2004 Summer Olympics

[JMK]

I know its really early to be talking about this, but I was watching the highlights this weekend and Paraguay upset Brazil in some kind of soccer match and now Brazil won't be competing in the Olympics in Soccer. And the U.S. won't be competing in Baseball.

Does this strike anyone as odd?
I guess soccer has much more grey area, and this isn't the World Cup, but can anyone really claim to be #1 in the world without Brazil even having a shot?
And can anyone claim to be #1 in baseball when the U.S. didn't even get a shot? No, they didn't qualify for reasons unknown to me, but that has to mean either the U.S. doesn't care for this competition as far as baseball goes, or they went in way overconfident and rightfully got bounced. I won't buy the "the best players are in the majors and their affiliated teams". Of course the U.S. is the undisputed power in baseball, but what gives?

Anyone else have a take on this?

[Daiquiri Van-Derveld]

I havent heard a word but Im inclined to go with your over-confident scenario. We have a bit too much of that at times. As far as Brazil... no idea, there.

[Dutchy]

Originally posted by JMK
Anyone else have a take on this?

Yeah, who cares? :) Soccer and baseball are so not Olympic Sports.

[ReaperFett]

Football might be getting removed from the Olympics anyway because of the Olympics views on drugs or something.

[Syo]

who else is partial to the winter olympics over the summer ones

sure i like the summer ones but the winter ones are so much cooler, a lot of summer ones are people running in cirlces

winter ya get the bobsled, and the luge


my favorite summer events are the swimming and diving ones

[Figrin D'an]

I've always prefered the Winter Games myself, because of the skiing events, speedskating, and hockey.

I won't really become interested in the 2004 games until about a few weeks before they begin.

[Syo]

Hockey games are fun to go to, but i could never get into watching them on TV

[CMJ]

Originally posted by Dutchy
Yeah, who cares? :) Soccer and baseball are so not Olympic Sports.

Soccer has been in the Olympics for ages - that's a ridiculous claim Dutchy. baseball, well I'll give you that one.

I love the Summer Games - way more than the winter ones. I'll be watching come August.

[JMK]

How long has baseball been on the Olympic schedule? I don't think it's been around that long, and added solely to get higher north american TV audiences.

[Charley]

I don't like Winter Olympics much at all. There's nothing to hold my interest, aside from hockey (and thats rare)

[ReaperFett]

Winter Olympics has a few decent sports, but generally bores me.

[darth_mcbain]

I prefer Summer over Winter, though I like watching the skiing - those downhill skiers are awesome (and crazy :) )

[JMK]

I give the edge to winter Olympics, the speed skating and of course the hockey grabs my interest.

[ReaperFett]

But hockey is a normal Olympics sport ;)

[Ryan Pode]

It's all about summer olympics. Normally, I hate track and whatnot, but in the Olympics the sprinters are going for fastest man in the world. Thats always exciting.

[JediBoricua]

I'm pumped for the summer olympics!

We have a very good basketball team and maybe we could steal a silver or a bronze medal, so yeah I'll be watching come august.

[Brielle Acaana]

Summer Olympics all the way!

I dont care for the bobsled or the luge. I know theres some human control involved but to me, its basically gravity pulling something down a slick hill :lol

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Time for a bump!

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2566890 The security sounds about on par with a maximum security jail.

[CMJ]

The swimming trials are in Long Beach, which isn't very far from me. I'd seriously considered going, but the tickets(35 bucks for the cheapest seats) were just too much for me at this time. I'm still recovering from my trip to Texas last month.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Good grief, that's expensive!

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
Good grief, that's expensive!


Yeah, but if Phelps swims as well as everyone is expecting, it could be a prelude to history.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Prelude to history vs. being broke . . .

Hard to say which one wins. :)

[CMJ]

Phelps will be the big story, but I loved seeing Lenny Krayzelberg do his thing again. He was really the hero of the Sydney Olympics for the US(with all due respect to Marion Jones). One of the best "stories" to come out of any Olympics that I've watched.

Man, and Amanda Beard grew up to be pretty dang attractive. :smokin

[Marcus Telcontar]

with all due respect to Marion Jones

Does she really deserve respect, with the latest drugs scandals running about? Her first husband caught, her current b/f under a real cloud along with her.

I dunno, I cant find myself getting any enthusiasm for the Olymics. especially as three aust athelites have been rubbed out for drug offences, another five cyclists accused, the THG scandal, chinese women swimmers drug cloud....

* sigh *

[Master Yoghurt]

Because of the drug problems in elite athletics, for the last few years I lost a lot of interest in strength and condition focused sports, and gained more interest towards sports which depend mainly on technique.

[CMJ]

The stuff against Marion Jones does look pretty damning, but that wasn't my point. ;)

So far though, she hasn't been found guilty of anything. Until she is I'll have to assume she's clean. There's no guarantee she qualifies for anything though, the competition is tough this year.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Originally posted by CMJ
The stuff against Marion Jones does look pretty damning, but that wasn't my point. ;)

So far though, she hasn't been found guilty of anything. Until she is I'll have to assume she's clean. There's no guarantee she qualifies for anything though, the competition is tough this year.

I'm aware it wasnt your point, but it served as a lead in into mine - the drug scandals runnign around really do throw a cloud over the athletes and the games in general.

Plus, I cant realyl see atheletes who are punched out of scientific labortories virtually (ie, where every single tiny aspect of performance is analyed, checked, perfect diets, perfect exercise regimes, pretty much churning out super humans) as all that interesting. It's lost it's meaning - it's now who has the best labs, not whos just plain best. There's not really many records or sports where pure talent and skill still can beat the mind blowing sport science.


Then add to that the drugs, the money, the celeb lifestyles and there's not realyl much I can respect.

Where I think Jones has a real problem this itme is that it's simply not the first time she's been associated with a person or a lab thats been tainted. Was it not her first husband who was banend for steroids? Now, she's found to be part of Balfor regime, which was dosing several atheletes with THG. Is she innocent? I would hope so. But, it does raise doubts - were her performances truly clean?

And now for a few links

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/10/1089000397517.html

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/10/1089000398763.html

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/10/1089000400999.html?from=storylhs

[Dasquian Belargic]

I just found out someone (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7713-1133260,00.html) who went to my school a couple of years back is going to be in the hammer throw :o

[CMJ]

Are drugs a problem in sports? Yes.

Do I believe it's as big a problem as these articles - plus others on our side of the Ocean - make them out to be? No. I do understand alot of people don't get into the Olympics these days because of the "what if" that seems to follow them, but frankly I'm still as excited as ever.

BTW: Marion Jones didn't qualify for the 100M last night. I told ya her competition was tough this year. ;)