Sunday, August 17, 2008

Thoughts on The Olympics


Ever since I was a kid I've been obsessed with The Olympics. Just insane over the whole thing. Rushing out to buy the "Sport Illustrated" preview issues so I knew who to keep my eye on, that kind of thing. But it's just not doing it for me anymore. I'm not sure why, but I've got a number of theories. Anyway, here's a few thoughts on what's happened so far:

Age things: First off, can there be a real conclusion about the ages of the girls on the Chinese gymnastics team. Aren't there some pictures? Look, she's celebrating her 8th birthday and it's the new millennium! (He's birthday is January 1st, according to the official record.) Do you remember that Romanian gymnast who got her gold medal taken away because she took some cold medicine? Hey officials, this is a bigger deal. There seems to be some convincing evidence that some of these girls are 14, and none that they are 16, besides those passports.

Speaking of age, how 'bout that old bag Dara Torres? I'm surprised she can even make it to the pool to practice!

Ugly American: Am I the only one who thinks that the announcers are trying too hard to make China seem just wonderful? I'm not saying it should be a bash-fest, but aren't there some issues here? When they interviewed the female diver (Jingjing?), she said how much she hated it and how she was afraid to dive when she first started. Could we point out that this might be a bad thing? When these little kids are taken away from their families so that they can learn tumbling, I'm not thinking, "Oh, how cute!" When racers bike past Tiananmen Square, shouldn't we all be reminded of more than its "beauty"? 

I am over beach volleyball. Especially during primetime.

Usian Bolt may be Superman. He ran that final like it was a qualifying race and still kicked everyone's ass.

Yeah, I watch the marathon. I actually look forward to watching it, so stop interrupting me, Bob Costas.

Why does my HD Olympic station show so much boxing? 

More handball, please. It's what soccer would be if soccer were awesome. 

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