The Olympics

[Duct Tape]

1 hour ago, mosesgolf said:

I don't think that 1992 will ever be bested.  The 2024 team beat SOUTH SUDAN 101 to 100 (only winning because of a last second layup by Lebron)  and beat Germany by only 4.  My 3 favorite players of all time and imo the 3 best and the 3 that changed basketball forever were Magic, Bird, & Michael.

Back when I cared about NBA basketball those were, and still are,  by far my favorite players. Passing and playmaking mattered, not just bull rushes to the hoop and 30ft shots. 

 

Edited July 24, 2024 by Duct Tape

[LimaSierra]

14 minutes ago, Duct Tape said:

Back when I cared about NBA basketball those were, and still are,  by far my favorite players. Passing and playmaking mattered, not just bull rushes to the hoop and 30ft shots. 

 

Duct Tape with a rare W.

 

Ben Wallace is the GOAT in my eyes

[NoTalentLefty]

I don’t really watch the summer Olympics and yet it would be rather interesting to send college golfers for the US team for seeing the future of golf. Ferguson good idea. But it will never happen.

[Chunkitgood]

On 7/23/2024 at 3:46 PM, Titleist99 said:

LOL!...... wasn't golf in the Summer Olympics before a lot of sports were invented 1904?

 

So, why is it silly to have golf in the Olympic games now?

The Olympics have changed, no longer in any way related in spirit or execution to what it was at inception.

 

If it were, it would make sense for amateur golfers to compete, amateurs being (as defined in Sport Illustrated issue on the US amateur won by Palmer in 1954) “golfers who work for a living.”  Wonder if Palmer really did (work for a living) then.  He was 25 and had not turned pro.

[Nic1972]

I am happy that Golf is an Olympic sport, will go to Paris to see the men on Sunday and the ladies on Wednesday. To see Scheffler, Schauffele, McIlroy, Rahm, Korda, Boutier, etc playing for their countries is something I am looking forward. 

[Dave230]

Shane Lowry named Ireland's flag-bearer for the opening ceremony. Go Shane!

 

https://x.com/TeamIreland/status/1816771514705830186

[mshills]

My interest in the Olympics does not include golf, but I do have two asks for NBC.
 

1. Minimal human interest stories. Ok, not realistic, you’re giving the casual viewer what they want. I get that. So my plea is to one athlete. Keep it real. I want to see one athlete say “Nope. Didn’t beat cancer 3x. Never been a refugee. Didn’t come from a family of 19 brothers and sisters. Here’s my story to my competition. I am better than you. I work harder than you. And I’m here to take what I’ve earned.”

 

2. Get Snoop and Kevin Hart to do commentary for the early rounds of wrestling. Please! 😂

[betarhoalphadelta]

I posted this in the Olympic Team thread, but I suppose it fits better here.

 

4 hours ago, Dave230 said:

 

I think journalist Paul Kimmage summed it up well - "Olympic golf — not Major, not small ... just something that’s cool"

 

 

I think this is a great way to put it. 

 

The truth is that unlike most Olympic sports, the Olympics is not the pinnacle of this sport. It's the same way with basketball, or soccer. 

 

Basketball players don't grow up dreaming of winning Olympic Gold, they dream of winning the NBA Championship. Soccer players don't grow up dreaming of winning Olympic Gold, they dream of winning the World Cup. Golfers don't grow up dreaming of winning Olympic Gold, they dream of winning majors. 

 

But that doesn't mean that the value of Olympic golf is nothing, or that players shouldn't care. Winning an Olympic medal is something that very few people in any walk of life can say. An Olympic medal in any sport is a distinction recognized globally, no matter what sport it is. 

 

If it were me, I would think that an Olympic Gold medal would be an achievement I'd value higher than any other non-major golf tournament win. Because golfers recognize the majors as the pinnacle of the sport. Humans recognize an Olympic Gold medal as one of the key pinnacles of achievement in sport.

[Duct Tape]

After watching (and trying to skip ahead to see selected games) 7’s rugby on Peacock I will never complain about the number of ads on golf television again. 
 

Incessant and interminable. 
 

 

[Duct Tape]

On 7/25/2024 at 1:08 AM, Nic1972 said:

I am happy that Golf is an Olympic sport, will go to Paris to see the men on Sunday and the ladies on Wednesday. To see Scheffler, Schauffele, McIlroy, Rahm, Korda, Boutier, etc playing for their countries is something I am looking forward. 

Hopefully train service is restored by then. What a mess. And senseless farce. 

[Duct Tape]

On 7/24/2024 at 4:54 PM, LimaSierra said:

Duct Tape with a rare W.

 

Ben Wallace is the GOAT in my eyes

“Rare”. ???     😀

[tiderider]

11 hours ago, Dave230 said:

Shane Lowry named Ireland's flag-bearer for the opening ceremony. Go Shane!

 

https://x.com/TeamIreland/status/1816771514705830186

the epitome of an olympic athlete ... 

 

[mshills]

The cycling time trial course is a disgrace. I know weather is part of the deal….but you put a transition from pavement to cobblestone mid corner??? So the best in the world have to be so tentative, and one after another come off the bike. Hot garbage. 

[bscinstnct]

19 minutes ago, mshills said:

The cycling time trial course is a disgrace. I know weather is part of the deal….but you put a transition from pavement to cobblestone mid corner??? So the best in the world have to be so tentative, and one after another come off the bike. Hot garbage. 

 

Looks like the cobblestones have been part of cycling there for over a century 

 

The Course: Paris-Roubaix and its cobbles

27 sections of rough, bone-jarring cobblestones await the riders for "Hell of the North"

 

 

LILLE, France (VN) — Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard) crashed while out for a training ride on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix on Thursday, seemingly for no reason at all. His front wheel vanished, putting the pre-race favorite promptly on the rocks of Roubaix.

And so it goes on the granite setts of the “Queen of the Classics,” one of the oldest races on the calendar that’s halted only for two world wars.

Far worse things have happened on these roads. Horrendous crashes while barreling into the Arenberg Forest alone have altered careers: Frenchman Philippe Gaumont broke his femur in a 2001 crash, filling his leg with blood, and Johan Museeuw’s crash on the Arenberg pavé nearly cost him his leg because of gangrene.

There seems a tortured relationship with Paris-Roubaix for the peloton and its directors; here is one of the most storied races in cycling history, and yet it can bring absolute misery in the form of the flu that feels as if it’s settled in riders’ bones two days after the race, crashes, punctures, mud, and a myriad of other problems. Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) once called the Arenberg the “true definition of hell.”

 

* there’s more it’s pretty detailed piece

 

 

 

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/the-course-paris-roubaix-and-its-cobbles/

Edited July 27, 2024 by bscinstnct

[mshills]

5 minutes ago, bscinstnct said:

 

Looks like the cobblestones have been part of cycling there for over a century 

 

The Course: Paris-Roubaix and its cobbles

27 sections of rough, bone-jarring cobblestones await the riders for "Hell of the North"

 

 

LILLE, France (VN) — Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard) crashed while out for a training ride on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix on Thursday, seemingly for no reason at all. His front wheel vanished, putting the pre-race favorite promptly on the rocks of Roubaix.

And so it goes on the granite setts of the “Queen of the Classics,” one of the oldest races on the calendar that’s halted only for two world wars.

Far worse things have happened on these roads. Horrendous crashes while barreling into the Arenberg Forest alone have altered careers: Frenchman Philippe Gaumont broke his femur in a 2001 crash, filling his leg with blood, and Johan Museeuw’s crash on the Arenberg pavé nearly cost him his leg because of gangrene.

There seems a tortured relationship with Paris-Roubaix for the peloton and its directors; here is one of the most storied races in cycling history, and yet it can bring absolute misery in the form of the flu that feels as if it’s settled in riders’ bones two days after the race, crashes, punctures, mud, and a myriad of other problems. Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) once called the Arenberg the “true definition of hell.”

 

* there’s more it’s pretty detailed piece

 

 

 

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/the-course-paris-roubaix-and-its-cobbles/

Oh I know, but I just don’t agree with putting that transition there mid corner for the time trial. 
 

At least the risk is contained to one rider in this case. 

[iBanesto]

Golfers are on struggle street.

 

😅

 

Edited July 27, 2024 by iBanesto

[iBanesto]

1 hour ago, mshills said:

Oh I know, but I just don’t agree with putting that transition there mid corner for the time trial. 
 

At least the risk is contained to one rider in this case. 

 

It is not the same cobble stones of Paris Roubaix though. It is more just tiled pavement.

 

Riders would have recon the course, so they know what to expect.

[tatertot]

19 hours ago, Duct Tape said:

Hopefully train service is restored by then. What a mess. And senseless farce. 

Why is it a "senseless farce"?

 

[Duct Tape]

12 minutes ago, tatertot said:

Why is it a "senseless farce"?

 

The people,who blew up the fiber optic transformers in some sort of protest 

[Duct Tape]

58 minutes ago, iBanesto said:

 

It is not the same cobble stones of Paris Roubaix though. It is more just tiled pavement.

 

Riders would have recon the course, so they know what to expect.

I’ve ridden the pavé of Roubaix and Belgium. There it’s part of a long, storied history and riders specialize in the classics, one day events. But not a good idea for a time trialist on a time trial bike. Sorry for the US women who went down. 

[tatertot]

50 minutes ago, Duct Tape said:

The people,who blew up the fiber optic transformers in some sort of protest 

Gotcha ... I read it as the shut-downs were senseless.

[bcjim]

Pga tour radio guys hilariously talking on eggshells about the "stroke play event happening in a major French city"

 

I guess all media outlets got their cease and desist reminders from the cartel.

[Danielson]

On 7/23/2024 at 10:26 AM, Dave230 said:

It means quite a bit more to smaller countries, it doesn't matter that much if an American golfer wins one of America's 100 medals at the Games.

 

It does matter if Rory McIlroy or Shane Lowry win Ireland's 12th gold medal in their history.

 

If Joaquin Niemann wins for Chile, that's the 3rd gold medal in their history.

 

Yeah, I know it was huge for Slovakia when the Boy from Bratislava (Rory Sabbatini) brought back a silver.

[bobfoster]

On 7/24/2024 at 8:22 PM, NoTalentLefty said:

I don’t really watch the summer Olympics and yet it would be rather interesting to send college golfers for the US team for seeing the future of golf. Ferguson good idea. But it will never happen.

You know, I would not mind that at all. Genuine amateurs. In all sports.

 

Last week I watched "Miracle" - Herb Brooks and the 1980 US hockey team. (Really, an astounding movie.) At the very end, he says "A few years later, the U.S. began using professional athletes at the Games - Dream Teams. I always found that term ironic because now that we have Dream Teams, we seldom ever get to dream."

 

That is what I am seeing right now. NBA players. Professional golfers. Professional tennis players. This is difficult to express, but to me that somehow takes away from what the spirit of the Olympics used to be. However, I'll freely admit that I am a sentimental old fool. 🤣

Edited July 29, 2024 by bobfoster

[Barnacle]

On 7/23/2024 at 12:48 AM, MattyO1984 said:

We are away on holiday when the Olympic Golf is on. I honestly, will 100% not go away on holiday when The Masters or The Open is on. I would probably go away when the US Open and PGA are on but would be annoyed at missing them. I am not going to be bothered at all missing the Olympic Golf. 

Honestly watching the final round of one of the best US Open's in recent history from a beach bar in Hawaii was top tier. Whole bar of men and a couple women watching Rory choke and Bryson make one of the best finishes I've personally seen live (I'm 34 for reference and didn't get into golf seriously until my mid twenties) was top tier golf entertainment. The whole bar including the servers and bar tenders was cheering and moaning at the last few holes. 

[Titleist99]

1 hour ago, bobfoster said:

That is what I am seeing right now. NBA players. Professional golfers. Professional tennis players. This is difficult to express, but to me that somehow takes away from what the spirit of the Olympics used to be. However, I'll freely admit that I am a sentimental old fool. 🤣

Edited 1 hour ago by bobfoster

Sure the Olympic games used to be 100% amateur competition until doping took over in the late 60s early 70s. Cheating and scandal became the norm .......

[Wiffle]

I love golf in the Olympics. And I think the players are starting to love it too. Rory said after the 2020 Olympics that he'd never played so hard to try and get third. I hope it stays. 

[ike31197]

On 7/24/2024 at 4:39 PM, Duct Tape said:

Back when I cared about NBA basketball those were, and still are,  by far my favorite players. Passing and playmaking mattered, not just bull rushes to the hoop and 30ft shots. 

 

The quality of basketball in the world has improved exponentially since then.  Taking nothing away from MJ’s dream team because they were some of my favorite players of all time, but being real they were so much better than anyone else in the world talent wise they just played those games like all star games and rolled.  Our teams still try to play like that in 2024 but talent level in other countries is so much higher and those teams play with unity, the right way.  It’s a hard brand of basketball to deal with as a cobbled together all star team even if you’re a bunch of hall of famers.  The original dream team’s success on par with what were to happen if American football was added to the olympics and we used NFL players.

[Pepperturbo]

Agree with OP, 100%. 

 

IMO, having golf in the Olympics only satisfied a few people who led the charge to revitalize golf.  Really would like to know what they got from it. 

I am against including of any sport in the Olympics where all that take part are professionals...it's wrong.  Funny amateurs can't take money unless they turn professional.  Here we have professionals not recanting their professional status, yet taking medals from what should be amateur athletes.

[Titleist99]

The Olympic games are a celebration of sports. Promoting sports around the globe.

 

Small countries against juggernauts, Davids vs Goliaths.......

 

Hopefully, after these games most of these countries will increase their sports budget. IMO