The almost "I hate the Olympics" thread. Psuedo-political rantings!

[Jafana]

I considered posting this in the other olympics thread.. but it's not quite on topic for there.. so here I am..

anyway, my rant:

I almost called this the "I hate the Olympics" thread but then I realised, I dont. Well, not completely anyway...

Rather I dislike the way people use the olympics for their own purposes. (that is commercialisation and profit), to make things all 'happy families' etc. Much like they do with christmas and High School graduations.

and in particular I intensely dislike the way people use them for political statements, when they're supposed to be apolitical.

To clarify my points I'll give a couple of examples:
I had intended to not watch any of the broadcast (for reasons of my own - but mainly because channel 7 in Australia is showing almost 24/7 sport which then directly affects when Stargate is aired, as c.7 is the only free-to-air channel that has the rights to the show.)
but due to unforseen circumstances, I have indeed seen a small-ish amount. Which also means I've been subjected to an uncomfortable amount of suedo-Patriotic advertisements for Telstra (the formerly gov. owned telecommunications company) and also for QANTAS.

It really shouldn't surprise me that these companies would jump on the bandwagon and snaffle some rather catchy kind of patriotic tunes for their ads. and it doesn't really, It just irks me.
Now, here in Aust. for the most part, people don't care about patriotism. Sure, they get excited when movie stars get Oscar nominations etc. but for the most part people are just incredibly apathetic when it comes to the crunch.

Until of course, you get to sport - then for some reason they go completely off the rails. I don't watch sport, but I don't have anything against it either. In fact, I have an inordinate amount of respect for the athletes themselves - for the simple reasons that they have so very very much will power and determination to succeed. Go Them!

But, I completely disagree with the hoopla that evidently necessarily follows that. Just because a person who has lived in your country long enough to become a citizen has won a lump of metal, I see no real reason to get as excited as people do. I see that as a personal achievement of the individual involved. Not the entire country.
But it's not just that - it's also the commercialisation of it all. The money involved in hosting the games. Hundred's of thousands of millions of dollars are spent - for what? 16 measley days of people running around, getting dehydrated (those poor people by the way - Grecian summers don't sound fun!)
Talking to my brother about the same issue, he came up with the comment that people needed hope from somewhere.
And I guess thats true. But I don't think that a bunch of sporting events is a lasting kind of hope. Particularly in the form it takes these days. It's more of a manufactured kind of hope, that will burst almost immediately after the games are finished.

Because of the political issues that are necessarily dragged into the competitions (for example the US not being allowed to wave flags) it's a very sad world indeed if one needs to draw hope from events such as these.

Couldn't that kind of money be spent better elsewhere? Either in the host country's own government (ie, health care and education) or given to one of the numerous needful countries of the world?

This all being said - I have actually seen a couple of events - the Ping Pong being one of them - and I've always found it interesting to watch such underrated sports. I like to wonder what possessed those particular athletes to go into that sport?

So, while I disagree with many of the concepts that surround the olympics, I don't really think we should get rid of them altogether. People do enjoy watching sport. That's cool, I can handle that. But when it interferes with my Stargatey Goodness???? well....thats an entirely different story!!

[Jafana]

ohh and the Phallic symbol cauldron - a little..... weird.

[kiwigater]

Well, tell us how you really feel!!
I'm not much into sporting stuff on the national level either, I mean, I'll support my country winning (especially if they're playing the *evil* Aussies.... ), but I don't get too worked up about it.

Have you read the stuff about the Aussie bookie who's taking 25:1 odds that NZ won't win a single medal (of any description) at these Olympics??? LMAO! Now, there's a way to get people involved! Seems an odd wager to make when we've always won a respectable number of medals in the past, considering we're only a country of 4 million people (and to forestall the sheep jokes I'll add the 40 million sheep myself ).

Another thing that cracked me up was that appararently the NBC people - who are the only ones covering the Games, they sell the footage to everyone else - managed to get up close shots of all the flagbearers except for New Zealand! I say apparantly cos I was watching Stargate when the Opening Ceremony aired, and I was flicking channels, and I missed the initial entrance, but caught them waving flags around Ruffled a few feathers at home (us?? inferiority complex?? nah, we just get irked when people treat us like some small insignificant country in the South Pacific with only 4 million people..... oops, hang on a minute! D'OH!!! ).

[SaharaGate]

Well I can't say I'm a big fan of them either.

It's big kaffufle (kafuffle?) over not much. I do like the artsy parts of the opening ceremonies most of the time tho. But when the actual sport starts...I kinda tune out.

But the gymnastics and the diving and stuff are cool.

And I agree that it's quite sickening how much money is poured into this sporting event - much like lots of money is spent on school sporting equipment or events rather than academic resources.

But the flip side is that although the country in question forks out an awful lot, they also get a large return in the form of tourism and (short term) world recognition.

[Replicarter]

T-yeah, if you think I’m going to read that, i read like the first line and got tired, anyway, I agreed with what I think this thread is about, it does nothing but interfere with other programs, there so boring they should be cancelled.

[SeaBee]

I have to say I'm not bothered either way about the Olympics. I find the Para-lympics, which happen a few weeks later, far more interesting, but they are rarely mentioned or televised. These people are the true athletes, overcoming their physical difficulties to compete for little reward and on a shoestring budget, as opposed to the professional "amateur" athletes who compete at the regular games, who receive sponsorship, appearence money, free equipment, etc.

And on the topic of sponsorship, how can fast food, suger laden fizzy drink and chocolate companies be appropriate sponsors of athletic events?

[VirtualCLD]

Or cigarette companies for that matter (no offense intended to people who like cigarettes). While I do agree with most... well all of what you are saying, especially the commercialization bit, I am more interested in the olympics this year, because they're held in Greece.

I feel bad for the athletes who must compete in the Greccian summer plus the overwhelming polution in Athens. I heard they had trouble selling tickets to local greeks b/c this is the time of year where everyone vacations elsewhere since it's too d*** hot to be there now.

I know the olympics is only a short-term tourist trap, but I really hope this helps Greece, or at least Athens, for the long run. I've heard how they revamped their transportation system, built a new (or was it renovated) their international airport, switched over to lower emmisions busses, and a whole bunch of other things, to get ready for the games. My hope is that these changes will stay and as a result, Athens may see better tourism in the future, but that is wishful thinking on my part.

I liked the artsy parade at the beginning of the opening ceremony, and I hope it does help shed teh "developing nation" (aka third world) stereotype that Greece has.

So as much I don't pay much attention to the olympics, I just hope that these olympics help Greece, if even for a little bit.

[Hohenzollern]

Agreed. Dont care for the crass commercialism and tie-ins. And the departure from true amateur or non professional/earning atheletes.

Also; the torch or flambeaux looked like a great, fat spliff. I laughed my guts out when I saw it.

[Major Fischer]

Ruffled a few feathers at home (us?? inferiority complex?? nah, we just get irked when people treat us like some small insignificant country in the South Pacific with only 4 million people..... oops, hang on a minute! D'OH!!! ).

That line made my day!

[Anthro Girl]

I actually haven't seen any Olympic coverage yet. I miss the days when they ran every four years. It was really something special then. Now it's every two years and it's all about money (for the advertising and potential endorsement contracts). I'm not a sports fan at all, but if it were just about the sport, I would find it more interesting. It is the best of the best.

I do think that the end of the Cold War kind of killed some Olympic excitement, as much as I'm glad it's over. There was some level of national pride in the "good guys" vs the "bad guys" that was a form of release in a strange sort of way. In fact, I would be all for nations settling all disputes in this manner. "Oh yeah, well...see you at the Olympics, buddy!" Heh.

Bill Maher (US comedian) went on a rant last Friday about how the Olympics have become sooo not about about the sports competition and how the networks that win the bid to broadcast them feel the need to "fluff" up the broadcast with heartwarming (or wrenching) stories about the athletes' struggles and sacrifices. I understand the sacrifice. My nephew competed in the Nationals diving competition last week. However, it seems like the networks (NBC this year) pick the most likely to win and prepare little vignettes about their lives. Then, instead of showing the actual competition, they show the little story, some highlights and then the medal ceremony.

As a side note, NBC this year is showing over 1200 hours of Olympic coverage on six NBC-owned channels, live and recorded, from a country that is at least 8 hours ahead of the US. They showed approximately 3 hours of the Democratic National Convention, live and recorded. According to prepublished schedules, will show about the same of the Republican National Convention. I guess I must have my priorities wrong.

[Major Fischer]

Now now AG, how dare you be more interested in voter education, what kind of American are you!

[Anthro Girl]

Now now AG, how dare you be more interested in voter education, what kind of American are you!

<slapforehead> Silly me! I just prefer to hear my politicians lie to me live and in living color...without having talking heads trying to explain the lie I just witnessed.

BTW, ever notice that political news is covered much like a sporting match...with commentators and pundits blahblahblah-ing over the words of said politician? It isn't enough to trust the viewer to understand the football (either kind) game or the political speech. Nooooo...some overpaid blowhard has to interrupt and explain what you're watching, predict what you're going to see and qualify or justify what you've just seen. Grrrrr...

[keshou]

As a side note, NBC this year is showing over 1200 hours of Olympic coverage on six NBC-owned channels, live and recorded, from a country that is at least 8 hours ahead of the US. They showed approximately 3 hours of the Democratic National Convention, live and recorded. According to prepublished schedules, will show about the same of the Republican National Convention. I guess I must have my priorities wrong.

Well maybe the politicians should show up in track shorts and speedos and we might be more interested.

Yeah, priorities are out of whack, but frankly the conventions are about as "over-produced" as the Olympics are these days. I usually prefer to watch the debates when those get started, at least there's a chance I'll learn something that hasn't been totally manufactured by some political spin doctor.

As for the Olympics themselves, I still enjoy watching.

Do I like the commercialization? Absolutely not, but the games probably wouldn't be happening without sponsors and ads and network support.

Do I like the political overtones and the chants and other "our country is best" stuff that goes on?? Again, no.

Still, I hardly ever watch gymnastics and swimming and diving and rowing and volleyball and equestrian and all those other obscure sports outside the Olympics and it's fun to see it every few years. Sure, there are the "stars" who might get some money out of this deal but there's also a lot of athletes who have trained half their lives for this event who will go back to school or their jobs with more money spent than made and I enjoy watching their achievements and admiring their athletic ability.

And every once in awhile there's an athlete, from an unheralded country, that pulls an upset and I enjoy looking for those moments. The pure unadulterated joy on their faces is wonderful. And hopefully NBC will show it.

[Markey2]

Hmmm.... I didn't realise the olympics occured every two years, They only ever talk about them being like Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008. Football world cups occured in 2002 and will in 2006. Hmm Quick google search says that it's Torino 2006 for the olympics but they seem to publicise the 2004,2008,2012 ones more.

I think that the olympics are the best thing for humanity as a whole. When political issues like an athlete from Iran not facing competition from an athlete from Israel because they don't recognise them as a country, that makes me sick. For the olympics is the one place where everyone can start as equels. Everyone has the same chance to do something amazing.

I think we need to remember the slogan from this years olympics; "Celebrate Humanity"

I do however share your dislike about advertisers. I hate the fact that cigarette companies are allowed to sponsor anything and that unhealthy food companies are aloud to sponsor the games. At least companies like McDonalds recognise the healthy food options and are bringing out salds and healthy alternatives.

[Anthro Girl]

Hmmm.... I didn't realise the olympics occured every two years, They only ever talk about them being like Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008. Football world cups occured in 2002 and will in 2006. Hmm Quick google search says that it's Torino 2006 for the olympics but they seem to publicise the 2004,2008,2012 ones more.

That would be the Summer Olympics happening in Sydney last time, Athens this time and Beijing in 2008. The games being played now will not have another Olympic competition for another four years.

They used to have both Summer and Winter games in the same year. That stopped in 1992. Now they alternate. More advertising $$$$ that way. There is no practical advantage to any sport by having them alternate.

Winter:
Salt Lake City 2002
Torino 2006
Vancouver 2010

Summer:
Sydney 2000
Athens 2004
Beijing 2008

Listing of the locations for all the Olympic Games