OT Olympics question.

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Um, archery?

Archery is already an Olympic Sport. I have know idea if they've shown any of it or not, but if the archers are allowed to use scopes it's makes it much easier. They should get rid of the scopes.

 

[dare2be]

I was commenting about archery in that it is no more "athletic" than golf, and it is already an olympic event.

 

[forty_three]

Any sport in which winning the Gold Medal for your country isn't the biggest deal should be out of the Olympics.

That kills Cycling, then. The Tour de France is IT in Cycling. Even though those Brits did get all excited with Bradley winning there too.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

so are most of the running events? i'm not sure i understand. individual sports where the olympic medal isn't the crowning achievement should be out?

also, for tennis, just cause i like tennis and want to defend it.. which would you label as the crowning achievement? wimbledon? probably not the case for americans, frenchies, or australians.. and a gold medal might be the crowning achievement for anyone not from any of those 4 countries

(i do think it would be way cooler if they did team tennis in the olympics though instead of individual. have like 4 singles players, and 3 doubles teams, or something. and play a team tournament where its a best of the 7 matches)

(frenchies not meant to be mean, not exactly sure what to call someone from france in that sentence haha)

If you don't think winning Wimbledon is the biggest thing in tennis, think again.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I was commenting about archery in that it is no more "athletic" than golf, and it is already an olympic event.

True. However unlike Golf winning a Gold medal in archery would be the ultimate prize. In Golf winning the Masters for an American or the British Open for a European would be the biggest deal.

 

[elocomotive]

Rugby and golf are in for 2016. Baseball was probably taken out because softball was, and softball was because it wasn't competitive.

The shooting sports, in my opinion, should stay. They're remarkable. Especially rapid fire pistol. Five targets twenty five meters away, and only eight, then six, then four seconds to shoot all of them.

Yeah, but for me, watching poker players at work is remarkable. That doesn't make it a sport in my eyes, and certainly not one for the Olympics... at least not if they don't have to run or cross country ski a great distance before doing so. I think of it as a hobby.

 

[elocomotive]

I have a problem with Golf as an Olympic sport. Mainly because I see it as a leisure activity. You don't have to be a great athlete to be a great golfer.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

So you're saying a golfer like John Daly is a great athlete? I don't think so.

 

[BOSSMANPC]

So you're saying a golfer like John Daly is a great athlete? I don't think so.

That's what Shooter said about Happy Gilmore. You never know.

 

[SLY]

I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast?

 

[DChero]

I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast?

May favorite line. Hahaha!!

 

[elocomotive]

So you're saying a golfer like John Daly is a great athlete? I don't think so.

Yes, Jon Daly is a tremendous athlete. So was Babe Ruth. They both overcame being horribly out of shape and substance abuse problems to thrive in highly competitive sports. Their talents actually outshined much more fit individuals and individuals that weren't taking performance-inhibiting drugs.

I think when you are talking about what a SPORT is, you have to look at two components...

(1) ATHLETICISM is some crazy combination of hand-eye coordination, the ability to control your body, vision on a playing surface, anticipation, timing, touch, etc.
(2) FITNESS is all about training your body to be as fast, durable, and flexible as possible.

Some sports require tremendous athleticism though the fitness threshold is low - golf, baseball, archery, etc. Some sports require tremendous fitness, but little to no athleticism - swimming, bike racing, etc. Frankly, I know some swimmers that couldn't even hit a basketball rim if you gave them 5 foul shots, but they are fast in the water. Many sports have both - hockey, soccer, football, water polo, etc.

When you have this debate, I think you have to frame it in those parameters. To be a sport, in my opinion, you need to have at least an ounce of both. As an example, archery and gun shooting require athleticism. And archery requires the tiniest bit of strength/fitness, so I'd call it a sport (barely). Shooting? Not so much. You can be a giant, weak, winded fatty and be a great marksman.

 

[apachef4]

The other thing to consider about baseball and softball is the field/stadium. The Olympic city tends to build these stadiums for the games, and a city/country that doesn't play baseball or softball has absolutely no use for those facilities after the Olympics is over. Moreover, they've had to build separate facilities for both, since the dimensions are so different that they can't convert them back and forth. For hockey or basketball, most cities already have arenas that can support a hockey rink or basketball court, and even if they don't, once it's built they can actually use it for other stuff.

And we shouldn't be comparing winter sports to summer sports. True, in most countries ice hockey is non-existent, but in the countries that excel in the Winter Olympics that is not the case. Participation in the Winter Olympics is not nearly as diverse as the Summer, which makes sense.

 

[apachef4]

Yes, Jon Daly is a tremendous athlete. So was Babe Ruth. They both overcame being horribly out of shape and substance abuse problems to thrive in highly competitive sports. Their talents actually outshined much more fit individuals and individuals that weren't taking performance-inhibiting drugs.

I think when you are talking about what a SPORT is, you have to look at two components...

(1) ATHLETICISM is some crazy combination of hand-eye coordination, the ability to control your body, vision on a playing surface, anticipation, timing, touch, etc.
(2) FITNESS is all about training your body to be as fast, durable, and flexible as possible.

Some sports require tremendous athleticism though the fitness threshold is low - golf, baseball, archery, etc. Some sports require tremendous fitness, but little to no athleticism - swimming, bike racing, etc. Frankly, I know some swimmers that couldn't even hit a basketball rim if you gave them 5 foul shots, but they are fast in the water. Many sports have both - hockey, soccer, football, water polo, etc.

When you have this debate, I think you have to frame it in those parameters. To be a sport, in my opinion, you need to have at least an ounce of both. As an example, archery and gun shooting require athleticism. And archery requires the tiniest bit of strength/fitness, so I'd call it a sport (barely). Shooting? Not so much. You can be a giant, weak, winded fatty and be a great marksman.

Babe Ruth actually was a very good athlete. Most pictures of him are when he was old, not when he was in his prime. When he was in his prime he was supposed to be a beast of an athlete, there just aren't many pictures of it. Think of him like Ben Franklin, ladies man. We see Ben Franklin as this old guy with gout and glasses because those are the only portraits/sculptures we see of him. But he was supposedly a big, strong, good looking man when he was young.

 

[DChero]

Yes, Jon Daly is a tremendous athlete. So was Babe Ruth. They both overcame being horribly out of shape and substance abuse problems to thrive in highly competitive sports. Their talents actually outshined much more fit individuals and individuals that weren't taking performance-inhibiting drugs.

I think when you are talking about what a SPORT is, you have to look at two components...

(1) ATHLETICISM is some crazy combination of hand-eye coordination, the ability to control your body, vision on a playing surface, anticipation, timing, touch, etc.
(2) FITNESS is all about training your body to be as fast, durable, and flexible as possible.

Some sports require tremendous athleticism though the fitness threshold is low - golf, baseball, archery, etc. Some sports require tremendous fitness, but little to no athleticism - swimming, bike racing, etc. Frankly, I know some swimmers that couldn't even hit a basketball rim if you gave them 5 foul shots, but they are fast in the water. Many sports have both - hockey, soccer, football, water polo, etc.

When you have this debate, I think you have to frame it in those parameters. To be a sport, in my opinion, you need to have at least an ounce of both. As an example, archery and gun shooting require athleticism. And archery requires the tiniest bit of strength/fitness, so I'd call it a sport (barely). Shooting? Not so much. You can be a giant, weak, winded fatty and be a great marksman.

Agreed. This is why Travis Pastrana is the greatest athlete of all time!

 

[elocomotive]

The other thing to consider about baseball and softball is the field/stadium. The Olympic city tends to build these stadiums for the games, and a city/country that doesn't play baseball or softball has absolutely no use for those facilities after the Olympics is over. Moreover, they've had to build separate facilities for both, since the dimensions are so different that they can't convert them back and forth. For hockey or basketball, most cities already have arenas that can support a hockey rink or basketball court, and even if they don't, once it's built they can actually use it for other stuff.

And we shouldn't be comparing winter sports to summer sports. True, in most countries ice hockey is non-existent, but in the countries that excel in the Winter Olympics that is not the case. Participation in the Winter Olympics is not nearly as diverse as the Summer, which makes sense.

Excellent post.

Difficulty 17.200 (use of moreover bumps it up)
Deductions 0.580
Score 16.620

SOLID SCORE!

To piggyback on the second paragraph, we shouldn't even debate winter olympics sports. They are desperate to jam in as many events as they can. Curling is a life-size board game, but who cares.

 

[elocomotive]

Agreed. This is why Travis Pastrana is the greatest athlete of all time!

A lot of the "extreme sports" definitely score high on both athleticism and fitness. To emphasize that point, I present the following 1,000 words...

 

[apachef4]

A lot of the "extreme sports" definitely score high on both athleticism and fitness. To emphasize that point, I present the following 1,000 words...

She's gonna be awfully cold on the slopes...can't wait to watch.

 

[elocomotive]

Babe Ruth actually was a very good athlete. Most pictures of him are when he was old, not when he was in his prime. When he was in his prime he was supposed to be a beast of an athlete...

He was always a beast of an athlete, just not always in the best fitness. you're right about when he was younger. And imagine if he'd been sober more often!!!

 

[apachef4]

He was always a beast of an athlete, just not always in the best fitness. you're right about when he was younger. And imagine if he'd been sober more often!!!

That beer didn't drink itself, think of the stamina he had, man!