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The Olympics could use some tinkering
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You wonder if the ancient Greeks, in putting together their Olympic Games, would have ever considered synchronized diving, beach volleyball or rhythmic gymnastics.
Where do some of these events come from? Who plays men's field hockey any more> When did trampoline become a sport? I thought the trampoline was invented by folks at America's Funny Videos.
Like hybernating cicadas, these sports and athletes emerge every four years and we are left to figure out the rules, the nuances and the reasons why we should care about them.
It's not that I don't like the variety; it's that some of these sports, what's the point? If we can have some of these obscure sports then why don't we add bocce ball, competitive cross-stitching or maybe online poker?
Finally, the core of the Olympics Games begins today, track and field. That's what got the Greeks started on this endeavor, not ping pong.
Yet it's been an interesting and entertaining first Olympic week, beginning with the remarkable opening ceremonies. Here' s my thoughts:
* I'm not a big swim fan, mainly because all you see are arms flailing and water splashing. You can't really see the finish line, who touches first. Yet that 400M freestyle relay, in which American Jason Lezak came from behind to win the gold medal, had to be one of the most exciting races ever in the Olympics. It reminded me of Dave Wottle's comeback victory to win the 800M run at the 1972 Olympics. It will be a perennial YouTube fixture for years.
* Speaking of YouTube, keep checking that site for the goal by Brazilian forward Cristine. It was part of her hat trick against Nigeria. With her back to the goal, she popped the ball up with her left foot then flipped around for a bicycle kick with her right foot, completly fooling the Nigerian keeper. Amazing shot.
* These Games just continue to show what a mess boxing is. There is a strange and ineffective scoring system that taints virtually every match. Five judges are supposed to push buttons - within one second - to credit a boxer with a scoring blow. It's totally flawed. Guys are getting points for phantom punches. Other clean hits go uncredited. It really is a joke. I've seen at least a dozen matches and every match there is uncertainty. These flyweights and bantamweights are so fast it's impossible for the judges to see scoring punches. That system needs a revamp, if not the sport.
* Just for the record, there's no way that at least a couple of those Chinese female gymnastics are 16. They look 12 or 13. Having said that, I don't see a problem with children that age competing. That's the age in this sport, at least for women, in which they are limber enough. If they're good enough, let them compete. If not, there may be situations where a 14- or 15-year-old is denied participation -- even though they could win the gold -- then four years later they may have lost their physical abilities to compete. Let them play.
* Certain obscure sports are OK, like table tennis, judo, fencing, archery, badminton, team handball. They're fun to watch and skillful. But I wouldn't miss water polo, sailing, shooting and, in particular equestrian. What's that doing here? Why not have monkeys ride the horses? Let's add dogs to the event and call it the Dog & Pony Show. I'm sure it takes coordination and skill to sit on top of a horse during those jumps, but the horse is the athlete here, not the rider. This is not Animal Planet. It's an old sport tradition that needs to end.
* I don't have a problem with eliminating baseball and women's softball from the Olympics after Beijing. In baseball, the best players in the world are not here, so why have it? And in softball I've always felt it's an unfair sport. The pitcher is too close to the plate, making her excessively dominant. That is shown with the U.S. pitchers throwing TWO no-hitters to begin the competition. The U.S. also has outscored their opponents 60-1 since the sport was introduced in 1996. That's not right. That's not sport.
* I have a certain ambivalance toward the high-priced pros playing in the Olympic Games, such as the NBA players and the top tennis stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters. I particularly don't like the NBA players sucking up the attention and publicity away from these amateurs from all the other competitions. This is their time to be in the spotlight, every four years. Having said that, I also don't see an alternative. I like to see the best in the world play here. If the U.S. sent just the top collegiate players, as it has done in the past, that's like watching the junior varsity. But I also don't like so much time and attention devoted to the NBA players. I confess, I do like it when they lose.
* Thank God for the Canadian station. I can watch the events live early in the evening or during the day through CBC in Vancouver rather than wait for NBC to show me something at 11:30 p.m. Why doesn't NBC figure that out? I hope they never do.
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