eight european players with two AHL'ers and the rest are college athletes.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jan 31, 2022 19:45:02 GMT -5
I feel like we just had Olympics. I don't know if it's COVID, or the two year alternating between summer and winter, but it's Olympics Olympics Olympics. For our infrastructure, and the fact that we largely don't systematically round up political opponents or religious/ethnic minorities and kill them, the Olympics should be held here. Like '92 says, the timezone differences alone and seeing on tape delay are reason enough to be less-than-enthused. We also don't need stories of athletes sleeping on cardboard beds, or stadia being built at extreme costs in poor nations that languish and collapse years later... just do them in the US and Western Europe and let's stop the IOC from "awarding" in random host nations that have no business hosting. No business in hosting? Beijing is the ninth most populous city in the world in the largest country by population in the world. So they have no business hosting? The other finalist for these Olympics was Almaty, Kazakhstan. China is only building the following facilities: Speed Skating, a Big Air facility in Beijing, Alpine Skiing Center, and Bobsled/Luge facility. They are also building two Olympic villages. They took the swimming facility and made it into a curling arena. The budget for these Olympics is 1/10th of the Summer Olympics that China hosted in 2008.
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Post by rgs318 on Jan 31, 2022 21:24:23 GMT -5
Mr Foley, are you suggesting that the Olympics who seemed to care about human rights (remember what happened to US athletes at Mexico City) get to host just because of their money. Because of that we are to ignore their massive human rights violations, cyber crime and murder or prison for any who disagree (or might disagree) with official positions? I, for one, do not agree with that logic.
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Post by bfoley82 on Feb 1, 2022 2:54:43 GMT -5
Mr Foley, are you suggesting that the Olympics who seemed to care about human rights (remember what happened to US athletes at Mexico City) get to host just because of their money. Because of that we are to ignore their massive human rights violations, cyber crime and murder or prison for any who disagree (or might disagree) with official positions? I, for one, do not agree with that logic. Do we think the Olympics really care about the athletes after the actions in 72 to continue the games after the hostage situation? It is all about the sponsorship money. Brundage was a Nazi sympathizer so might not want to discuss his background too much here from his actions in 1936 and 1972. Do we ignore the cyber crime that the United States does? Human rights violations? We do. Plenty of places with bad intentions have hosted Olympics from the 2012 in Sochi, 1980 USSR Summer Olympics, 1936 Summer and Winter Games. The 1920 Antwerp games banned nations for actions in WW1. Is that not a political move? The Olympics have always been political all the way back to the Ancient Greek days.
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Post by hcpride on Feb 1, 2022 5:48:13 GMT -5
Because all the other nations (minus Almaty, Kazakhstan) had backed out, the IOC was essentially left with the choice of either Beijing (famously known for an ongoing and universally appalling brand of authoritarianism) or no winter games at all in 2022. The IOC bears a large portion of the responsibility regarding the very limited options and all the responsibility for the ultimate choice: abcnews.go.com/amp/Sports/wireStory/explainer-beijing-olympics-81595185 Of course, countries/athletes/media outlets/viewers are free to boycott. The U.S is doing a diplomatic boycott (the U.S. has labelled one portion of China’s appalling brand of authoritarianism as genocide…hence the now-popular nickname for Beijing’22 as ‘Genocide Games’).
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Post by sader1970 on Feb 1, 2022 7:54:11 GMT -5
Summer games should always be in Greece for the tradition and winter games should be in a neutral country with snow - Switzerland.
Get away from politics like we’ve done on Crossports.😉😂
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