Summer Olympics 2012 LD

[Tastycles]

It's more about the length of game being unpredictable than it being long. Baskteball is dominated by the US, but in the previous 5 Olympics, there's been 9 different medallists. USA dominates, but the rest of the tournament is still competitive. With baseball, it was basically Cuba, Japan and US get the medals, then figure out the order.

And it's also completely shit.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

The United States has four times as many gold medals in swimming as second place does. The United States hasn't even won a medal in the World Baseball Classic in the two times it has been played. There are plenty of good enough players from foreign countries where it won't be as dominant. Besides, soccer games can go just as long as baseball games can.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

Have we noticed a patern here? The only people who are demanding that baseball come back are the USA and maybe Japan. There's simply not the demand for the sport in the Olympics no matter what you say.

 

[Stormtrooper]

No there isn't. And removing baseball isn't the worst thing in the world. I understand it, they wanted it gone because MLB won't have their players play. But where's the demand for Racewalking? There isn't any. Is Racewalking ever on television anywhere between Olympics? No, because it's fucking RACEWALKING.

And where the fuck is Golf? Golf is an international sport that's very popular and not dominated by Americans. And don't go telling me it's shit. Shit is an opinion that has no relevance when it comes to qualifying for the olympics. Racewalking is more shit then Baseball, yet it's still in the fucking Olympics.


And as everyone said, Baseball is massive in the Western Hemisphere. That's half the world.

 

[Megatron]

I believe golf will be featured in the 2016 Olympics.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

You would be correct.

 

[Gelgarin]

"Baseball is massive in half the world."

 

[Stormtrooper]

"Baseball is massive in half the world."

This half of the world says hi. Baseball is huge in this half of the world.

Add in Japan (where it's huge), China (where it's popular and growing) and Korea (where it's popular and growing), and you get at least half the world. Hence proving what I said correct, that it is huge in half the world.


Just because it's not big in Europe doesn't mean it isn't big. Europe is not the center of the universe.

 

[Gelgarin]

Actually the Americas are only slightly more than a quarter of the world and contains less than a fifth of the actual people (and that's discounting that there are swathes of South America that really don't care about the sport); and yeah... I think you definitely need to reconsider your definition of huge.

Has a professional baseball league =/= baseball is huge. It was almost universally agreed by the OC that baseball does not have a significant international following. The Baseball world cup is won by the same two nations every year. It's not a significant international sport.

 

[Daniel]

And it's shite.

 

[Alastor]

A lot of the criticism thrown at Baseball and Softball can be used against many existing Olympics events. Many events are dominated by a single country and only focused upon by a small group of countries. Check Table Tennis or Basketball.

Difference is baseball is shit, dominated by a big money league that don't care, filled with drug cheats and not popular enough for IOC to give a damn.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Oh yeah. I see all the clamoring for table tennis.

 

[Tastycles]

Race walking is in because it is part of a standard athletics programme, and athletics is in the Olympics.

It's not about it being dominated, it's about it being popular. Basketball is dominated by the US, but people will sit and watch them twat Tunisia or whatever, because people enjoy the sport. Also, the minor medals are well contested.

As for baseball being popular throughout the Americas. First, no it isn't; and second not a single south American country has ever qualified for the Olympics.

Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico all qualified once and none really set the world alight.

Cuba, USA and Japan all finished within the top 4 every time they entered.

So yeah, it's not competitive enough for Gold or the minor medals so it's not in.

Rowing is a sport often considered a bit crap, because hardly any countries do it, but it has had 15 nations on the podium just this year, baseball had 6 ever, and one of them won in the year the US didn't participate.

Also it's totally, totally shit.

 

[Барбоса]

Do women actually play baseball? Do men play softball?

As I mentioned, any return for baseball or softball may be hindered if they do not as every sport that wants to be at the Olympics now needs to be open to both men and women. I know there is not a big difference between baseball and softball but it might be enough to have them not considered to be the male/female side of the same sport.

 

[MrLamper]

As for baseball being popular throughout the Americas. First, no it isn't; and second not a single south American country has ever qualified for the Olympics.

Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico all qualified once and none really set the world alight.

I'm confused, aren't these South American countries?? They're all competing in London 2012!

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

 

[Gelgarin]

In baseball...

 

[hatehabsforever]

Do women actually play baseball? Do men play softball?

As I mentioned, any return for baseball or softball may be hindered if they do not as every sport that wants to be at the Olympics now needs to be open to both men and women. I know there is not a big difference between baseball and softball but it might be enough to have them not considered to be the male/female side of the same sport.

So can you please tell me when the male synchronized swimming is being televised

Personally, I would love to see both baseball and softball return to the Olympics, although I don't see this happening any time soon. For the record, both sports are played by both genders (not positive about female baseball, but I am sure about male softball). And for the record, there is a huge difference between softball and baseball, I don't think the presence or absence of one of them would affect the other at all.

 

[Барбоса]

So can you please tell me when the male synchronized swimming is being televised

Hmmm... that explains why all the chat has been about how at London 2012 women are competing in every sport that men are rather than how both men and women are competing in every sport. Bit of affirmative action/sexual discrimination there...

I think softball is trying to get back into the Olympics for 2020; haven't heard anything about baseball though.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Jessica Ennis should now pose naked in some kind of mens magazine.

Congratulations on the Gold, a fantastic achievement. Now get your fakkkkin rat aaaaawwt

 

[Lee]

We won gold on horses.

Also my future wife is winning stuff.

 

[Tastycles]

Jason Kenny just totally twatted the French bloke in the Men's Sprint.

The Tastycles Target of 20 Golds, 50 medals looks more than achievable now.

Barbosa's "Only 25 medals" could be 25 golds if the poshies keep their act up on the horses.

 

[Slyfox696]

This women's soccer game between USA and Canada has been phenomenal.

 

[The Crock]

Anybody watching the USA/Tunisia volleyball match? Hasn't been bad.

 

[Lee]

 

[Барбоса]

Saw a proper German suplex with a bridge in the wrestling.