What sports should the Olympics ge rid of?

[Dale_M]

BTW curling rocks!

youtube.com/watch?v=JU_6M9mek74&feature=relmfu

Sharon Vukich makes a good spokesman. She is soft-spoken, but very personable. I couldn’t help but like her, and agree with her.

One thing I would have added to her description though is something I heard during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics coverage. Vukich said that the team members who are sweeping the ice with brooms are creating friction to melt the ice just a little so that the stone can hydro-plane on a thin layer of water. The NBC commentator said the same thing, but also added that the trick is not to create too much water because that would slow the stone down.

One of the best shots: youtube.com/watch?v=CM5mFH3_Qhs&feature=related

Ricochet! Very slick… I wondered what she was doing. But it worked aces.

Okay, you’ve won me over. I will specifically tune into the curling coverage during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

 

[Dale_M]

lol
You guys forgot to give croquet serious consideration.

It was a sport at the 1900 Olympics in Paris. In fact, there were four different croquet events (singles, doubles, singles - two balls, singles handicap - two balls.) However, only one spectator showed up to watch any of it. That may have something to do with why the sport was dropped.
topendsports.com/events/discontinued/croquet.htm

 

[Joe_5859]

Why get rid of any of them?

I agree. The only reason I can think of is that since the IOC has placed the limit at 28 sports for the Summer Olympics, you can’t add something without taking something away.

 

[Nelka]

Basketball.

Replace it with chess?

 

[Dale_M]

Replace it with chess?

How about chess-boxing?
*
The matches work like this: competitors alternate between three-minute rounds of boxing and four-minute rounds of speed chess with one-minute breaks in between to get the gloves off and hunker down at the chess table. The winner is determined by knockout, checkmate, or referee decision. *

time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1821639,00.html

 

[Joe_5859]

How about chess-boxing?
*
The matches work like this: competitors alternate between three-minute rounds of boxing and four-minute rounds of speed chess with one-minute breaks in between to get the gloves off and hunker down at the chess table. The winner is determined by knockout, checkmate, or referee decision. *

time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1821639,00.html

LOL. I thought you were being funny, Dale, but then I saw the link and there actually is such a thing. I would totally tune in to watch that.

 

[PatriceA]

We should cut out about half the swimming competitions: I mean 4 by 100, 4 by 400 etc etc., in freestyle, breast-stroke, back stroke IM, butterfly etc etc etc - boring!!!

You Yanks wouldn’t like that though, your medal count would be a lot lower!

Also for swimming - like the cycling - there should be only one representative per nation in the final. That would even things up.

4x100, 4x400 are relays only.

They are actually considering adding more swim events.

I don’t think any of the sports should go. Just because I may not particularly like watching that sport, doesn’t mean somebody else shouldn’t have the opportunity to excel at their skill or talent.

 

[triumphguy]

4x100, 4x400 are relays only.

They are actually considering adding more swim events.

I don’t think any of the sports should go. Just because I may not particularly like watching that sport, doesn’t mean somebody else shouldn’t have the opportunity to excel at their skill or talent.

I know - my point it that there are far more cycling events, which Britain would have won more medals in, but they were cut to deliberately reduce the dominance of GB cyclists. Imagine the uproar if they did that to swimming or athletics.

 

[Rolltide]

I know - my point it that there are far more cycling events, which Britain would have won more medals in, but they were cut to deliberately reduce the dominance of GB cyclists. Imagine the uproar if they did that to swimming or athletics.

I agree that there should be more cycling events, and that swimming and track events should not be cut. If you already have a stadium with a track or an aquatic center (at the cost of millions of dollars), wouldn’t it be practical to squeeze as many events out of your investment as possible? You’ve already got the security and personnel in place, and the venues are ready. The main argument against more events is the cost involved, but with these sports, there would be almost no added cost whatsoever in adding another day or two of competition. In fact, you might potentially squeeze out more profits in advertising revenue and tickets.

 

[migueltojose]

I don’t think any of the sports should go. Just because I may not particularly like watching that sport, doesn’t mean somebody else shouldn’t have the opportunity to excel at their skill or talent.

I agree - keep em all and add more. Bring back baseball and softball. What about lacrosse and rugby.

What they need to get rid of is the incessant mindless drivel that comes from the mouths of the announcers and commentators. Tha wrap yourselves around the flag and 2 minute bios on the athletes was popular once, when Jim McKay did it about 50 years ago.

The athletes are the best of the best and they are all great. Knock off with the petty chatter.

 

[Cat]

I don’t think any of the sports should go. Just because I may not particularly like watching that sport, doesn’t mean somebody else shouldn’t have the opportunity to excel at their skill or talent.

I agree - keep em all and add more. Bring back baseball and softball. What about lacrosse and rugby.

What they need to get rid of is the incessant mindless drivel that comes from the mouths of the announcers and commentators. Tha wrap yourselves around the flag and 2 minute bios on the athletes was popular once, when Jim McKay did it about 50 years ago.

The athletes are the best of the best and they are all great. Knock off with the petty chatter.

Jim McKay–he was awesome! RIP, buddy. Wish you were back.

It is generally accepted that figure skating became popular primarily because of Jim McKay (and Dick Button).

 

[Seeker1961]

I agree - keep em all and add more. Bring back baseball and softball. What about lacrosse and rugby.

What they need to get rid of is the incessant mindless drivel that comes from the mouths of the announcers and commentators. Tha wrap yourselves around the flag and 2 minute bios on the athletes was popular once, when Jim McKay did it about 50 years ago.

The athletes are the best of the best and they are all great. Knock off with the petty chatter.

Jim McKay–he was awesome! RIP, buddy. Wish you were back.

It is generally accepted that figure skating became popular primarily because of Jim McKay (and Dick Button).

I have to say that I really did enjoy Tom Brokaw’s segment on England during WWII, but then I am not only an Anglophile but I am a history buff.

I would like to see profiles of athletes that AREN’T American. I know it’s an American audience, but there are so many compelling stories in an Olympics and I’d like to see more about them.

Lacrosse would be a great sport to add, but I’m not sure how big it is outside the USA.

 

[pnewton]

Dressage! (and all the other horsie sports). The Olympics should be for people. Why not through in a cat show or dog tricks?

Bring back softball.

 

[Bill_Martin]

Dressage! (and all the other horsie sports). The Olympics should be for people. Why not through in a cat show or dog tricks?

Bring back softball.

I agree with dumping the horse events.

Whenever someone defends them, I ask if they would like to have motorcycle racing added too, since it’s essentially the same thing except A.) the horse is mechanical, and B.) it’s a heck of a lot of fun to watch. They usually object.

 

[7_Sorrows]

i also feel that they should eliminate some sports from the olympics. water polo is the first that comes to mind. beach volleyball is another. personally, i enjoy symnchronized swimming and the equestrian events. why not add dancing competitions? granted, we can’t please all of the people. i also feel they should establish one spot for the summer olympics and one spot for the winter olympics and do away with the host cities. i am speaking mainly for economic reasons of getting rid of some of the sports and eliminating host cities. everything has to be in excess anymore. the host cities spend so much money building all that is needed for host the olympics and then what happens when the olympics are over?
i find the coverage of the events very boring with so much talking by the people covering the events for tv. i used to enjoy watching the olympics, but it has become like the superbowl in america for me - overblown and too commercialized.

 

[pnewton]

I agree with dumping the horse events.

Whenever someone defends them, I ask if they would like to have motorcycle racing added too, since it’s essentially the same thing except A.) the horse is mechanical, and B.) it’s a heck of a lot of fun to watch. They usually object.

Or another tack would be to ask, since it is a sport for people, how about drawing the horse they ride by lot, like they do in rodeo?

Rodeo? Now there’s a sport, or at least more of a sport than dressage.

 

[jediliz]

just be glad they don’t do these events like they did in Ancient Greece (sans clothing!).

I’d get rid of Synchronized Swimming…YAWN

Don’t get rid of Water Polo yet…the USA just won its first Gold Medal in…Women’s I think?

 

[JackyB]

Drop football and bring in rugby, I love tennis but not at the Olympics especially if Rafa not playing!

 

[curlycool89]

i also feel they should establish one spot for the summer olympics and one spot for the winter olympics and do away with the host cities. i am speaking mainly for economic reasons of getting rid of some of the sports and eliminating host cities. everything has to be in excess anymore. the host cities spend so much money building all that is needed for host the olympics and then what happens when the olympics are over?

I think this is a really good idea actually. It would definitely bet the most efficient way to doing it, and we’d avoid the whole fiasco of host cities.

There’s only a few problems.

1. The Olympics are about Nationalism if anyone didn’t know that yet. It’s very immature and petty actually. But that also applies to the host cities, which is why they get rotated around the continents/regions, so choosing a permanent site would develop into nothing more then a larger version of “my country is better then your country”. Personally I’d vote for somewhere in Europe because it’s 1st World (developed) and still close to most populated areas (closer then North/South America) in Asia (like India and China). It’s not like the Olympics aren’t a European thing already either (they kind of invented them).
2. There are arguments that host cities do get a boost in infrastructure due to all the buildings and transportation (roads and public transit, like the Sea-to-Sky Highway in Vancouver that was upgraded, and it really needed it). However, the flip side is that some buildings never get used again (all of Athens’ venues, Olympic Stadium in Beijing).

 

[Nelka]

Bring back softball.

No way!