I know that some followers will remember that I am not a sports fan. I'm not a spoil sport. You can watch the Winter Olympics and cheer your face off. I won't hold it against you if you really go all out for the Winter Olympics.
I'm not completely unaware of the Winter Olympics. I will vaguely follow standings. I will know how many medals Canada has. I will cheer for Canada...but only in my head.
I know that many of my readers share a similar view of sports as I do. I like this as it assures me that I'm not some antisocial loner.
Television in all it's wisdom spoils sport for me. The analyzers go on and on to describe every aspect of what they are showing.. Then, there are endless replays. You get very little time of actually watching a game , race or activity. It becomes very slow. I like something fast paced and lively. If you go to an NHL game today , you have all kinds of down time for the television net work to air commercials.
There is also an obscene amount of money spent on the Winter Olympics. I think Olympics could and should have less money involved. There is also the huge emphasis on security. Many athletes and spectators have apprehensions about going to the Winter Olympics. I'm not sure that these issues should be such a big part of sport.
So I will blissfully skip all television coverage of the Winter Olympics.
I think Shakespeare had a good line about the Olympics: "Sound and fury, signifying nothing." Sports in general, really. I'm right with you on that one. As a child, I liked to play sports (even though I was always terrible at them) but I could never understand why someone would want to watch them, much less become so emotionally involved in them. I guess everyone needs something larger than themselves; I just didn't see why it had to be watching grown men being paid millions to kick or toss a ball around!
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point about participating in sports. That's where the emphasis should be.
DeleteI love the winter olympics, but am taking a stand and making a personal boycott of this one because of the Russian stance on human rights at the moment. I agree with you though Red, too much money spent, too much over analyzing. The whole Olympic thing has got a bit silly.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how Putin didn't see this one coming. He's received lots of bad press on human rights issues. I hope it does lots of good.
DeleteThe highlights will satisfy me,
ReplyDeleteI'll buy that. I check standings in the paper.
DeleteI love sports, but probably won't watch much. Television coverage takes the fun out of much of it - too many commercials. I feel terrible about all the threats at this years Olympics. The athletes work so hard and many will only get one chance.
ReplyDeleteSecurity is a nasty side issues to the games.
DeleteI'll watch some, but I always turn the sound off, for the reasons you state. When I watched the Superbowl, I skipped the sound and still got tired of all the reruns of plays. :-)
ReplyDeleteNow there's an idea I've never heard of. Turn the sound off and listen to music.
DeleteI am a bad Canadian too I do not watch them I did for years but for some reason there is more I would rather do. B
ReplyDeleteHow true! There are many more things I would rather do than watch Olympics.
DeleteI agree with you Red - as much as I like watching my sports, I really do not watch the Olympics anymore - haven't for a very long time - I think it started to get ruined for me with all the illegal drugs, etc and I never thought I would see professional hockey players in the Olympics - it seems like all the originality of the "Games" went somewhere out in the field and changed. Don't agree with all they hype, the money, the expense, the drugs, the professional people playing in the games and the embarrassment - I'd rather watch my local kids playing and competing round here in various sports.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point on the performance enhancing drugs. Many records are tainted. Nothing better than watching little kids play their hearts out.
DeleteIt is all over the networks and hard to avoid.
ReplyDeleteIt's really in your face.
Deletei thought about the billions russia spent to host these games - and how that money could have surely benefited their citizens if programs were implemented to help them.
ReplyDeletebut that's how i feel about american football, etc., too.
Unfortunately, sports has become big business.
DeleteI am in complete agreement with you.
ReplyDeleteIt's much better checking out the plants and what they are up to.
DeleteI also agree with you! I can only take so much television!
ReplyDeleteI'm somebody who watches zero minutes of television a year. I find other things i would rather do.
DeleteI pretty much just catch the highlights of the games and that's about it.
ReplyDeleteI check for standings in the paper.
DeleteWe don't watch the Olympics either. Lost interest in all that years ago.
ReplyDeleteI like your point about lose interest. However, the money says that most people like to watch winter Olympics.
DeleteI enjoy the skating and the Hockey. But I don't think professionals should be allowed to participate. Yes it is a big money thing. Who can afford to go? I can't and if I could I probably still wouldn't go.
ReplyDeleteI like women's hockey but I don't watch it. The women stick to skating passing and generally exciting play
DeleteI am exactly the same way, so you're not alone! I will know what's going on because it'll be all over the news, but I won't be watching.
ReplyDeleteI do realize that many people don't watch winter Olympics as people I meet from day to day tell me they don't watch.
DeleteWell Red it seems that you are not alone on this one. I assume that they will be on NZ Television although I haven't seen anything yet. It's probably on Sky and I don't subscribe to Sky. Anyway I wouldn't be watching even if I could. So if none of us is watching who is?
ReplyDeleteWell, lots of people are watching. We are a "winter " country so have lots of participants in the winter Olympics. I wonder if New Zealand has any participants in Winter Olympics.
DeleteI like the passion of being a true sports fan. I got plenty of that this last month here in Seattle.I like the Olympics for spectacle - which costs money, and for the personal stories of the athletes. I try to keep the games to being about the athletes, keeping politics out of it. Unfortunately, because of politics and belief systems, we live in a dangerous world, where security is necessary.
ReplyDeleteIf you want a sport where there is no down time, no commercials, no endless replay and analyzing, attend a live soccer match where you have a passion for one of the opposing teams. That is an intense 2 hours. On the other hand, its perfectly OK to not be a sports fan. I just know I would be missing out.
Hey, I hope I didn't say anything insulting. Yes I know you are a very avid sports fan. As you say you don't have a problem with non sports fans. The same for me. I would never suggest somebody not be a sports fan.
DeleteWe have some favourite ice-skaters so I will watch I am afraid. But the way how these events are organised with the amounts of money is terrible. The same with world Champion games of football in Qatar of all places. Temperatures are 40 degrees C there!
ReplyDeleteYay! a kindred spirit! I switch off for the sports news and never read the sports pages. But, having said that, when the Olympics were in London, I was busy scorning them and complaining how much money they cost, BEFORE they happened. But when they actually did happen, everyone was so cheerful and the Olympic Ambassadors were having such a brilliant time I even found myself wishing I'd volunteered to be one. :)
ReplyDeleteI get the impression these ones in Russia are mainly for the benefit of Putin's image, which needless to say doesn't excite me any more than sport does.
People I know who volunteer in anything usually report a rewarding time. Next time volunteer. There are many different people to meet and greet at a winter games.
DeleteI almost never watch sports but I will get caught up in some Olympic activities here and there. I do like watching the opening ceremonies to see what each country likes others to see of its history and accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteThere are some great shows and cultural events. I guess the hoopla goes with the games.
DeleteI do love baseball and basketball but only baseball at the professional level. The violence inherent in football leaves me cold. Amateur sport at high school and college levels hold my attention. Some Olympic events are not really amateur though so my interest is limited there. A bad knee forced me to give up tennis. I miss it dearly.....
ReplyDeleteYou go, Red.
ReplyDeleteHubby is happily cheering with the loss of his catheter. He's watching curling. I want to watch the Olympics, but I defer to the sicko!
(ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!
Red - I love figure skating - so do watch that part - but every point you have raised - are the bits that irritate me as well. And the money - what was it $50 billion for an opening ceremony - how many children could that feed and educate? Thought provoking post - love it.
ReplyDelete