2020/2021 Olympics

[gmase]

Some sponsors are quietly distancing themselves from the games:
https://www.npr.org/sections/tokyo-...nsors-are-downplaying-their-ties-to-the-games
Is the Olympic committee trying to do the same?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alison...d-rising-covid-19-infections/?sh=6f60845290c0
I can't see them cancelling the games at this point. Although the US women's soccer team may not object after losing to the Swedish non-bikini team.

 

[tvstrip]

That I totally agree on. Can you imagine what mind-blowing tech/performances they'll have?
I hope they make some Japanese pop culture references like they did for the closing ceremonies for Rio.

Actually....

https://www.npr.org/sections/tokyo-...tch-the-director-is-fired-for-holocaust-comme

Just a day before the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, Japanese organizers have dismissed the show's director over past comments about the Holocaust.

The Opening Ceremony organizers are also scrambling because of last-minute changes to the music after the composer resigned. In interviews in the 1990s, Keigo Oyamada boasted about bullying people when he was a student – including classmates with disabilities.

And in March, the creative director of the opening and closing ceremonies resigned after he made disparaging remarks about a Japanese female comedian.

 

[tvstrip]

On a lighter note, a little something about the "World’s Sexiest Athlete"
https://nypost.com/2021/08/05/german-track-star-alica-schmidt-explains-her-tokyo-olympics-ending/

 

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

We win. Again.
I mighta only watched like 30-45 minutes of the whole complete deal. Was on a TV at a restaurant.
Winning gets to be so routine after awhile. USA USA USA still tho.

Smash 'em.
Stack 'em.
Pin 'em.
USA #1

 

[tvstrip]

USA #1

But let's not forget some major caveats here...

-US men were literally nowhere in 3x3 basketball
-US women's soccer didn't make the finals for the 2nd Olympics in a row, after dominating the sport for a decade and a half
-No golds in the mens or womens 100 or 200 meters, despite no Bolt
-US only won 2 bronzes in skateboarding, a sport literally invented there
-Speaking of American sports - the US lost to Japan for gold in BASEBALL

And most shocking...
-No men's beach volleyball teams made it to the quarter-finals, despite it being an integral part of "Top Gun"

 

[tvstrip]

Well, at least it's over. Now we'll get to see the results of how much of a super-spreader event this was.

At the very least, I think we can say this was the first Olympics in decades where terrorism and non-biological security weren't a major concern.

On a niche note, it still bugs me that there are more medals for "walking" than there are for the steeplechase. That event deserves more love.

Since rock climbing is an event, they should go all out and have a Ninja Warrior style course as well.

 

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

The world needs to come together as one at The Olympics making babies and future Olympians. It doesn't matter what color your face is, only the color of your medal. Then we haul their embryonic carcasses over here, make them US citizens, and keep winning.

 

[gmase]

The world needs to come together as one

Papa Emeritus agrees.

Dressage is where it’s at:
https://www.insider.com/tokyo-2020-star-dancing-horse-mopsi-2021-8?amp

 

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

Papa Emeritus agrees.

Dressage is where it’s at:
https://www.insider.com/tokyo-2020-star-dancing-horse-mopsi-2021-8?amp

 

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

But let's not forget some major caveats here...

-US men were literally nowhere in 3x3 basketball
-US women's soccer didn't make the finals for the 2nd Olympics in a row, after dominating the sport for a decade and a half
-No golds in the mens or womens 100 or 200 meters, despite no Bolt
-US only won 2 bronzes in skateboarding, a sport literally invented there
-Speaking of American sports - the US lost to Japan for gold in BASEBALL

And most shocking...
-No men's beach volleyball teams made it to the quarter-finals, despite it being an integral part of "Top Gun"

You forgot the Roman Reigns part. Roman Reigns may be the Tribal Chief but the USA is the Chief of all Chiefs. ACKNOWLEDGE US!!!

 

[tvstrip]

Papa Emeritus agrees.

Dressage is where it’s at:
https://www.insider.com/tokyo-2020-star-dancing-horse-mopsi-2021-8?amp

We have archery and equestrian events at the modern Olympics.
If we're keeping these events, then we should replace them with mounted archery:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mounted_archery

The action of archery
The skill of horse jumping
The cool costumes of dressage

It's an ancient sport practiced by multiple nations, including the Mongolians, Japanese, Greeks, Romans and literally any civilization that had cavalry forces. It's even a modern sport in the US, UK and other countries as well. It would be nice to give the Mongolians a marquee event, and come on, who wouldn't want to see a modern day showdown with the descendants of Genghis himself?

Heck, Biathlon is still a winter sport, maybe we can create a horseback version of that?

 

[gmase]

The US got a surprise win here. It is the one which put the US ahead.
https://apnews.com/article/2020-tok...brazil-final-1194cd92c9ca1391530f1644517ca608

And Great Britain kept China from drawing.
https://news.sky.com/story/amp/toky...s-boxing-gold-in-womens-middleweight-12376230

 

[gmase]

We are not alone in our non-viewing. How low did it go?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewal...sank-precipitously-this-year---heres-why/amp/

Speaking of horsing around and pulling no punches:
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/olympics-modern-pentathlon-coach-punch-horse/

 

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

I'm especially beaming with national pride over our girl. This is some good, positive, unifying stuff. Thank you, Tamyra!

 

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

So proud of her. Tamrya ended up being my favorite Olympian. She carried the flag with pride for America. A wrestler too. A potential locker room enforcer in WWE as she's a serious shooter.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/mother-olympic-gold-medalist-tamyra-131946990.html

 

[tvstrip]

Thoughts on powerchair football and powerchair hockey being potentially added to the Paralympics?

 

[sj1]

Not sure how it all works but most of those athletes just want the opportunity to participant and feel they should. It would be nice to see them air some of the Paralympics on tv networks like the the Olympics to show how these athletes do perform at a high level and are very competitive to watch. Like when the Bad News Bears played at the Astrodome, the chant of "Let them Play".

 

[gmase]

25 medals later: https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/08/28/jessica-long-usa-paralympics-swimming-tokyo-200-medley/

 

[tvstrip]

I know it might be controversial, but I can't say I would want powerchair sports to be in the olympics. I feel there should be a physical element to an olympic sport, in the way that motorsports or e-sports will never be olympic events.

I don't consider wheelchair athletes "Paralympians". I just consider them straight up "Olympians" because the athleticism they show is easily on par, if not greater than any "normal" Olympic event. Heck, even the average wheelchair user has more upper body strength than the average non-disabled person.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely support powerchair activities; they deserve the chance to engage in these sports just as much as anyone else. I just hesitate to classify them as olympic events.

 

[tvstrip]

And on that note, if you never thought you could be intimidated by a guy in a wheelchair, this might change your mind...