2024 Olympics - General commentary

DukieInKansas said:
I was disappointed by the can can dancers. They were out of sync (probably a problem with the sound) and their kicks were uneven. Even more disappointed when I learned they were from Moulin Rouge and not a group of amateur dancers.
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Again problems caused by the rain. It made the platform slick and a fall means a dip into the Seine. They had to adjust on the fly.
 
Kdogg said:
Again problems caused by the rain. It made the platform slick and a fall means a dip into the Seine. They had to adjust on the fly.
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I can understand why they didn’t have a backup plan considering it rains (checks notes) 110 days per in Paris.
 
DevilHorse said:
So what are the 'new' sports being introduced in Paris?
www.sbnation.com

4 new Olympic sports are ready to break in at 2024 Paris games

There are some thrilling new sports at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
www.sbnation.com www.sbnation.com

Some of these are re-introductions, but I digress.
  • Surfing (pioneered/popularized by The Duke)
  • Skateboarding (2 flavors) (origins of Skateboarding came from surfing.. and Marty McFly)
  • Breaking (Break dancing doesn't sound too competitive)
  • Rock Wall Climbing ( started with cavemen )
The first 3 show a definite American influence.

These aren't the sports that I'm looking forward to seeing, and they might not get much airtime, but if the US is involved I'll have a rooting interest. I heard it once said that if the sport is tiddlywinks (and I've played tiddlywinks) if the US has a team/competitor, people will watch.

The athleticism in some of these sports (and a lot of others) is obvious, but it is the requirement of scoring various things that makes this a bit less of a competition (in the eye of the [judge] beholder). I'm sure a few of these sports have rubrics that dictate what must be done, but I can't see these things as competitive sports if there isn't a time, weight, or distance that definitively determines a winner.

Larry
DevilHorse
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The only actual new sport here is breaking, though climbing has an additional event.
 
The U.S. women’s soccer team’s opener has been put in interesting perspective after Zambia went on to take a 5-2 lead against Australia, only to lose 6-5.

Zambia has the two players who have commanded the highest transfer fees in women’s soccer. One is the leading scorer in the NWSL.

So the U.S. defense looks pretty good in comparison. The offense maybe should’ve scored more than three against Zambia, but they got four against Germany, which is saying something.
 
As basketball fans, who's the weirder blast-from-the-past name to resurface in 2024 among U.S. Olympians: Jimmer Fredette (men's basketball 3x3) or Chase Budinger (beach volleyball)? I might have to give the edge to Budinger, channeling his inner Wilt Chamberlain.

Budinger was a 6-7 forward for Arizona from 2006-2009. Despite being drafted as a 2nd rounder, he spent 7 years in the NBA. ESPN has a longform piece about his second career:

www.espn.com

'We finally made it': Inside Chase Budinger's journey from the NBA to Olympic beach volleyball

Chase Budinger already achieved his dream to make the NBA. Now he's making another one come true: competing in beach volleyball in Paris.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Today Budinger and his teammate, 6-4 Miles Evans, beat a pair from France in their Olympics opener. NBC is being weirdly protective and won't let me embed the official video highlights, but you can watch it directly on YouTube here.
 
orrnot said:
My playing days crossed the line out lifting development, and I think it was a positive change. Lifting turned a man-to-man matchup into a 3-on-3 sport, in which better teamwork could overcome one player’s natural or developed ability. Plus, it’s fun, especially for ordinarily ground-bound players like me who found themselves rising and floating over their fellow forwards for a brief graceful moment, usually followed by my knocking forward the delivered ball.

In the Olympic context, I think it provides another visual hook to the game that casual viewers find fun and intriguing. The scrum is by far the sport’s iconic moment, and so I like that viewers see other elements of the game on flattering display. I believe football remains the beautiful game when passes are delivered by hand.
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You have convinced me. If forwards dream of flying, who am I to rain on that parade!

I like lifting better when it is used to field kicks in the open field. If only one forward doing the lifting, it can also be a way for that player to demonstrate incredible strength.
 
acdevil said:
I can understand why they didn’t have a backup plan considering it rains (checks notes) 110 days per in Paris.
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It’s not much of a thing in July. That’s the only reason swimming in the Seine would even be conceivable. Weather now is both more predictable and more haphazard.
 
Kdogg said:
It’s not much of a thing in July. That’s the only reason swimming in the Seine would even be conceivable. Weather now is both more predictable and more haphazard.
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I could be stuck with several thousand Merde Garde 3000s...
 
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