Some people are going to hate me for this.
But I don't do the Olympics.
I could care less about them. (For the most part.)
I don't understand them.
Why do we need them? Are they a distraction from the real problems of the world? (Do they allow the rest of the world to be distracted while Russia can invade Georgia? Though that's a whole other topic.)
Are they supposed to make me feel good about my country? About some athletes that never get recognition? (BUT there are some *cough* Micheal Phelps*cough* that do and will come away with multi million endorsement deals.) Am I supposed to feel good that some shoeless runner from Africa made it to the Olympics? Probably. But I don't.
Additionally, I don't understand why some things are considered Olympic worthy events.
Here's a list of things that are considered Olympic events in 2008:
archery, track and field (athletics), badmition, baseball, basketball, boxing, BMX racing, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian events, fencing, soccor, gymnastics, handball, field hockey, judo, the modern pentathlon (see my note on this later), rowing, sailing, shooting, softball, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling.
Now my question is: What makes these things sports worthy of an Olympic medal and others not?
Baseball and softball are going the way of the dodo while BMX racing got added? Seriously?
Most of these sports have some form of world championship, I imagine. So do they really need to be included in the Olympics when the US or any other country for that matter already exerted its dominance over the others?
Why are some sports that I could easily do in my basement (i.e. table tennis) or at a backyard BBQ (i.e. badmition) considered Olympic worthy? At this comment, Joe stated that he could run a 100 meters in the backyard so wouldn't that disqualify that event? He made a good point. I should of challenged him to see if he could actually run 100 meters. I doubt it. But he could probably outrun me. But maybe it should be rephrased to be like if every thing I need to compete is available at Wal-Mart, then its not an Olympic sport. I can buy a tennis racket there, but not the court.
Also, golf and lacrosse are not Olympic sports. A lot of people argue that they should be. But BADMITION is?
A lot of people argue that equestrian events shouldn't be Olympic sports because it depends on the horse's athletism rather than a person's. Seriously, to compete at that level, the person better be pretty fit too. It takes serious training and teamwork to compete like that.
There are a lot of defunct Olympic sports that baseball and softball are going to become like. Polo, water motorsports (aka racing speed boats, this was in 1908), tug of war (while it violates my backyard rule, I would really like to see it.), cricket, rugby, etc.
It has always been my assumption that most of the athletes are not professionals. Which means that I get mad when I learn about all of the NBA players on the USA's basketball team. But I didn't make the rules.
Anyway, about the modern pentathlon. The five events that make it up are epee fencing, pistol shooting, 200 m freestyle swimming, showing jumping (on a unfamiliar horse), and a 3 km cross country run. It was developed to simulate something that a calvary soldier dumped behind enemy lines might have to do. It will be kept in the Olympics until 2012 then probably dropped. Personally, I like this idea of a sport. It show versilitiy in an athlete. I say teach Michael Phelps to ride and shoot and see what happens if he's so great.
I've also invited my own Olympic sport. In contemplating why hiking wasn't an Olympic event, I thought about what could make it so. I forget the name that I came up with but it basically combines cross country for humans (i.e. running) and cross country for horses without the horses (i.e. jumping things). The idea would be to run through the woods while having to climb over rocks and/or logs and run through creeks, etc. You could add in some poison ivy, a swarm of hungery mosquitos and maybe a stray wolf or two for some excitement. Seriously, it would be good fun!
Anyway, here's a link to the Summer Olympics on Wikipedia. So read up on some of the defunct sports, maybe invent your own and don't hate me for my hatred of the Olympics.
[EDIT-Originally published to Blogger on 8/23/11.]
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