Golf and Rugby; Olympic Sports

[The Todd]

Golf and Rugby Sevens have officially been made Olympic Sports, and will both make their first appearance in the 2016 event in Rio de Janeiro.

This disgusts me. The Olympics used to be about amateurs, now the focus is on people like Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer and, now, Tiger Woods.

Representing their country is not the biggest honour to these people. They have far bigger events to worry about. How many people will pull out of the golf to prepare themselves for the majors?

A sport should only be included in the Olympic games if the games are seen as their sport's pinnacle. In athletics, swimming, cycling etc the Olympics are bigger than the World Championships. In basketball, football, golf, tennis etc they are not.

Should these be Olympic Sports?

 

[NSL]

I'm glad both of these made the cuts, but I'm not sure how golf will be represented internationally. Is it just going to be players from America representing their "home" countries?

I'm most excited to see rugby. It is quickly growing among international popularity, and it'd be nice to see different countries get a chance to dominate the medal stand.

Come to think of it, golf making the cut sounds like it was done to get Tiger a gold medal...Bastards...

 

[The Todd]

It's not proper rugby, it's rugby sevens. It's a short, fun version of the game that is usually won by Fiji. There's a seven-a-side tournament already which is poorly received, so we will have to wait and see how effective this one is.

As for golf, I love golf and always enjoy watching it, but it doesn't deserve to be at the Olympics. Olympics is a time for the lesser knows sports that usually get fuck all attention.

The format will probably be like the World Cup golf tournament, played in pairs. It will be selected by the top two ranked players from a country, so USA would have Woods and Mickelson, Britain would have Casey and Harrington if it were played today.

 

[NSL]

As for golf, I love golf and always enjoy watching it, but it doesn't deserve to be at the Olympics. Olympics is a time for the lesser knows sports that usually get fuck all attention.

Golf is a lesser known sport that gets "fuck all attention". Even with Tiger dominating the sport right now, they're lucky to get more than a 2 or 3 minute segment on any sports channel. I like that it's there.

The format will probably be like the World Cup golf tournament, played in pairs. It will be selected by the top two ranked players from a country, so USA would have Woods and Mickelson, Britain would have Casey and Harrington if it were played today.

The format is match play, and probably won't involve and professionals. I originally figured it was a way to get Tiger a medal, but I'm thinking it will be for the amateurs, who have gotten better and better the more guys like Tiger dominate the sport.

If I were British, I wouldn't complain about having Paddy on my team...Just sayin'...

 

[The Todd]

Golf is a lesser known sport that gets "fuck all attention". Even with Tiger dominating the sport right now, they're lucky to get more than a 2 or 3 minute segment on any sports channel. I like that it's there.

To you maybe, but golf gets a load of coverage over here. The Ryder Cup is a premiere sporting event. The Masters is also a huge sporting occasion. By lesser sports that get fuck all attention, I mean things like squash, a sport who that you could know nothing about but get galvanised by it and take it up. I had a mate who watched handball at the last Olympics, and he got so hooked on it he started to take it up. Golf doesn't need that kind ov coverage at the Olympics.

The format is match play, and probably won't involve and professionals. I originally figured it was a way to get Tiger a medal, but I'm thinking it will be for the amateurs, who have gotten better and better the more guys like Tiger dominate the sport.

If it is official that it is for amateurs I lose any problem that I had with it. Tiger or Padraig wouldn't cherish an Olympic gold medal as much as an amateur would. It would be like boxing then, a world stage to force your way into the pro's. Only if it's for pros does my problem stand.

If I were British, I wouldn't complain about having Paddy on my team...Just sayin'...

Oh I wouldn't. A medal is a medal, regardless if you think the sport should be there or not. Padraig's a fantastic golfer.

 

[NSL]

If it is official that it is for amateurs I lose any problem that I had with it. Tiger or Padraig wouldn't cherish an Olympic gold medal as much as an amateur would. It would be like boxing then, a world stage to force your way into the pro's. Only if it's for pros does my problem stand.

I haven't heard anything about it, but I totally agree here. I like seeing sports competed by amateurs, because they always seem to try harder. They go out, play tough, and cry when they lose. Pros go out and try, but if they lose, they shrug it off and go sit in their billion dollar mansions.

 

[Dave]

I like both and Rugby Sevens but they should not be Olympic sports. I think that they have taken some of the sports a little bit too far and this is just another example of it. The Olympics is already big enough and I don't think you need Federer or Woods to help you sell the rights to it. I think that the competition will be very lacklustre and you would expect Tiger Woods and South Africa and Fiji to take the honours before they are even played.

In saying that, I like both of the sports and I am looking forward to watching more of the things that I like. Not an altogether bad move but a bad one all the same.

 

[Mr. TM]

I actually like it. The Olympics should be about the best in the world at sports. I have always been against amateurs being the only people allowed in the Olympics, why should they when the professionals are better. The prime example is of course Ice Hockey for me, as until 1998, it had always been about the amateurs, and this hurt Team Canada for years, as the best Canadian hockey players were in the NHL, and it was not until recently that the best European players were in he NHL.

But as far as Rugby and Golf making it, I see nothing wrong with it. As long as there is competition, they should allow any sport.

 

[Барбоса]

Britain would have Casey and Harrington if it were played today.

First off, I very much doubt that Padraig would be too happy to have to compete for Britain considering he is from the Republic of Ireland.

Although come 2016 if things continue the way they are going, Rory McIlroy will be the best golfer in Britain and perhaps even the world so he can represent Britain instead.

Anyhoo, I'm not entirely sure about either golf or rugby entering the Olympics.

With its multi-national roster it would have a far wider base of participation and viewership than many of the other sports involved. But is that really the point? Golf does not need the exposure that such an event would provide and because it takes so long, it will take viewers away from the competitions that need the exposure that the Olympics provides to survive until the next Olympiad.

Now I love watching rugby but I do not think that it has enough countries playing the game at a high enough level. I have a feeling that it might go as far as Olympic baseball - nowhere.

It won't even be the proper 15 a-side. It's the watered down 7 a-side. I can understand that the want to have the shorter, faster games but it just isn't that entertaining for me. A bit like 20/20 cricket, after a couple of games it becomes rather repetitive and samey.

The real reason that rugby is becoming more popular around the world is that people are finally realising that with the advent of professional rugby players, these guys are not just big anymore; they are big, fast, strong and have a high threshold of pain and endurance. The lung-busting 80mins that some of the forwards put in puts almost any American footballer to shame. With 7 a-side, you do not get the same passion and commitment because it is little more than a side show.

 

[The Todd]

First off, I very much doubt that Padraig would be too happy to have to compete for Britain considering he is from the Republic of Ireland.

Very good point. I apologise for my mistake.

To sum up though, the people who say the best sports should be at the Olympics isn't right in my eyes. Golf has it's big tournaments. Tennis does. Basketball does. Football does.

If your biggest sporting fixture on the calendar is the Olympics then you are welcome. If it's not, then you're not. Squash should be in the Olympics long before Golf is. Rugby just gets away with it for not featuring their proper version of the sport.

 

[Shadowmancer]

Sevens is an interesting beast. As far as I know the international sevens competition goes around the world. With countries from all over the world. I know that Kenya is a fan favourite in the Wellington Sevens tournament. This is because its a country that is not normally associated with Rugby. Sevens is less like Twenty/20 because of the fact that it still follows the rules of rugby just with half as many men on the field, rather than taking a noble sport and making it a game for those with ADD and Americans. It will make use of the Main stadium that first week when there is no athletics on.

I can see Golf make it as a sport in the olympics but it is a four day event. Unlike Soccer/football which doesn't fit into the O;ympic two weeks,so therefore shouldbe dropped for a shorter form of the game.