OT: Olympics... go team :)

[geniusintraining]

Man I love this time every 4 years, there have been some GREAT games, I still think soccer sucks (football other side of pond) its like our wrestling over here (WWE that is)... entertaining but fake... but a huge fan of Rugby now thats a sport

Basketball has been very close, im a basketball fan here so to see the other teams with just a few NBA players and keeping the game close is fun

George is you read this did you watch the golf? I would of like it better if everyone showed up but I dont know if they would of had anything for Rose and Stenson, they played good.

Watched archery, thats un-real... if the red necks around here new how to shoot like that I would not hit a deer every year

In 4 more years they are going to have surfing as a sport so that will be a good one to watch if they have a good beach

And how about the fastest man in the world...

They have some great stories about their road to the games, one of the best to see is Niekerk's what his family went through and where he is now and going

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/wayde-van-niekerk-breaks-400m-world-record



GO USA!!

 

[Peter Nachtwey]

I am only interested in the table tennis but the Chinese dominate that. The US is not even a 3rd world player in table tennis but I like the sport and follow the pros. I will see the table tennis matches on YouTube sometime later.

I agree that something needs to be done about soccer or even hockey. I know that to win you must keep the ball near the other guy's goal but scoring really does appear to be a haphazard statistical event. There is no statistical significance to a 1-0 win. NONE!!!!!

Even table tennis was butchered when the games or sets where changed from 21 points to 11 points. The shorter the games or sets the less the statistical significance of the win. Win short games it is is to easy to win the game on net or edge balls.

 

[chud]

The 7s rugby had some spectacular matches. And that run from Wayd was mind blowing.
If you want an amazing story have a read below.
http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/arti...decided-to-jump-rather-than-die/#.V7Kmf_l96Uk

 

[T Gibbs]

I watch the women's beach volleyball. I could care less about the rest.

 

[Chris Taylor]

I'm also enjoying the Olympics,Team GB are doing very well.

Never been a fan of the footy but I do wish they would include Cricket; but then they would need another two weeks to play the finals.

 

[Tharon]

I watch the women's beach volleyball. I could care less about the rest.

I'm imagining the picture of the old Man watching Women's volleyball.

Question: "So, who's winning?"
Old Man: "Yeah."

 

[Operaghost]

I heard a couple people talking about how when you are young you get introduced to various sports and those are the sports you love the rest of your life. You may learn to like other sports, but you will never truly love them. For me, Hockey is a sport I did not grow up with. I view hockey like many Americans view soccer. I just don't care about it.

I think football/soccer falls into that category too but for me on the other end of the scale. I grew up watching and playing what we call soccer here in the U.S. We had a professional team that we would go to as a family and later it became a thing my sister and I shared. I grew up watching my big sister play soccer and to this day I love watching both men's and women's soccer.

Here in Seattle, we lost our men's professional basketball team some years back. I had been a season ticket holder and I have not watched a single game in at least the last five years. I loved the sport. It was our only pro team when a was 7-8 years old and I used to listen to the games on my little transistor radio. But they broke our hearts when they left and I can't watch it now.

In fact, back when the NBA Championship was on, I tried to watch, I think it was game five. But the US Women's National team had a soccer friendly against Japan on another channel. I watched that. Basketball has truly lost me.

We have a women's professional basketball team but I never could get into watching it. Even though I liked going to see my niece play in college I never fell in love with women's basketball. Its the same game with players that aren't just trying to show off and show up the other players. They love the game. Like college basketball.

I find football (played with your feet) to be a fascinating, exciting, and incredibly frustrating (the curse of an Arsenal fan) sport. I love that in the US we can finally watch the Premiere League and the major tournaments. We had a big family vacation a couple months back and my side of the family was excited for the televised Euro and Copa USA matches. We planned our daily activities to make sure we were back in time to watch the big matches. The extended family members didn't care and went to the beach instead.

Now as US Football gets closer to the season opener and the Premiere League had their first matches it is truly a great time to be a fan of both. But basketball has still lost me. I can't even watch it at the Olympics.

OG

 

[Bullzi]

I still think soccer sucks (football other side of pond) its like our wrestling over here (WWE that is)... entertaining but fake

I have to agree with you on that. I always thought that they should use the Hockey checking rules in soccer. If you have the ball it is legal for the other team to come and knock you off the ball. Not full on slamming but shoulder to shoulder contact to disrupt the play. Maybe if legal contact is allowed then the "acting" would stop. That is the only thing that really turns me off when I am watching.

 

[Operaghost]

Acting is an issue in any sport and certainly is an issue in soccer. But in soccer the ref can issue a yellow card for flopping. Flopping in the NBA is just as bad. NFL players cry to the ref on every play that they were fouled.

And soccer does allow considerable contact and has an advantage rule where if a foul is committed they play on if the fouled team has the advantage. A slide tackle is a perfectly legal way to take down an opponent as long as you get the ball first.

In the NBA if you breathe on the shooter you get a shooting foul. Six fouls and you are out. In the NFL, the defensive players can't hardly touch the wide receivers anymore. Defenseless receiver, in the grasp. The NFL is getting softer every year. I still love it, but I can see how it has changed.


OG

 

[OkiePC]

I have not had much time to watch the Olympics this year.

As for soccer, I never respected it until I coached a peewee team for 3 seasons. it is such a simple game to learn, to play, and all you need are a few balls and some cones in order to set up a practice.

Kids of any size and skill can play it and they run their little butts off. I can't watch it on TV, but watching little kids play it live is a blast.

 

[Ronnie Sullivan]

I think all but operaghost have missed the nuances and real skill involved in football.

They don't pay the top players £100.000 plus per week for being fairly good - some are geniuses.
I can see that the 'play acting' when fouled would put people off but referee's know who the culprits are and often yellow card them for it.
And the low scoring might also put you off - but that is where the nuances of football come in. It's hard to score against a good defense so is all the more euphoric when they actually do.

I love the Olympics and watch sports I would never think of watching and really enjoy them.
That Simone Biles totally transfixed me with her gymnastic skills - what a human body is capable of is amazing.


Oh, and as an addendum. At the 2012 London Olympics you could not get a ticket for any event for love nor money (as opposed to all the empty seats this year)
But I have a friend who works for Coca Cola (head of advertising) and she got me tickets for everything I wanted (and yes - for free)
Watching Usain Bolt run past you in the 100M is something you will never forget.

 

[T Gibbs]

I actually like the winter Olympics better. The skiing and snowboarding are the ones I like best. I've also started enjoying watching the curling. That's an interesting sport.

 

[AshleyParr]

I've loved the Olympics, mainly because i often find myself sitting down watching a sport i wouldn't normally, e.g. Water Polo (bloody brutal)

Also helps that GB are doing well

 

[bitmonkey]

I was on a swim team summer and winter from the time I was 4 years old until I was 16. I remember having a poster of Mark Spitz with his 7 gold medals on my bedroom wall, we all did. So yes, swimming is the biggie for me.
Soccer was something we did only occasionally in gym class. I find it boring to watch at the highest levels. I used to enjoy going to watch the kids play, but now they're all grown up and I have no interest in it anymore.
I wanted to see what olympic badmitton was like, but I missed it, lol. Maybe it's on Youtube.