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by **atwoodian** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 7:40 am

Early attendance numbers at the Greek Olympics are setting records for low numbers. So far it seems anyone can get into any event for less than face value of the ticket, though that probably won't hold for certain "hot" events.
Why didn't YOU go?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3144-2004Aug15.html

by **Adam Sinclair** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 7:59 am

You need an "all of the above" to click... that's why I didn't go.

by **Paco** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 8:30 am

I find myself rooting against the Americans more and more. All this rah rah we're so much better crap turns me off. THey should get rid of flags and just let the people compete without nationalities as a centerpeice.
How about that iraqi soccer team?

by **Adam Sinclair** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 8:33 am

No shit! How about Ian Thorpe? go Aussies!

by **atwoodian** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 10:28 am

Adam Sinclair wrote:You need an "all of the above" to click... that's why I didn't go.

I thought about it, then figured that the last choice sort of threw out the other ones. If you didn't want to go in the first place, the rest of 'em don't matter much. Just pick the one that tops your list. :-)

How bout dem Iraqis, hey?

by **Adam Sinclair** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 2:54 pm

I can hear the chants now: Go 'raq Go!

by **Marge** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 12:50 pm

Paco wrote:I find myself rooting against the Americans more and more. All this rah rah we're so much better crap turns me off. THey should get rid of flags and just let the people compete without nationalities as a centerpeice.

I hear you.
But I also get the sense that a lot of the jingoism is added by the sports commentators and the tv networks. Chrissakes, the TV Guide channel shows an up-to-the-minute medal count.
(Don't even get me started on the craptacular tv coverage.)

by **Paco** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:00 am

the coverage isn't so bad if you have cable. I babysat my neices for a couple days and got to watch it on the other stations and saw some good stuff. Field hockey is cool, saw Netherlands women beat Germany. the peice on women in running & marathon was really good. Watching the Afghani woman run in sweats to not show off her legs, and finish 3 seconds back in a 10 second race was really good. You can see some good stuff.

But if you're just stuck with NBC like I was this weekend, sucks generally. Costas seems so sedated, but compared to some of those announcers it isn't surprising. The swimming guy and the rowing color person are unreal. How can you get that excited over a couple guys rowing a boat??
-I turn it on saturday and I see guys jumping up and down on trampoline-wtf-when did that become a sport??
-Ping-pong was on this morning, how is something you play with a beer and chips in your basement a sport? I'm holding out for skee-ball, that's where I'm a viking!
-also womens race-walking was on-why do they need to wear bikini bottoms's to do race walking?? Not that I mind, but..???
-enough with the beach volleyball. please.
-Gail Devers fingernails.....eeeuuwww!
-did we really need to watch the marathon women hurl at the end?? Was it socially accceptable?

by **newlow** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:21 am

I haven't watched much of anything, but damn I think competitve level PingPong is badass! I do not know how a person can respond with such quickness. This ain't no beer and chips game.

by **Paco** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:38 am

but, but, it's PING PONG!!!!!!!!! Fer crisakes it's freakin' ping pong!!!!

What's next? Dodgeball? Masters Tetherball? Competitive 4-square??

by **shelly** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:39 am

Yeah, the women's marathon was cool.

The announcers' blatantly pro-american coverage is pretty much a given, but it still annoys the crap out of me. It infuriates me that whenever someone from another country goofs up, they immediately state what it will mean for so-and-so american's chances for a medal. Can't they do ANY better?

And, who wants to watch all those olympic moments stuff? Just show the actual competition and shut up.

by **Marge** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:26 pm

shelly wrote:And, who wants to watch all those olympic moments stuff? Just show the actual competition and shut up.

Exactly. If you would take out all the puff pieces (like the sexy photo shoot of Amanda Beard -- "she's an olympic sex symbol!") and the commericals, there would be about 10 minutes left per hour.
And how many medal ceremonies do I really need to see? The correct answer is Zero.

It also drives me nuts that for individual sports, they only show the people they consider to be contenders. How about instead of jumping from What's his name Hamm to Phelps to Misty May back to Phelps back to Hamm, they would just show a whole event, including the Armenians and the Italians and the Canadians. It doesn't really honor the spirit of "it's an honor just to compete" to ignore everyone but the americans and the winners.
Rant over. For now.

by **Paco** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:58 am

Marge wrote:Exactly. If you would take out all the puff pieces (like the sexy photo shoot of Amanda Beard -- "she's an olympic sex symbol!") and the commericals, there would be about 10 minutes left per hour.

Didja notice they went to commercial with 6 minutes left in the Lith/US bball game with the US up by about 3. when they came back US was down. They didn't even bother to wait for play stoppage.

Ditto on the Amanda Beard shot. I'd much rather have one on Inge de Bruijn..