It's the only sport with funny littl3 men in fruity outfits, highly entertaining

2/16/2010 11:42:05 PM

I am shocked that the chinese dont have like 9 year olds out there doing quads all the time.....

[Edited on February 16, 2010 at 11:44 PM. Reason : w]

2/16/2010 11:44:14 PM

I disagree that it's more of a performance art. But that's my opinion. I feel like sports like figure skating, gymnastics and diving have more of a place in the olympics then say curling?


And how do you define "sport"?



(disclaimer - i hate synchronized swimming ftr - women are batshit fucking crazy)

2/16/2010 11:44:41 PM

Getting rid of anything not decided by instrumentation isn't really viable or even necessary. That's a blunt overreaction to having stupid stuff like figure skating and synchronized swimming as Olympic sports.

No, they shouldn't be Olympic sports, but that doesn't mean we need to throw out the baby with the bathwater and get rid of everything that uses a judges' panel. I mean, isn't it pretty obvious that there's a big difference between gymnastics and figure skating, despite both being judged events?


I could probably do without curling, too, but for a different reason: it requires a lot of skill, but no athleticism whatsoever.

[Edited on February 16, 2010 at 11:46 PM. Reason : ]

2/16/2010 11:44:44 PM

ahahahaha Dick Button

ice skating is just the gymnastic floor exercise on skates

2/16/2010 11:47:03 PM

Who cares, its not like. It affects anybody's life one way or another. You guys are just arguing out of boredom

2/16/2010 11:50:56 PM

luge should go also

Is synchronized swimming still an olympic event?

[Edited on February 16, 2010 at 11:53 PM. Reason : w]

2/16/2010 11:51:18 PM

It is. Been around since forever and a day.

2/16/2010 11:54:21 PM

i don't know...it may be a blunt overreaction to throw out all sports with a judging panel, but i'm sticking with it. if i have to lose gymnastics so that figure skating is gone, then i'll take it. and i must say, i see alot of artistic similarities between gymnastics and figure skating. all four gymnastic events is riddled with routines and artistic talent.

i believe the judging panel decided a gold medal over a silver medal...and neither 'performance' looked any different than the other.

2/16/2010 11:55:06 PM

true saps...i am pretty bored...probably because of suffering, yet unable to look away, from figure skating...

2/16/2010 11:56:54 PM

Yes there have been controversies with judging - but of course tothe naked eye they all look the same. That's why you're not sitting there judging it!


I was in diving for 14 years, coached for another 6. And even after all that time the highest level I felt comfortable with judging was junior Olympic. These people have been watching this sport for decades!

/rant

2/16/2010 11:57:18 PM

^^^again, i don't think that necessary at all, but regardless, it's not a viable option. you ready to throw out boxing and wrestling along with the gymnastics?


^ I think everyone would agree that there are problems inherent to any judged event, but like I said, I'm fine with diving or gymnastics. I really don't think they should have figure skating or synchronized swimming, though.

[Edited on February 17, 2010 at 12:02 AM. Reason : ]

2/17/2010 12:00:31 AM

THAT'S GONNA COST HIM SOOOOOOO MANY POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2/17/2010 12:01:52 AM

Don't forget snowboard halfpipe

2/17/2010 12:02:08 AM

^^^^did you dive for ncsu??

^^^not being a huge boxing or wrestling follower...but if two boxers don't knock each other out, doesn't the winner win by hits landed or something like that?? and a wrestler wins by pinning an opponent. unfortunately, i'm not too familiar with either of those sports.

[Edited on February 17, 2010 at 12:04 AM. Reason : .]

2/17/2010 12:04:15 AM

I didn't go to nscu

oh and you'd get rid of freestyle skiing too.

[Edited on February 17, 2010 at 12:10 AM. Reason : Autocorrect]

2/17/2010 12:08:33 AM

i'd get rid of anything that wasn't a fight to the death, that's the entire point of competition anyway.

[Edited on February 17, 2010 at 12:10 AM. Reason : these games need more dead bodies imho]

2/17/2010 12:09:41 AM

^^i know...i hate that too. i really enjoy watching the freestyle skiing and snowboarding...and the snowboarding halfpipe.

^fight to the death...now we're getting somewhere.

[Edited on February 17, 2010 at 12:11 AM. Reason : .]

2/17/2010 12:10:44 AM

^^^^A pin is analogous to a KO. Most of the time, it's decided by points awarded by judges.

...and yeah, boxing (in the absence of a KO or TKO) is decided by punches landed, but it's not like fencing where it's electronically scored--there are still judges who have to determine what counts as a hit.

I've wrestled, but never boxed (competitively, at least)...I'm inclined to say that awarding points in wrestling is more straightforward (though still imperfect) than punches landed in boxing.

I don't know enough about judo or TKD scoring to really comment. MMA (not an Olympic sport, but just as an example) can really get convoluted if nobody gets KO'd or submitted. Nobody would argue against the sporting nature of a PRIDE or UFC fight, though.

My point is that you aren't the first person to say "Get rid of everything with a panel of judges", and we have a problem with a lot of the same things, but there's a smarter, more nuanced way to handle it.

[Edited on February 17, 2010 at 12:12 AM. Reason : ^^^^]

2/17/2010 12:11:50 AM

Yea... Get rid of the sports that are too pretty apparently

2/17/2010 12:13:23 AM

dudes that wear sequins and feathers definitely fight dirty.

[Edited on February 17, 2010 at 12:16 AM. Reason : certainly from experience]

2/17/2010 12:13:39 AM

I think the sequins, feathers, and other costumes are a pretty solid indicator that it's largely performance art, not sport.

It can be competitive, just like dancing or singing, and I'm sure it requires a lot of balance, agility, and coordination, but that doesn't mean it belongs in the Olympics.


I mean, when wrestlers wear feathers and have theme music, we call it "sports entertainment", and we don't have it in the Olympics.

[Edited on February 17, 2010 at 12:20 AM. Reason : ]

2/17/2010 12:19:31 AM

Wow really?

You're comparing ice skating in the olympics to WWE?

2/17/2010 12:22:19 AM

I think its still a sport because it no doubt requires athleticism. just because it is judged subjectively does not mean it isnt a sport IMO. i think curling is a joke because that requires no athleticism whatsoever.

2/17/2010 12:22:19 AM

dude, i'm not defending curling, and I'm not attacking figure skating just because it's judged subjectively.

2/17/2010 12:27:40 AM