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Why aren't we talking about this?

Top three in medal counts are
China the US and Japan have the top in the medal counts with 30, 29 and 17 between them.

By weighted averages, though, China is way ahead thanks to having 17 golds compared to 12 for the US.

NBC's crap coverage is crap. I realize we'd be watching at odd hours in order to avoid spoilers, but it's the lesser evil. I didn't see this personally, but apparently they touted an interview on the next day's Today Show with a gold medalist...during their airing of the competition in which she won gold. I'd say they're doing a great job of trolling, but they're hurting their own viewer numbers.

China is coming under intense scrutiny. The past gymnast controversy was apparently just the tip of the iceberg. They take these athletes away from their families and basically turn them into factory-produced medal-winning machines. Scary sh*t.

Phelps is a badass. Not as dominant as '08, but still awesome.

Having a hard time getting into these games, but I also don't live near my sports-fan friends anymore, so any sport is harder to watch (usually alone). Not the Olympics fault, per se, but my own perspective.

I'm not exactly a sports buff, but I have time for the Olympics. Kinda waiting for the track and field athletics to start.

Go China!!!!

America's awesome, China's awesome, Japan's awesome. Everyone else sucks.

China is less awesome because they enslave their athletes, so America's the most awesome and Japan's second most awesome. Basically all you need to know 'bought the Olympics.

InB4 Lil B attempts to defend China.

It's been pretty great. Sucked to see two upsets of Gold medal favorites for the U.S. in Archery and Fencing today, but still did plenty of winning today.

Good soccer matches as well. Lastly, can't believe what a joke Olympic Boxing is. Talk about the fix being in. Absolutely horrid that athletes have to put up with that.

Originally posted by Tzeentch._
America's awesome, China's awesome, Japan's awesome. Everyone else sucks.

China is less awesome because they enslave their athletes, so America's the most awesome and Japan's second most awesome. Basically all you need to know 'bought the Olympics.

InB4 Lil B attempts to defend China.

I said, CHINA!

Originally posted by Ascendancy
Lastly, can't believe what a joke Olympic Boxing is. Talk about the fix being in. Absolutely horrid that athletes have to put up with that.

What's this? It's the first I'm hearing/reading about it. I could not find a news story. What is going on in boxing?

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
Go China!!!!
Commie.

Everytime I tune in to watch the Olympics, I see either swimming, soccer or tennis. Where's the weightlifting?! Even gymnastics are hard to find! Oh, in all fairness, I've managed to catch some boxing.

I've always loathed pop American team sports (baseball, football, basketball). Now I'm starting to loath swimming and soccer.

Overall, coverage has been a major disappointment.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19733_5-things-they-dont-want-you-to-know-about-olympics_p2.html

I knew about the wild sex years ago, it's not a very well-kept secret. The others, though, were surprising to me.

Originally posted by Digi
I knew about the wild sex years ago, it's not a very well-kept secret.

Even if they did keep it a secret I don't think anyone would believe there wasn't any sex going on. Olympians are people in their 20s in prime physical condition,

Sure. But the degree to which it happens is initially shocking to anyone. 15 condoms per athlete that one year, and it wasn't enough?! And that doesn't even include unprotected sex. It's absurd.

Originally posted by Digi
Sure. But the degree to which it happens is initially shocking to anyone. 15 condoms per athlete that one year, and it wasn't enough?! And that doesn't even include unprotected sex. It's absurd.
The only absurd thing is that I'm not there.

Edit: I loled at the guy in the comment section complaining about missing out on all the poon. Leik, omg, I bet he really was a pro windsurfer (is that even an Olympic sport?)

Are we really too cool for the "O"?

Originally posted by Omega Vision
The only absurd thing is that I'm not there.

Yeah.


...yeah.

Originally posted by dadudemon
What's this? It's the first I'm hearing/reading about it. I could not find a news story. What is going on in boxing?

Boxers were being put to the floor multiple times, then somehow winning the match on points despite being clearly out fought. Boxers were being called for violations that they didn't commit. One boxer was disqualified for a non-existent infraction after being warned for it previously, though he had clearly done nothing out of sorts.

One involved a Japanese boxer being robbed, another a fighter from Azerbaijan if you want to look them up.

Womans beach volleyball. Oh yeah. Spain vs USA right now.

Originally posted by Ascendancy
Boxers were being put to the floor multiple times, then somehow winning the match on points despite being clearly out fought. Boxers were being called for violations that they didn't commit. One boxer was disqualified for a non-existent infraction after being warned for it previously, though he had clearly done nothing out of sorts.

One involved a Japanese boxer being robbed, another a fighter from Azerbaijan if you want to look them up.


Thanks for the info.


I remember a multiple knock-down boxing match where it went to decision despite the fact that one dude clearly one.

Originally posted by Bardock42
Are we really too cool for the "O"?

It makes us look cute and nonthreatening. Had there been an R it would be replaced with a Ya.

Originally posted by Mairuzu
Womans beach volleyball. Oh yeah. Spain vs USA right now.
That was a great match.

Can anyone explain the final outcome of the Shin/S.Korea fencing thing?

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33747_162-57484107/olympic-fencer-sobs-for-half-hour-after-loss/

Questionable call and then some.

Shouldn't this be in the sports forum?

With all the pageantry, nationalism, and celebrity involved, the Olympics is more of a general cultural event than a pure sporting affair.

So I don't think it's completely off base to have the thread here.

My family watches girls gymnastics every year - my sister use to do gymnastics until the eighth grade

So my Olympic heroes are Carrie Strug, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu, and Shannon Miller. WAY back in the day.

Yeah, the magnificent seven killed it in Atlanta. The fab five got it done last night and the flying squirrel brought home some more gold tonight. The U.S. cleaned up today. Destroyed the competition in semi in vball all over the place as well as the pool, dominated England in water polo, then took gold in multiple swimming events and rowing. Tied with China for gold and winning the overall medal count.

Congrats to Kayla Harrison for winning the U.S.' first gold in Judo yesterday as well.

Looks like four teams were disqualified for the badminton fiasco.

Well, good.

Where the heck are the Russians? The UK, France and South Korea are battling it out for third place, and that's where the Russians normally sit, but they are snoozing down in tenth! I guess they'll go for more now the Athletics have started, but even so... the top of the table used to be a superpower race between the US and USSR. China's joined that race but Russia's fallen out of it entirely.

As for Australia- they are having their worst performance in a long time. They made a name as a small nation punching way above their weight in the Olympics (4th in 2000 and 2004, which when you compare their population to the three above them is ridiculous) and now they are nowhere in sight.

By medal count Russia is currently at 3rd trailed by GB and Japan.

Well, a medal count needs to be weighted to make such sense (golds and bronzes are not equivalent), and that would put them mid-top ten. Which is still appalling by their standards. Regardless, though, Olympic positioning has always been about winning, and there the Russians have so far failed almost totally.

The top 3 used to be literally unreachable- playing in a class of their own. The Russians are falling out of it.

True, but it doesn't seem like the Russian Federation has the intensity in their programs that they used to as the U.S.S.R. and even as much as they did in the first 15 or so years after that. The U.S. still dominates because the athletes want to be the best; the Chinese dominate because their programs are still as domineering as the old Soviet programs used to be. Women's Gymnastics seems to be the only place where you can tell that anything short of Gold is a failure for the Russian competitors.

The US doesn't dominate because is athletes want to be the best. All of these people want to be the best. It's a matter of resources in talent finding and development along with the population size that sets the potential talent pool that puts the superpowers ahead.

Take it as you will but everyone definitely doesn't want to be the best. There was an athlete interviewed about being the best in his country and he said that was a distinction that he didn't want because he didn't think he could handle the pressure. Some people just want to be part of the games and enjoy their sport. There are plenty who simply do not believe they will ever be capable of being the best. There's definitely a reason that the saying, "American's love a winner" hasn't faded from the vernacular since it was first spoken.

It's the same energy that's behind so many Korean women dominating women's golf the way they do: they have a completely different attitude about prep and level of play than the majority of other competitors.

Germany is underwhelming so far...better catch up!!!

Originally posted by Ascendancy
Take it as you will but everyone definitely doesn't want to be the best. There was an athlete interviewed about being the best in his country and he said that was a distinction that he didn't want because he didn't think he could handle the pressure. Some people just want to be part of the games and enjoy their sport. There are plenty who simply do not believe they will ever be capable of being the best. There's definitely a reason that the saying, "American's love a winner" hasn't faded from the vernacular since it was first spoken.

It's the same energy that's behind so many Korean women dominating women's golf the way they do: they have a completely different attitude about prep and level of play than the majority of other competitors.

The overwhelming majority of players are there to win. It's actually a bit weird for you to think that this is some particular quality to the US. There is absolutely no way that their will to win is any more than all of those countries pushing on that medal table.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
The overwhelming majority of players are there to win. It's actually a bit weird for you to think that this is some particular quality to the US. There is absolutely no way that their will to win is any more than all of those countries pushing on that medal table.

I'd say the culture and resources, like you (or was it someone else?) mentioned, has a lot to do with it.


Americans seem to be very competitive. Lots of countries do as well. But it seems to be almost to the point of absurd in the US.

As far as will to win is concerned, it's the same pretty much everywhere.

Ush is right, guys.

Serena Williams smashed Maria Sharapova(and Azarenka in semis) for the gold as well as setting a record.

usaflag

Indeed, and then she and Venus proceeded to lay it down again in doubles. Props to the women's Volleyball team for getting it done and to the U.S. ladies who took the first medal ever for the State in Epee.

Plus there was all that bling going on in the pool last night.

Props to Jamie Gray for winning gold in women's 50m rifle. (lol)

Also, props to the stage hands.

Props to the wild debauchery that is surely going down every night.

Let the creative juices flow.

If they run out of condoms as has happened before there might be some new creations indeed.