Sorry for the nitpicking, but this is going to annoy me for months if this is the "official" thread, the Olympiad is actually the period between the "Games", Olympics was the word you meant.
The Olympics are awesome, I can't wait. Of course, NBC will once again show nothing but women's gymnastics and sprinting mixed with sappy human interest segments.
Womens gymnastics and track and field are what draws the ratings. And swimming. Nothing else is interesting unless you're directly involved in it.
I wonder how much West Coast live stuff there will be. Now that NBC Sports Network is around, there might be more, which could be a good thing. Still, I've always hated NBC's insistance that the west coast doesn't get live stuff and it's one of the reasons I wish the Olympics were on ESPN/ABC. This year will probably be no different.
^^ You have internet. There is literally no event in the Olympics you can't see live if you want to. Fuck NBC if they refuse to deliver you the content you expect.
ESPN will get them eventually. In the internet age, the Olympics on network television is dated. How it expects to get any ratings on the west coast, I don't know. As far as womens gymnastics is concerned there's already trouble brewing, only not over the ages of the Chinese gymnasts this time. China is not as deep as it was, but the US is incredibly deep. Problem is, the Olympic committee has decided to limit each country to only 5 team members total. The US is so deep with medal contenders this time that 2 or even 3 gymanasts who could be competing in finals on every apparatus are going to be left off the team. With Nastia Liukin trying to make the team as a bars specialist (many people think she shouldn't because she won the all around in '08) people are afraid that an all arounder might get denied a place on the team. Jordyn Wieber, Alexandra Raisman, Rebecca Bross, Gabrielle Douglas, McKayla Maroney have all medaled at the world championships. Wieber won the all around. Kyla Ross and Sabrina Vega are both impressively talented and are expected to compete at the trials and selection camp. They were the top 8. Liukin is going to compete at trials. So may Shawn Johnson. Alicia Sacramone was going to as well, but she tore her achilles tendon at the world championships, so she's out. That's 9 medal worthy competitors competing for 5 spots. There will be other gymnasts as well. This time, I think the girls' team will take the gold home barring any unforeseen injuries. The all around is the real drama. Already bad blood between Wieber and the top Russian gymnast, Komokova, who whined like a baby when she didn't win the gold at worlds. See, there's plenty of stuff to excite you in womens' gymnastics.
But it's always to difficult to match up the times of the events with when they get streamed by NHK/BBC/CCTV.
I suppose. But when an event's live it's live and doesn't wait for it. You'll just have to figure out when it starts.
I just read something that is making me happy, but giving me one of those "Is this too good to be true?" thoughts. Live Olympics
I cannot have much enthusiasm for the summer games. The winter Olympics have all the exciting events. I find the summer events boring.
If you grow up in a place where winter sports are prevalent, that's probably true. If you grow up in the landlocked middle of the country, the opposite is usually true. I love the gymnastics, track and field, swimming, and diving. With the newer code of points put in after 2008, gymnastics is practically becoming a blood sport. My God, the skills they have to perform if they want to win are just unbelievable anymore for men and women. Also, just like last time with the Chinese gymasts' ages, there's always drama and controversy. The women will win team gold this time. They are loaded to bear.
They have to be 16 to compete and, interestingly enough, they don't all look like prepubescent starvation victims anymore. The skills they have to master are admirable. The women are starting to compete into their 20s more and more now. It's a good trend. By blood sport, I mean the level of competition and ambition. The controversy and level of general fan bitchiness when Jordyn Wieber won the world all around title last year over tiny little Victoria Komova who looks like a deer in the headlights was quite an interesting phenomenon. The USA's Wieber is strong and healthy looking, while Russia's Komova is tiny, thin, and more "artistic" but she kept messing up and bobbling on her floor exercise. Her fans wouldn't acknowledge it, but the stronger and healthier girl, Wieber, with better skills deserved to take it. Quite the debate ensued. Point being it isn't, IMO, like the beauty contests that figure skating have become.
I live in the land locked middle of the country where winter sports are prevalent, Colorful Colorado. The summer games lack events with potential high speed crashes like downhill, super G, and bobsled.