what are your feelings on the olympics?

[laurence]

Originally posted by BarstoolProphet
Explain why I think the Olympic Games are ridiculous?

To start with, the idea that the Olympics are about sportsmanship amuses me, considering the origins of the games. The Olympics were originally a display of the skills of the warriors. A way for the districts, or provinces, or countries, or whatever to say \'Look what a bad idea it would be to invade us. See how good we are?\' without having to actually say it.

The modern games, to me, stopped being remotely interesting when they started caring more about who they could catch cheating with steroids, or blood doping, or whatever other performance enhancing methods they have, than about the spirit of competition.

Note, \'spirit of competition\', not \'sportsmanship\', not \'international brotherhood\'. This is, I think, and important distinction. One can be competetive, and be a lousy sportsman. Most really competetive people I know are, in fact, dumb-asses.

Yet, here in North America (I can\'t speak for other countries/continents), our athletes are also expected to be \'role models\'. Poor bastards. Particularly the men. \"We want you to exercise your ass off, generating an average of five times the testosterone a normal man generates, control the aggressive tendencies that generates, and keep smiling and being nice whenever some idiot shoves a camera in your face.\"

Then, too, there was the shift, decades back (when I really lost interest entirely), when the games stopped being about amateur athletes. If memory serves correctly (and it may not, because it\'s been a long time), it started with basketball, and NBA players going to the Olympics to sweep their games.

Now, I also have to grant that I don\'t watch professional sports, either. I think watching sports in general is a waste of time. I\'d rather play them. I don\'t understand the sports fanatic mentality.

I completely fail to understand why I should be pleased or disappointed if team A beats team B and gets into the play-offs. Similarly, with the Olympics, I fail to understand why I should be pleased if athlete A wins a gold or comes in dead last.

I don\'t feel that these are relevant things in my life. I appreciate and admire great athletes. Don\'t misunderstand me, here. It takes more effort than I can imagine to qualify for the Olympics, and kudos to them all for getting there. But I just can\'t help but feel that all the money they dump into the games could be spent on more useful things. Like education, or law enforcement.

Toronto was prepared, a few years back (8? 12? I forget) to spend millions of dollars on new stadiums just to host the games, after which it was possible that they\'d just stand there and not get any kind of regular use again. And this was being considered when our police force was screaming for funds, or fire department was screaming for new vehicles, and who knows what else? If we had the money to blow on stadiums and seating, then shouldn\'t it be used on something we KNOW we need, instead of a once-in-a-(insert era here) opportunity to host a bunch of sporting events?

Olympic fever? I\'ll pass, thanks.

I have to say that I agree with every word that you\'ve said. Well put!

 

[Durham red]

Originally posted by Evil Dave

Originally posted by Fizl
Possibly an incredibly daft question, but why is this cheating?

Shaz

Because the rules implicitly state that the girls must be 16 by the time of the Olympics. Prepubescent girls have a very distinct advantage over post pubescent girls.

By lying about the girls ages to get the advantage and around the rules it is cheating and against the spirit of the game.

Now should we lower the age limits? Not for me to say, but I do find pushing girls that young into Olympian standards instead of just letting them be little girls to be a bit self serving and cruel.

Is it an Olymic rule that people have to be 16 at the time of the Olympics? or is it just in the womens Gymnastics? since the UK has a 14 year old Diver.

 

[Roger Bunting]

It\'s just the gymnastics for the reason that Evil Dave mentioned earlier.

 

[freakinacage]

Originally posted by BarstoolProphet
Explain why I think the Olympic Games are ridiculous?

To start with, the idea that the Olympics are about sportsmanship amuses me, considering the origins of the games. The Olympics were originally a display of the skills of the warriors. A way for the districts, or provinces, or countries, or whatever to say \'Look what a bad idea it would be to invade us. See how good we are?\' without having to actually say it.

The modern games, to me, stopped being remotely interesting when they started caring more about who they could catch cheating with steroids, or blood doping, or whatever other performance enhancing methods they have, than about the spirit of competition.

Note, \'spirit of competition\', not \'sportsmanship\', not \'international brotherhood\'. This is, I think, and important distinction. One can be competetive, and be a lousy sportsman. Most really competetive people I know are, in fact, dumb-asses.

Yet, here in North America (I can\'t speak for other countries/continents), our athletes are also expected to be \'role models\'. Poor bastards. Particularly the men. \"We want you to exercise your ass off, generating an average of five times the testosterone a normal man generates, control the aggressive tendencies that generates, and keep smiling and being nice whenever some idiot shoves a camera in your face.\"

Then, too, there was the shift, decades back (when I really lost interest entirely), when the games stopped being about amateur athletes. If memory serves correctly (and it may not, because it\'s been a long time), it started with basketball, and NBA players going to the Olympics to sweep their games.

Now, I also have to grant that I don\'t watch professional sports, either. I think watching sports in general is a waste of time. I\'d rather play them. I don\'t understand the sports fanatic mentality.

I completely fail to understand why I should be pleased or disappointed if team A beats team B and gets into the play-offs. Similarly, with the Olympics, I fail to understand why I should be pleased if athlete A wins a gold or comes in dead last.

I don\'t feel that these are relevant things in my life. I appreciate and admire great athletes. Don\'t misunderstand me, here. It takes more effort than I can imagine to qualify for the Olympics, and kudos to them all for getting there. But I just can\'t help but feel that all the money they dump into the games could be spent on more useful things. Like education, or law enforcement.

Toronto was prepared, a few years back (8? 12? I forget) to spend millions of dollars on new stadiums just to host the games, after which it was possible that they\'d just stand there and not get any kind of regular use again. And this was being considered when our police force was screaming for funds, or fire department was screaming for new vehicles, and who knows what else? If we had the money to blow on stadiums and seating, then shouldn\'t it be used on something we KNOW we need, instead of a once-in-a-(insert era here) opportunity to host a bunch of sporting events?

Olympic fever? I\'ll pass, thanks.

well put. i generally agree with you although i do enjoy watching the athletes competing.

it\'s a shame you feel so badly about the \'spirit of competition\' i know what you mean but i honestly feel there is more sportsmanship than you give credit for and i enjoy watching them respectfully competing against each other

it does annoy me however when someone is sad that they got silver. ffs that means that only one person in your field can beat you!! enoy that!

i know what you mean about funding being spent elsewhere but, lets face it, if it weren\'t spent on something like this, it would be wasted on something maybe even more rediculous! and as i mentioned, there are some benefits (ie athen\'s improved public transport system)

i agree about you comment about the sports fanatic mentality, i have never been a big sports watcher and would rather play. but when you watch any high end sports event, it is still good to see how it can be and should be done. learn from the best etc..

 

[Starks333]

To start with, the idea that the Olympics are about sportsmanship amuses me, considering the origins of the games. The Olympics were originally a display of the skills of the warriors. A way for the districts, or provinces, or countries, or whatever to say \'Look what a bad idea it would be to invade us. See how good we are?\' without having to actually say it.

and now its about doing well for yourself and your country, to be known and to BE the BEST in the world at something

its the pinnacle of a sports career, to be known as \"the best\" it is simply the dream of anyone and everyone who trains for sport

The modern games, to me, stopped being remotely interesting when they started caring more about who they could catch cheating with steroids, or blood doping, or whatever other performance enhancing methods they have, than about the spirit of competition.

well with intense competition comes people tyring to get the upper hand, you think education, business, and everything else in the world isnt about getting the upper hand?....

Note, \'spirit of competition\', not \'sportsmanship\', not \'international brotherhood\'. This is, I think, and important distinction. One can be competetive, and be a lousy sportsman. Most really competetive people I know are, in fact, dumb-asses.

odd, most i know became lawyers, businessmen, or lead other forms of successful lives

Yet, here in North America (I can\'t speak for other countries/continents), our athletes are also expected to be \'role models\'. Poor bastards. Particularly the men. \"We want you to exercise your ass off, generating an average of five times the testosterone a normal man generates, control the aggressive tendencies that generates, and keep smiling and being nice whenever some idiot shoves a camera in your face.\"

this i agree with

Then, too, there was the shift, decades back (when I really lost interest entirely), when the games stopped being about amateur athletes. If memory serves correctly (and it may not, because it\'s been a long time), it started with basketball, and NBA players going to the Olympics to sweep their games.

whats the point in being best of the amateurs? look at basketball now, the US is now being COMPETED with(and has been dominated as well), by countries in europe, europeans have begun to routinely get drafted into the NBA and succeed

raising the bar for who can enter raises the bar for who does enter

you will bring up hockey now, problem is hockey is a bit more restrictive, because in most countries its not taken as seriously...sweden however is the example of the small country pushing limits to compete and has been quite successful

Now, I also have to grant that I don\'t watch professional sports, either. I think watching sports in general is a waste of time. I\'d rather play them. I don\'t understand the sports fanatic mentality.

its quite simple, when you love something, it doesnt matter what form it comes in, you still love it

im not a big screamer and yeller, i dont drink and throw parties, but ill be damned if i dont watch the NFL almost every sunday

I completely fail to understand why I should be pleased or disappointed if team A beats team B and gets into the play-offs. Similarly, with the Olympics, I fail to understand why I should be pleased if athlete A wins a gold or comes in dead last.

why should you be pleased if you get more or less money form your job, its just money, its not important to get that big screen tv, or go on that trip, and everyone has the money they need(they are usuall just too stressed or foolish to realise it) more or less bang for your buck? again just money go make more, more or less entertainment out of the same object...why are you pleased if you paint a mini? what purpose does it serve?

its all the same thing, simply because you enjoy it or are able to...or you feel good supporting people in your own country or people you actually know(i know 4 olympians this year)

I don\'t feel that these are relevant things in my life. I appreciate and admire great athletes. Don\'t misunderstand me, here. It takes more effort than I can imagine to qualify for the Olympics, and kudos to them all for getting there. But I just can\'t help but feel that all the money they dump into the games could be spent on more useful things. Like education, or law enforcement.

wow, what a completely biased and sad statement...you honestly think sports is elss than education and law enforcement?

sports IS EDUCATION and LAW enforcement, sports gives people something to do to keep them out of trouble(some will always get into trouble but that doesnt matter)...sports teaches you about yourself and your body, and some very important factors in life

education is as big a money draw as sporting event,s you think universities dont abuse the fact you HAVE to go to them to get degrees to qualify for jobs? gimme a break

you think more money is suddenly gonna make cops do a better job? or make more cops come out of the woodwork?

money isnt the problem with education or law....but it is when it comes to sports, because sports requires funding to happen(and belive it or not, but sports supplies jobs...you know how many people get jobs thanks to the olympics? building, cleaning, maintenance etc)

theres 100 ways to use the buildings after the olympics, but without funding, it wont happen, because sports are one of those things(in canada) that cannot sustain itself unless on the big time pro level, and even then we have problems

why? well im not even gonna go into the why...


PS for thos epeople bitching about the wrestler, the guy was world champion and felt robbed of his deserved win....that is enough to piss ANY competitive athlete off

you work your ass off for years(olympics arent every year remember) to get to the final and lose because of a poor judgement...ya try and hold that one in, its not the easiets thing in the world

as for the boxer, the russian was world champ again....he did have a general disrespect for his competition even though he was getting owned...but that arrogance is sometimes what you need to be the best because it gives you that edge

Ive had the opportunity to train under and around olympic coaches and athletes...believe me, most of the world around it, have no...f****n idea what its like, what it means, or how much work it is, both physically and mentally


Alex

 

[Logan]

Originally posted by demonherald
The olympics are great .. True there is more and more of the political interests intruding but let\'s face it China have been a bit naughty at times... But I can watch just about any of the olympic sports and enjoy them,..

I\'m with DH. Took a fortnight off work just to stay at home and watch. Cycling, swimming, archery, table tennis, blah, blah, blah
It\'s been top!

 

[Legacy40k]

But I just can\'t help but feel that all the money they dump into the games could be spent on more useful things. Like education, or law enforcement.

Yes, the olympics are extravagant and cost a lot of money.. Is it worth it? Well.. that depends on how you look at it. Is it necessary? Well... it\'s as necessary as any other form of entertainment. If you don\'t feel you need a TV, or a computer, or organized sports, movies... Then I suppose that it\'s not worth it.

However... Personally.. I think the olympics are a better money sink than a hockey players salary (or any other major sports atheletes). Why pay a hockey player 5million over a few years? Couldn\'t that money be better spent on books for students?

 

[Logan]

Originally posted by Evil Dave

Originally posted by Thunderhawker
As for the alleged 13y/o chinese gymnasts: The commies always cheat. Always. (though if they have the skills, let them compete, I say).

Everyone in the world knows they are cheating as well do they.

Bit of a generalisation Dave. China has a bad rep (and understandably so in some instances), but I wasn\'t aware of any \'foul play\'.
Granted the Chinese look young but don\'t all the gymnasts?
Man, Shawn Johnson doesn\'t look a day over 12!!!

 

[Theomar Pius]

Professional athletes in the Olympics didn\'t start with NBA players in the 90\'s, it began with Soviet amatures decades earlier, who were members of the red army and did nothing but train at their sport for 365 days a year. Bu they were paid as soldiers, not athletes, therefore, weren\'t professionals. Free countries would send their top amatures and collegates every four years to get trounced by the Reds.

Personally, I don\'t mind the pros in the Olympics, countries should be able to send their best.

And if you doubt the spirit of competition or the struggle of the athletes, watch some less popular events, where the athletes were obscure before the games, and will be obscure after, yet still train every single day to meet the goal of simply appearing at the games.

 

[BarstoolProphet]

Originally posted by Starks333

and now its about doing well for yourself and your country, to be known and to BE the BEST in the world at something

its the pinnacle of a sports career, to be known as \"the best\" it is simply the dream of anyone and everyone who trains for sport

This is a given, and as I said in my post, kudos to them. But I don\'t, personally, care who\'s best in the world. It doesn\'t actually affect me.

well with intense competition comes people tyring to get the upper hand, you think education, business, and everything else in the world isnt about getting the upper hand?....

Not everything is about getting the upper hand. Not to me. I am not a particularly competetive person. I play games to the best of my ability. Whether I win or lose is not the point so much as having fun. When it comes to work, I am not about getting ahead. I am about getting the job done properly. Whether I\'m management or grunt labour, my satisfaction comes from it being done to the best of my ability.

odd, most i know became lawyers, businessmen, or lead other forms of successful lives

This is where I\'m bound to differ from many people. What defines \'success\'? A lot of money? Or being content with what you do, and able to enjoy the simple pleasures of being alive on your own terms? The point could be argued until our fingers fall off.

whats the point in being best of the amateurs? look at basketball now, the US is now being COMPETED with(and has been dominated as well), by countries in europe, europeans have begun to routinely get drafted into the NBA and succeed

raising the bar for who can enter raises the bar for who does enter

you will bring up hockey now, problem is hockey is a bit more restrictive, because in most countries its not taken as seriously...sweden however is the example of the small country pushing limits to compete and has been quite successful

You have good points here, which I don\'t really have any good or valid arguements for, except to say that I\'m irrationally inflexible on the point of amateur athletics. Before professionals were allowed in, I would be up watching every game I could manage on two different tv sets in the same room. Maybe I\'m turning into one of those old fuddy-duddys that misses \'the old days\'.

its quite simple, when you love something, it doesnt matter what form it comes in, you still love it

im not a big screamer and yeller, i dont drink and throw parties, but ill be damned if i dont watch the NFL almost every sunday

And if you enjoy it, that\'s great for you. But I don\'t. Personal taste, and all that.

why should you be pleased if you get more or less money form your job, its just money, its not important to get that big screen tv, or go on that trip, and everyone has the money they need(they are usuall just too stressed or foolish to realise it) more or less bang for your buck? again just money go make more, more or less entertainment out of the same object...why are you pleased if you paint a mini? what purpose does it serve?

its all the same thing, simply because you enjoy it or are able to...or you feel good supporting people in your own country or people you actually know(i know 4 olympians this year)

wow, what a completely biased and sad statement...you honestly think sports is elss than education and law enforcement?

Yes, biased. Can\'t argue that. I\'m biased against professional sports, in particular.

sports IS EDUCATION and LAW enforcement, sports gives people something to do to keep them out of trouble(some will always get into trouble but that doesnt matter)...sports teaches you about yourself and your body, and some very important factors in life

Agreed, completely. I play sports. I coach little league baseball, every other summer (we have a lot of coaches, and not enough players, so we rotate). Sports teach us to play games by rules. Granted. That, in and of itself, is a form of law enforcement. And I, as a coach, really enjoy seeing kids that are a little awkward, maybe not so physical, pulling it together to learn the skills of the game. Sure, throw, catch.. sounds pretty easy, but there\'s hand-eye co-ordination, and swinging the bat properly\'s pretty tough, too. Especially at a ball that\'s moving between 35 and 50mph. Hell, my team last year had a kid that could throw a 64mph fast ball. Pretty darned good for a 12 year old, I\'d say.

But, our league isn\'t supported by anything but the players league fees and the coaches willingness to buy equipment. There\'s no municiplal sports support for us.

education is as big a money draw as sporting event,s you think universities dont abuse the fact you HAVE to go to them to get degrees to qualify for jobs? gimme a break

Should education be a business, or a right? The \'getting ahead\' mentality shouldn\'t apply to everything, in my opinion.

you think more money is suddenly gonna make cops do a better job? or make more cops come out of the woodwork?

I think more money will give the police the equipment they need to be able to do their job more effectively. Here in Toronto, we don\'t even have a SINGLE police helicopter. We have to call up the provincial police to ask if they can spare theirs to fly down and help us out. This takes away from the provincial police\'s air patrols.

And as to money for education... Tuitions are rising because there\'s less government support. Public schools are closing music and theatre departments down, shrinking libraries, and whole schools are being closed down. Not always because of student population decline.

money isnt the problem with education or law....but it is when it comes to sports, because sports requires funding to happen(and belive it or not, but sports supplies jobs...you know how many people get jobs thanks to the olympics? building, cleaning, maintenance etc)

Covered much of this, before. Can\'t dispute the job creations around such huge events, but they\'re all temporary.

theres 100 ways to use the buildings after the olympics, but without funding, it wont happen, because sports are one of those things(in canada) that cannot sustain itself unless on the big time pro level, and even then we have problems

why? well im not even gonna go into the why...

This was sort of my point, for Toronto in particular.

Ive had the opportunity to train under and around olympic coaches and athletes...believe me, most of the world around it, have no...f****n idea what its like, what it means, or how much work it is, both physically and mentally

My high school gym teacher had been an olympic wrestling coach and (I think) a world-class competitor in Judo. I agree with you. Most of the world doesn\'t have any real idea of how much goes into it. And as I said, initially, kudos to the athletes. I respect their abilities, but I\'m still not going to watch the games.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Woa man!! Them Commie-gymnast-kiddies are freakin me out!!

 

[krom1415]

I\'m enjoying the games, and its nice to see the UK doing so well, for a change

Makes you feel proud

 

[Roger Bunting]

Yes, but how can we compete with mutant Chinese gymnasts like the one in Shawn\'s picture? lol

Incidentally, the fuss about the 13-year old is due to a supposed (I say supposed as I haven\'t seen it or watched any news footage about it) fact that 9 months ago the Chinese state released some info about up and coming stars, and that particular gymnast was featured and it stated she was 13. So it\'s just not the idea that she looks like she\'s 13.

 

[rosac]

well, at least we\'re 3rd:flip::bouncy::flip:

and yes, im am a patriot

rosac

 

[Logan]

Originally posted by rosac
well, at least we\'re 3rd:flip::bouncy::flip:

rosac

For the time being lol
Now the rowing\'s finished and the sailing\'s nearly done, pin your hopes on the cycling guys and gals, but yeah, it\'s good to see us doing well for a change

 

[Starks333]

Not everything is about getting the upper hand. Not to me. I am not a particularly competetive person. I play games to the best of my ability. Whether I win or lose is not the point so much as having fun. When it comes to work, I am not about getting ahead. I am about getting the job done properly. Whether I\'m management or grunt labour, my satisfaction comes from it being done to the best of my ability.

the concept of business, is to make money, pretty plain and simple..and to make money you need to compete, and therefor get the upper hand(through advertsing, prices and so forth) it doesnt need to be dirty, but the fact is, you need to be above to be in

education is all about the upper hand, the more educated the more qualified you are for the job(supposedly) therefor the one with the university degree is supposedly beter than the one with college degree...realistically its just about money and class(which again is the \"upper hand\")

people cheat in all forms of life its just not as advertised in the media unless its a great story

but when someone gets called for cheating in sports oh its suddenly a big deal as if people havent cheated with taxes, school, projects, at work, or any other form of life...

its suddenly considered \"unsportsmanlike\" to find ways to stay or become competitive/more competitive but its not as bad if you cheat no a test in school to geta passing grade to get the degree to get that high paying job that someone else who didnt cheat could of gotten fairly

This is where I\'m bound to differ from many people. What defines \'success\'? A lot of money? Or being content with what you do, and able to enjoy the simple pleasures of being alive on your own terms? The point could be argued until our fingers fall off.

successful is either, since both are common goals

i know people who trained, and now coach and love coaching even though it doesnt necessarily supply them with the money to live, they need other jobs, but they have been incredibly successful training people, and so forth

Agreed, completely. I play sports. I coach little league baseball, every other summer (we have a lot of coaches, and not enough players, so we rotate). Sports teach us to play games by rules. Granted. That, in and of itself, is a form of law enforcement. And I, as a coach, really enjoy seeing kids that are a little awkward, maybe not so physical, pulling it together to learn the skills of the game. Sure, throw, catch.. sounds pretty easy, but there\'s hand-eye co-ordination, and swinging the bat properly\'s pretty tough, too. Especially at a ball that\'s moving between 35 and 50mph. Hell, my team last year had a kid that could throw a 64mph fast ball. Pretty darned good for a 12 year old, I\'d say.

as a coach you are already experiencing a form of what we are talking about for olympic support...you enjoy seeing people succeed in things they work hard for, or seeing people grow

this is essentially what being a sports fan is, watching your \"team\" grow...or cheering a favourite player watching his career and feeling as if you are actually supporting him

to some its the fact you are competitive and love watching people fight and battle

lots of reasons to watch, maybe not for you, but this isnt about you

But, our league isn\'t supported by anything but the players league fees and the coaches willingness to buy equipment. There\'s no municiplal sports support for us.

baseball and many team sports in non competitive leagues dont have the same expenses...olympic athletes MUST attend international competitions which are very expensive, in order to compete and grow

while competitive teams must travel, must have better equipment in some cases...more refs, better arenas/surfaces and so forth

Should education be a business, or a right? The \'getting ahead\' mentality shouldn\'t apply to everything, in my opinion.

if education was a right, it wouldnt cost so much money...problem is, everything has a $ value these days

this is a result of either good people getting burned, or people taking advantage(trying to get ahead)

I think more money will give the police the equipment they need to be able to do their job more effectively. Here in Toronto, we don\'t even have a SINGLE police helicopter. We have to call up the provincial police to ask if they can spare theirs to fly down and help us out. This takes away from the provincial police\'s air patrols.

realisticly does toronto need its own? theres not an overly large amount of violence in canada, even toronto...even with the media blowing everything out of proportion and exaggerating things, theres not much crime

And as to money for education... Tuitions are rising because there\'s less government support. Public schools are closing music and theatre departments down, shrinking libraries, and whole schools are being closed down. Not always because of student population decline.

tuitions rise because everything that involves $ rises...universities are a private business with government support as far as i know...otherwise the tuition would be paid for via taxes like public schools and such...(schools in many countries in europe are actually in ways free)

school closure isnt a sign of lack of money, realisticly, theres no need to have 10 schools for 8000 kids, when they can fit into 4...it doesnt affect how much you learn at all, it improves sports teams and other such things, it can allows for larger accumulation of funds in one area

the problem is spreading it out...that creates \"lack of funding\" because you have the same amount of money being spread over more area...think of surface area, and how much more paint is required to cover a larger surface, whether the effect is the same or not or applied the same or not, its more area, hence needs more paint

libraries are a thing of the past....the internet is the new library

music, theatre, and other departments get closed at schools often because they are deemed \"less than other academics\" just like sports teams

they are suffering from the silly state of mind that they are simply hobbies and not as important to life as math or science or other extremely useless classes(often the fault of how they are taught but i digress)

Covered much of this, before. Can\'t dispute the job creations around such huge events, but they\'re all temporary.

takes a couple years to get everything built, thats a pretty good employment period, especially to give time to people to find new jobs while working, its better than putting money into something that doesnt create any real extra jobs



PS believe and support what you want thats your choice just remember how many people you affect with your ideas when you make them

 

[demonherald]

I don\'t know how to do all the multiple quote bits .. Hell I can\'t even type half the time but this thread seems to have thrown up all sorts of different angles and as a casual observer I agree disagree object support I\'m getting splinters from the fence....

I have to say that I agree on the whole amounts of money spent on sportsmens wages etc to be a real pain compared to what the money could be spent on.. Football (soccer) here sees some ridiculous money going to people that otherwise would have earned nothing is this a good thing .?? who knows but when a player is negotiating over wether or not he should get 15 or 20K a week and 500yards from the stadium this is happening in the local community centre is busting a nut to raise £5K then there is a serious inbalance somewhere.

That said sport has become no less a business than the movie industry . It\'s all about entertainment for the masses , The masses pay the masses get.. Perhaps I am one of those like the BSProphet that doesn\'t go for the whole fanaticism of sport but I do enjoy watching a great game event or personal chalenge on the sportsfield and I\'d much rather money got paid to sportsmen to allow me to have this release than I would see it go to pay for bullets tanks and armour ...

I would also like to see more money go to sports development for the youngsters and to be honest while events like the olympics , the world series , The world cup hold the prestige they do then the money will keep filtering down to the grass roots.

prep for london 2012 is running comically over budget here and the short term is a lot of people getting a lot of work from it.in a time when the building trade is suffering a bit of a hiccup the olympic prep is keeping a lot of folk in work at the moment..:beer: during the event the tourism will be high and bring some money back , the sponsors the television coverage etc a bit more but after the event?? who knows but we can all rest assured who\'ll end up picking up the bills:cussing:

Oh and although Toronto may not have necessarily needed the funds for the police every city can benefit in this area as well as fire and hospital services I don\'t care where they are...

 

[Onis Lair]

My take on the olympics... i could care less. Thank you for asking.

 

[wiccanpony]

you\'re welcome lol

 

[Dragonsreach]

Personally I\'ve grown more and more disgusted by the hypocrisy of the Olympic coverage.
We get Two Solid weeks of coverage of the fastest/strongest, or more accurately the most intensely trained able bodied people.
And how much coverage do we see of Athletes who have to overcome physical limitations to compete.........If we are lucky a minor glimpse on the news, otherwise sod all.

Eight years ago the son of someone I know competed for GB in the Olmpics and won their fencing competition, No press notice, No television coverage, No grand heroes welcome home.
Why, because he\'s in a wheelchair and it makes people programming and watching TV feel \"uncomfortable\".

I say sod seperate Olympics lets have four weeks of integrated sports of all abilities.



Oh and since when has Beach Volleyball been a Sport?


End of Rant

Oh and why I feel this way is in part due to THIS MAN my wife\'s late uncle.