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Olympic Thread
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Panda



Joined: 25 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 5:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

edwardcatflap wrote:
Quote:
nationalism/jingoism



Without this element, the olympics are mainly just a load of minority sports very few people would bother to watch at any other time. When you don't really care about whether the guy from your country wins/gets a bum deal from the ref/beats the arch rival from the country you don't like/gets to stand on a platform while your national anthem is played etc...the scales fall from your eyes and you see these events for what they are. Really pretty dull - as all those empty seats testify.



"Minority sports" is not "bad sports" If you judge sports on how popular they are, you should never watch the Olympic games but only THE games you like (American football, to me, it not necessarily a good game because it literally make the athletes dumb and die fast, but it is so popular and profitable in America, thus people are made to believe it is the best game).

It's also funny that people arguing over sports are usually those who only sit in couch and eat chips, and/or those who believe going to gym is also a sport.
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Mr. BlackCat



Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Location: Insert witty remark HERE

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 6:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sml7285 wrote:
stilicho25 wrote:
The empty seats are a result of bad planning, and many people are waiting outside the events to get in. As a Former wrestler I love watching the judo and the wrestling, as this is the most prestigious event for those sports. The nationalism exists, but does not detract from the biggest sports festival of them all. Sour grapes, and judging by the tv ratings, not a widely held position.


Empty seats are an indicator of a severe lack of interest. Someone started a thread about the 2002 World Cup and many people harped about the lack of attendance; it's the same in any major international event. Sure the Brits may go crazy for Andy Murray or that random heptathlon girl, but do you really think there's any interest in the slightest for a Mongolia v SK judo match-up or a similar game in badminton?


Another example of people not knowing what they're talking about in order to bash the Olympics.

The empty seats are due to the sponsors getting 8% of the tickets and not allocating them properly. Coca-cola and Visa gave statements today apologizing for this and guaranteeing the seats either will be full in the coming days or they will be given to students, teachers and soldiers. Is this a problem? Absolutely, but it doesn't "prove a lack of interest" in the Olympics. Hundreds of thousands of people didn't get the tickets they wanted because it's sold out. Over a million people lined the streets of not just London, but the countryside this weekend to watch the road races which is an Olympic (and bike race) record.

We get it, you guys don't like the Olympics. You have to blanket every discussion with your statements of disinterest. So much time and effort to prove you don't care. Odd.
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edwardcatflap



Joined: 22 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
As a Former wrestler I love watching the judo and the wrestling, as this is the most prestigious event for those sports


That's what I mean about minority sports. People who play them might watch them but very few other people would be interested if it wasn't part of the Olympics.

Quote:
"Minority sports" is not "bad sports"
It's not bad sports it's just not as entertaining as other sports. Popular sports are popular for a reason. American football outside the US is also a monority sport because it's boring to watch. Too many stoppages.

Quote:
The empty seats are due to the sponsors getting 8% of the tickets and not allocating them properly


I heard it was because they tried to sell a lot of them on the black market but in the end couldn't offload them.

Quote:
Over a million people lined the streets of not just London, but the countryside this weekend to watch the road races which is an Olympic (and bike race) record.



I said the Olympics was 'mainly' just a load of minority sports but I wouldn't categorize road cycling in that group. A lot of people watch this event even when it isn't the Olympics. Presumably those people lining the streets didn't have to pay for overpriced tickets either

Quote:
Sour grapes


How is it sour grapes? Maybe you think I tried to qualify for the Olympic team and didn't make the grade or something?


Last edited by edwardcatflap on Sun Jul 29, 2012 7:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
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sml7285



Joined: 26 Apr 2012

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mr. BlackCat wrote:
sml7285 wrote:
stilicho25 wrote:
The empty seats are a result of bad planning, and many people are waiting outside the events to get in. As a Former wrestler I love watching the judo and the wrestling, as this is the most prestigious event for those sports. The nationalism exists, but does not detract from the biggest sports festival of them all. Sour grapes, and judging by the tv ratings, not a widely held position.


Empty seats are an indicator of a severe lack of interest. Someone started a thread about the 2002 World Cup and many people harped about the lack of attendance; it's the same in any major international event. Sure the Brits may go crazy for Andy Murray or that random heptathlon girl, but do you really think there's any interest in the slightest for a Mongolia v SK judo match-up or a similar game in badminton?


Another example of people not knowing what they're talking about in order to bash the Olympics.

The empty seats are due to the sponsors getting 8% of the tickets and not allocating them properly. Coca-cola and Visa gave statements today apologizing for this and guaranteeing the seats either will be full in the coming days or they will be given to students, teachers and soldiers. Is this a problem? Absolutely, but it doesn't "prove a lack of interest" in the Olympics. Hundreds of thousands of people didn't get the tickets they wanted because it's sold out. Over a million people lined the streets of not just London, but the countryside this weekend to watch the road races which is an Olympic (and bike race) record.

We get it, you guys don't like the Olympics. You have to blanket every discussion with your statements of disinterest. So much time and effort to prove you don't care. Odd.


I read that article too. They were talking about open seats at popular events like swimming. If you watch the events on television though, you can clearly see more than 50% of some venues empty. Last I checked, 50% was quite a bit more than 8%. Also - none of those sponsors apologized... they released statements stating that most of their seats were actually filled (http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/07/30/uk-oly-emptyseats-day-idUKBRE86R0YS20120730)

Quote:
"All of our guests are incredibly excited to be able to be a part of London 2012 and we believe that usage levels of our tickets have been extremely high so far," Coca-Cola said in a statement on Sunday.


The main problem isn't with sponsors, it's with the way the system is set up. The non-hardcore fans buy tickets and forgo going to the morning prelims and instead only attend the medal rounds. The nationalists who buy tickets to watch their hometown athletes attend the morning heats and skip the finals when their heroes don't qualify. People are sold tickets to doubleheaders and leave after their home country's team has played. That is why some of the more popular sporting events aren't at capacity.

I'm not bashing the Olympics. Pointing out the problems of a system don't necessarily make one a hater. I'm just stating facts. International events have always had low attendances for non-final matchups that don't feature a home player or team.
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Mr. BlackCat



Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Location: Insert witty remark HERE

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 6:54 pm    Post subject: Re: Olympic Thread Reply with quote

radcon wrote:
Swimmer Park Tae Won was disqualified under dubious circumstances. The obligatory Korean olympic controversy happened early on this time around. Brace yourselves.


I got a few conspiracy theories from my CT this morning. First, it was the Canadians who got him DQed (our guy moved into the final because of it originally, so obviously the swimming powerhouse that is Canada has spies all over the pool to do these things). Then it was the Chinese because their guy eventually won gold. Rolling Eyes

He didn't false start exactly, but he was moving before the whistle which is a clear violation. Fact is, if he was Joe Blow from Egypt the DQ would have stuck. The fact that he got into the final because of his ranking is lost on most Koreans who likely still see it as some sort of moral victory against those that wish to destroy them.

I don't mean to (only) bash Korea here, but when you come from a culture where...'creative winning strategies'...are common and accepted you tend to suspect others of the same things. See also, Russia.

Canada got it's first medal, though! A bit lucky to get the points they needed on that last dive to stay in 3rd.
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sml7285



Joined: 26 Apr 2012

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 7:08 pm    Post subject: Re: Olympic Thread Reply with quote

Mr. BlackCat wrote:
radcon wrote:
Swimmer Park Tae Won was disqualified under dubious circumstances. The obligatory Korean olympic controversy happened early on this time around. Brace yourselves.


I got a few conspiracy theories from my CT this morning. First, it was the Canadians who got him DQed (our guy moved into the final because of it originally, so obviously the swimming powerhouse that is Canada has spies all over the pool to do these things). Then it was the Chinese because their guy eventually won gold. Rolling Eyes

He didn't false start exactly, but he was moving before the whistle which is a clear violation. Fact is, if he was Joe Blow from Egypt the DQ would have stuck. The fact that he got into the final because of his ranking is lost on most Koreans who likely still see it as some sort of moral victory against those that wish to destroy them.

I don't mean to (only) bash Korea here, but when you come from a culture where...'creative winning strategies'...are common and accepted you tend to suspect others of the same things. See also, Russia.

Canada got it's first medal, though! A bit lucky to get the points they needed on that last dive to stay in 3rd.


False starts are an appeal-able offense (well only in situations where the false start is called after the starting whistle). Video as well as the pressure pad (they check to see how much time has elapsed between when the starting horn goes off and when the swimmer leaves the block) can both be used to overturn a false start.

Technically any twitch can be considered a false start, but in cases where the side judge calls the false start after the starting horn, it's really up to the appeals committee.
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Mr. BlackCat



Joined: 30 Nov 2005
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 7:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Olympic Thread Reply with quote

sml7285 wrote:
Mr. BlackCat wrote:
radcon wrote:
Swimmer Park Tae Won was disqualified under dubious circumstances. The obligatory Korean olympic controversy happened early on this time around. Brace yourselves.


I got a few conspiracy theories from my CT this morning. First, it was the Canadians who got him DQed (our guy moved into the final because of it originally, so obviously the swimming powerhouse that is Canada has spies all over the pool to do these things). Then it was the Chinese because their guy eventually won gold. Rolling Eyes

He didn't false start exactly, but he was moving before the whistle which is a clear violation. Fact is, if he was Joe Blow from Egypt the DQ would have stuck. The fact that he got into the final because of his ranking is lost on most Koreans who likely still see it as some sort of moral victory against those that wish to destroy them.

I don't mean to (only) bash Korea here, but when you come from a culture where...'creative winning strategies'...are common and accepted you tend to suspect others of the same things. See also, Russia.

Canada got it's first medal, though! A bit lucky to get the points they needed on that last dive to stay in 3rd.


False starts are an appeal-able offense (well only in situations where the false start is called after the starting whistle). Video as well as the pressure pad (they check to see how much time has elapsed between when the starting horn goes off and when the swimmer leaves the block) can both be used to overturn a false start.

Technically any twitch can be considered a false start, but in cases where the side judge calls the false start after the starting horn, it's really up to the appeals committee.


Right. I'm not saying it was wrong for him to be reinstated, I'm just saying there was actual cause for the original DQ and it wasn't some grand conspiracy. FINA's explanation, however, leaves much to be desired. They denied there was any movement and said the judge made a mistake. Apparently, they are not aware video and the internet exist. Or they just don't care.
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Panda



Joined: 25 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sml7285 wrote:


The main problem isn't with sponsors, it's with the way the system is set up. The non-hardcore fans buy tickets and forgo going to the morning prelims and instead only attend the medal rounds. The nationalists who buy tickets to watch their hometown athletes attend the morning heats and skip the finals when their heroes don't qualify. People are sold tickets to doubleheaders and leave after their home country's team has played. That is why some of the more popular sporting events aren't at capacity.

I'm not bashing the Olympics. Pointing out the problems of a system don't necessarily make one a hater. I'm just stating facts. International events have always had low attendances for non-final matchups that don't feature a home player or team.



There is nothing wrong that people care less about the qualify round than the final round. Because we want to see the best.

Coubertin says the most important part is to take part but no win, that is to the athletes.

The audience loves to see the most exciting competition and it's not their job to be supportive to the rest.

And because it is a COMPETITION not a charity event, it looks almost cruel.
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sml7285



Joined: 26 Apr 2012

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Panda wrote:
sml7285 wrote:


The main problem isn't with sponsors, it's with the way the system is set up. The non-hardcore fans buy tickets and forgo going to the morning prelims and instead only attend the medal rounds. The nationalists who buy tickets to watch their hometown athletes attend the morning heats and skip the finals when their heroes don't qualify. People are sold tickets to doubleheaders and leave after their home country's team has played. That is why some of the more popular sporting events aren't at capacity.

I'm not bashing the Olympics. Pointing out the problems of a system don't necessarily make one a hater. I'm just stating facts. International events have always had low attendances for non-final matchups that don't feature a home player or team.



There is nothing wrong that people care less about the qualify round than the final round. Because we want to see the best.

Coubertin says the most important part is to take part but no win, that is to the athletes.

The audience loves to see the most exciting competition and it's not their job to be supportive to the rest.

And because it is a COMPETITION not a charity event, it looks almost cruel.


I'm not disagreeing - I'm merely explaining why there are so many empty seats. I swam competitively for 15 years until I screwed up my shoulder and spine. When I was swimming I couldn't care less if no one showed up to prelims.
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IMF crisis



Joined: 27 Mar 2008

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

stilicho25 wrote:
judo and the wrestling, as this is the most prestigious event for those sports. The nationalism exists, but does not detract from the biggest sports festival of them all. Sour grapes, and judging by the tv ratings, not a widely held position.

Of course nationalism doesn't detract from the tv ratings. That was, I believe, another poster's point. People watch because they are nationalistic, not sports fans. The modern Olympics upholds many of the worst ideals of our time. Overspending, rabid nationalism, commercialism and consumerism run amok. (Not to mention all the politics that go on behind the scenes when bidding on hosting the event and all the PED issues.) Having said that, the Olympics are also a unique chance to watch sports that are usually not televised. I get annoyed with commercialism and the politics and such, but I like watching those less popular sports.
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cj1976



Joined: 26 Oct 2005

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The 1988 Roy Jones Jr boxing fiasco new needs to be televised daily during the Olympics know, so these idiot sore losers think twice about calling foul every time something doesn't go their way. It drives me mad that Koreans are so quick to accuse others to cheating, yet they conveniently forget that when two of the world's biggest sporting events were hosted here, it was Korea who were found or suspected of being dirty. The above incident was confirmed as true, and recent news has emerged about one of the 2002 world cup refs being a total crook with a history of corruption. The same ref who seemed to have temporarily lost his eyesight or forgot the rules of the game) during the controversial Korea - Italy game.
Anyway, Koreans just look like tools when they complain like this. It reminds me of the aftermath of the 2006 world cup defeat to Switzerland, when they jammed the Fifa servers in protest against a legitimate refereeing decision.
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cj1976



Joined: 26 Oct 2005

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18906623

Britain got robbed of silver after the Japanese team protested, and did everyone in Britain get upset or start crying? A quote from one of the British gymnasts:

"Silver would've been nice but I couldn't complain at all right now. We're in London, it's once in a lifetime and we've made the most of it."

That's how you handle defeat, Korea. Take it on the chin and move on.
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cj1976



Joined: 26 Oct 2005

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/30/south-korean-fencer-protest-olympic

This is just embarrassing.
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oppa637



Joined: 05 Dec 2011

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Embarrassing for the country and officials.
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cj1976



Joined: 26 Oct 2005

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

oppa637 wrote:
Embarrassing for the country and officials.


How about this gem?

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/sailing/south-koreas-olympic-sailing-coach-sent-home-for-drink-driving-7982227.html
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