Tokyo Olympics

Just a friendly reminder, for all the non-Americans watching:

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Andy, it is NOT okay to mock America's greatest generation and the sacrifices made to defeat Hitler's Third Reich. In the face of unimaginable atrocities, those heroes did what needed to be done. Both my parents, and of course millions of others, did their part. Freedom-loving people everywhere admire and honor their selfless sacrifices.

If you are determined to post your isolationist, pseudo-"America First" propaganda, please keep it in the Podium... where I am free to tell you what I really think. Thank you.
 
Watched the Olympic Channel News last night and was amazed at the terrible coverage. They'd have bits of each sport which was exactly what I wanted to see but a lot of the commentary would be so muffled you couldn't hear what they were reporting. When they'd interview athletes that didn't speak English the dubbed over voice was at a lower volume than the foreign language. Some interviews had no sound at all.
There was some exciting coverage of mountain biking and a guy was explaining all about the sport (I assume) but the whole segment had no sound! Found myself laughing at the amateur level this "Olympic Channel" is at.
 
Andy, it is NOT okay to mock America's greatest generation and the sacrifices made to defeat Hitler's Third Reich. In the face of unimaginable atrocities, those heroes did what needed to be done. Both my parents, and of course millions of others, did their part. Freedom-loving people everywhere admire and honor their selfless sacrifices.

If you are determined to post your isolationist, pseudo-"America First" propaganda, please keep it in the Podium... where I am free to tell you what I really think. Thank you.

I wasn't gonna respond to this but I am anyway ... if you think mocking sacrifice is the intent, you're part of the problem in this country. In no way is it mocking the sacrifices of the greatest generation, and other peoples' first instinct was to laugh.

This is what's wrong with this country. If people find something funny, and comedy is often offensive, someone else has to come along and explain why you should feel bad for this and that. No wonder so much of this country is angry and depressed, we can't laugh anymore because jokes offend people, we can't cry because that means you're weak, we can't be happy because someone else is depressed, the only emotions we can have are anger and depression. No wonder most of this country is either high or drunk at any given moment.
 
Nothing funny about it, Andrew.

You’re way off base. As usual.
 
Past day favorite moments :
  • 17 year old from Alaska winning a Gold medal in swimming! They showed her high school going crazy!
  • A pair of 15 and 17 year females from China winning Gold in syncro 10M diving. They were so perfect I think they could of been robots.
  • German team winning Gold in an Equstrian Grand Prix. I had no idea horses could prance and gallop sideways!
  • Not seeing anyone get injured from the Triathalon boat.
 
Past day favorite moments :
  • 17 year old from Alaska winning a Gold medal in swimming! They showed her high school going crazy!
  • A pair of 15 and 17 year females from China winning Gold in syncro 10M diving. They were so perfect I think they could of been robots.
  • German team winning Gold in an Equstrian Grand Prix. I had no idea horses could prance and gallop sideways!
  • Not seeing anyone get injured from the Triathalon boat.

the Anna Kiefenhoser gold for Austria in women's cycling road race is near the top of my list. Bob Roll called it "one of the biggest upsets he has ever seen", an amateur mathematician riding solo. Took the risk to go out on the breakaway early and it paid off big time.
 
This Titmus gal is good, nice close in the 200m free. No theatrics from coach this time, sadly. Hopefully Ledecky can get back to gold in the distance events.

Dan Hicks/Rowdy Gaines are still such a good commentary duo.
 
Dressel is an absolute tank.

Really disappointing meet for Ledecky so far. She's the best at mid to long distance though and she's so far ahead of the rest of the world in that she could probably do it until she's 40.
 
I'm not trying to be insensitive here because maybe there really is more to it than meets the eye, but why are we referring to what Simone is going thru as "mental health"?

Athletes have been dealing with what she's dealing with for generations. In golf, it's called the yips. You get in your head about your abilities and it's like a brick wall trying to figure it out and break thru it. And you could kind of see this coming. She struggled at the trials, and struggled badly in qualifying a few days ago. She lost her secret stuff at the worst possible time. And that's OK, that's athletics. Calling it mental health makes her seem like she's dealing with depression or something more severe though, which based on her interviews that is not what's going on. It's just strange how differently we label things these days to try and strike an emotional cord with people.

I just don't see the world viewing this the same way if it's Michael Phelps or if LeBron walks off the floor and removes himself from the NBA finals because he can't hit a shot.
 
I'm not trying to be insensitive here because maybe there really is more to it than meets the eye, but why are we referring to what Simone is going thru as "mental health"?

Athletes have been dealing with what she's dealing with for generations. In golf, it's called the yips. You get in your head about your abilities and it's like a brick wall trying to figure it out and break thru it. And you could kind of see this coming. She struggled at the trials, and struggled badly in qualifying a few days ago. She lost her secret stuff at the worst possible time. And that's OK, that's athletics. Calling it mental health makes her seem like she's dealing with depression or something more severe though, which based on her interviews that is not what's going on. It's just strange how differently we label things these days to try and strike an emotional cord with people.

I just don't see the world viewing this the same way if it's Michael Phelps or if LeBron walks off the floor and removes himself from the NBA finals because he can't hit a shot.
Absolutely spot on. Imagine Brady pulling himself out of a superbowl if he threw an interception. The outrage and calls of being a quitter would be rampant.
 
I'm not trying to be insensitive here because maybe there really is more to it than meets the eye, but why are we referring to what Simone is going thru as "mental health"?

Athletes have been dealing with what she's dealing with for generations. In golf, it's called the yips. You get in your head about your abilities and it's like a brick wall trying to figure it out and break thru it. And you could kind of see this coming. She struggled at the trials, and struggled badly in qualifying a few days ago. She lost her secret stuff at the worst possible time. And that's OK, that's athletics. Calling it mental health makes her seem like she's dealing with depression or something more severe though, which based on her interviews that is not what's going on. It's just strange how differently we label things these days to try and strike an emotional cord with people.

I just don't see the world viewing this the same way if it's Michael Phelps or if LeBron walks off the floor and removes himself from the NBA finals because he can't hit a shot.

The potential for injury compared to golf yips, but I otherwise agree with what you are saying.
 
I'm not trying to be insensitive here because maybe there really is more to it than meets the eye, but why are we referring to what Simone is going thru as "mental health"?

Athletes have been dealing with what she's dealing with for generations. In golf, it's called the yips. You get in your head about your abilities and it's like a brick wall trying to figure it out and break thru it. And you could kind of see this coming. She struggled at the trials, and struggled badly in qualifying a few days ago. She lost her secret stuff at the worst possible time. And that's OK, that's athletics. Calling it mental health makes her seem like she's dealing with depression or something more severe though, which based on her interviews that is not what's going on. It's just strange how differently we label things these days to try and strike an emotional cord with people.

I just don't see the world viewing this the same way if it's Michael Phelps or if LeBron walks off the floor and removes himself from the NBA finals because he can't hit a shot.

The whole thing is frustrating. Yes, there's a double standard for men and the media is making that even worse. Look how much crap Jay Cutler got when he injured one of his fingers and sat out a game. Reminds me of when Kyle Busch parked in a race a few years ago with like 10 laps to go, there was no mathematical way he could improve his position or lose a position, and he pulled it in and got called a quitter and crybaby.

The way the media's handling this makes it worse. We're continuing the narrative that, if women have a mental health concern, it's okay for them to cry and okay for them to deal with it regardless of who else might get hurt in the wake (McKayla Skinner and the Team USA teammates who carried the team), but that men must soldier on, not cry, not take time to deal with a crisis and just be tough - AKA must engage in "Toxic Masculinity" as it's so often called by the same people perpetuating this stuff.

They keep talking about pressure and I've even seen them saying the media put too much pressure on her ... full stop! Simone Biles called herself the GOAT, had it written on her leotard, and came off as borderline ****y in her interviews. During the NBC Primetime rebroadcast of the Opening Ceremony, they did a piece on her and my takeaway was how ****y she was when she said she is the greatest of all time and will win gold medals even at her age. So she put that pressure on herself.

This isn't mental health. This is an athlete who was past her prime calling herself the Greatest of All Time, not delivering, and going home instead of taking the losses.

On top of that, I've seen criticism of the other athletes who soldiered on and brought home silver for the United States. Actually seen people saying the other ladies shouldn't be congratulated for persevering and stepping up under pressure.

This just makes me even more pissed off about what happened with McKayla Skinner, who had a legit shot at medaling and given that she was better in the categories where Biles struggled before dropping out, the US could have won gold. Biles, going through whatever she's going through, took that spot anyway, and now Russia, who is supposed to be banned, is going to sweep this.
 
The potential for injury compared to golf yips, but I otherwise agree with what you are saying.
Yeah that's very true, and if that's what fueled her decision then nobody can blame her. Still doesn't meet the mental health label tho imo.
 
Yeah that's very true, and if that's what fueled her decision then nobody can blame her. Still doesn't meet the mental health label tho imo.

I think this was about saving her brand. Yes, I probably sound a little cynical, but her interviews gave me a certain vibe combined with her having this "mental health" emergency when she had a bad performance.
 
I think this was about saving her brand. Yes, I probably sound a little cynical, but her interviews gave me a certain vibe combined with her having this "mental health" emergency when she had a bad performance.
Yep, a buddy of mine said that as soon as it was announced that he thought she was just saving face. So it could absolutely be a combination of yes you're doubting your skills which could lead to injury which isn't worth the risk, and also because you don't want to go out there and embarrass yourself and subject yourself to what comes along with that in terms of mainstream media and social media. Instead, now you have all of them in your corner.
 
Yep, a buddy of mine said that as soon as it was announced that he thought she was just saving face. So it could absolutely be a combination of yes you're doubting your skills which could lead to injury which isn't worth the risk, and also because you don't want to go out there and embarrass yourself and subject yourself to what comes along with that in terms of mainstream media and social media. Instead, now you have all of them in your corner.
I don’t think winning silver or bronze is embarrassing either. But when you’ve branded yourself as the GOAT, it probably is embarrassing.

Just sucks that a serious issue is being used in such a way. Mental health is no joke.
 
Ledecky nearly went full GOAT mode in the 4x200. That would've been an all-time moment.
 
The whole thing is frustrating. Yes, there's a double standard for men and the media is making that even worse. Look how much crap Jay Cutler got when he injured one of his fingers and sat out a game. Reminds me of when Kyle Busch parked in a race a few years ago with like 10 laps to go, there was no mathematical way he could improve his position or lose a position, and he pulled it in and got called a quitter and crybaby.

The way the media's handling this makes it worse. We're continuing the narrative that, if women have a mental health concern, it's okay for them to cry and okay for them to deal with it regardless of who else might get hurt in the wake (McKayla Skinner and the Team USA teammates who carried the team), but that men must soldier on, not cry, not take time to deal with a crisis and just be tough - AKA must engage in "Toxic Masculinity" as it's so often called by the same people perpetuating this stuff.

They keep talking about pressure and I've even seen them saying the media put too much pressure on her ... full stop! Simone Biles called herself the GOAT, had it written on her leotard, and came off as borderline ****y in her interviews. During the NBC Primetime rebroadcast of the Opening Ceremony, they did a piece on her and my takeaway was how ****y she was when she said she is the greatest of all time and will win gold medals even at her age. So she put that pressure on herself.

This isn't mental health. This is an athlete who was past her prime calling herself the Greatest of All Time, not delivering, and going home instead of taking the losses.

On top of that, I've seen criticism of the other athletes who soldiered on and brought home silver for the United States. Actually seen people saying the other ladies shouldn't be congratulated for persevering and stepping up under pressure.

This just makes me even more pissed off about what happened with McKayla Skinner, who had a legit shot at medaling and given that she was better in the categories where Biles struggled before dropping out, the US could have won gold. Biles, going through whatever she's going through, took that spot anyway, and now Russia, who is supposed to be banned, is going to sweep this.
Negative, the reason why is because as Simone explained is due to her losing her ability to fund the ground.

As a former gymnast, Dominique Moceanu posted a video of herself at the age of 14 being forced to vault injured. She hit her head on the beam, its more a of safety than anything else. Biles has over 20 medals already, she's already highly decorated. If Simone really had hurt herself or could not safely land, it could have resulted in the US in not clinching any medal. Gymnastics is no joke and is extremely dangerous, I'd rather the athletes not kill themselves instead of toughing it out. Dominique was forced to perform.

Hell Kerry Strugg back in '96 after that vault retired. Why? She had permanent damage to her ankle from the incident due to her coaches at the time forcing her to do it...

We really want that again?



 
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At the World Championship in Tokyo two years ago, Iranian Judoka Saeid Mollaei was ordered to lose his semi-final in order to avoid a potential final against an Israeli.
He refused but unfortunately lost anyway.
He then had to flee Iran after personal threats against him and his family were made.

Now Mollaei has won the silver medal representing Mongolia.
 
The more I hear Rowdy Gaines call swimming events , the more he sounds like Jeff Burton.

Of all the events, I think I would like to be on an 8 man rowing team.
Coolest event today, womens trampoline.
 
Whelp just got spoilered for the women's 100m final watching the Bassmasters elite series LOL...gotta be kidding me, might as well go fishing now.
(Be careful glancing at those bottom screen scrollers folks)

Men's 100m early heat
Very surprising....something is not right with USA's best chance at gold in that event Brommell (odds on favorite), almost looks like he's running thru light injury or pressing too hard, not a good sign anyhow, his usual start and top-end acceleration is world class, will have to hope for some type of rebound there tomorrow.
 
Raven Saunders won silver for the USA in the Shot put. Great result for her. She should be very proud. However....

Embarrassing behavior for us down here.

I guess it's normal up there
 
You didn't happen to hear who won the Men's 8's did you?
Haha, I think it was a very teenie tinnie country in your neck of the woods called
New Foundland or something like that. No , but seriously , you Kiwis have that rowing
figured out, men took gold 8's and woman took silver 8's. What a beautiful sport.
 
My girlfriend has suggested that there is indeed a way I can watch women's beach volleyball...

 
My girlfriend has suggested that there is indeed a way I can watch women's beach volleyball...


LOL

Actually the bikini outfits are designed to help the athletes perform at their best.
That being said thd bikini and form fitting capabilities are worth great study strictly for the competitive features they provide. It is like the way we veiw tire codes prior to a race weekend.
It is just the love of the game and the demands for no censorship that make it all worthwhile to me.

I would feel such a great loss if I couldn't science out the sports gear along with the athletes measurements. Hip measurements, posterior symtrics, effect the athletes ability to twist and turn while jumping and to give and take the best shots. The inside volleyball moments are incredible.
 
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