And now for something completely different.....
If you follow my blogs you know the "and now for something completely different" line is when I deviate from talking about tech and talk about what's going on with me or offer an opinion. Now I don't do it often, mostly because I don't think anyone cares but there is something cathartic about it.
So what's my rant about? The Olympics. I LOVE the Olympics.
I think its one of the coolest things and watch as much of it (alpine, long jump, biathlon, speed skating, cross country, snowboarding) as I can. Now I have a great appreciation for ANYONE who is passionate and a competitor but to be an elite athlete and compete against the WORLD (on the world stage no less) while representing your country is the amazing. I mean ever notice the they call the NBA, SuperBowl and World Series winners world champions but it nots against any international competitors? I love football and the other sports but come on! You stand on an Olympic podium with a gold medal and THAT's a world champion.
So there's a couple of things under my skin. The first is Bryant Gumbel's comments on the Olympics. I you missed it here's what he had to say, "..finally, tonight, the Winter Games. Count me among those who don’t like them and won’t watch them ... Because they’re so trying, maybe over the next three weeks we should all try too. Like, try not to be incredulous when someone attempts to link these games to those of the ancient Greeks who never heard of skating or skiing. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention. Try not to point out that something’s not really a sport if a pseudo-athlete waits in what’s called a kiss-and-cry area, while some panel of subjective judges decides who won ... So if only to hasten the arrival of the day they’re done, when we can move on to March Madness — for God’s sake, let the games begin...."
Hey, Mr. Gumbal? GET BENT! Who made you the Olympics officianado? So you don't think there should be a winter Olympics merely because they didn't exist during the time of the original games? And because there's few black competitors also means that we shouldn't care or watch? So what would happen if I said that I wasn't going to watch a sport or competition because there are no white athletes? I would be called a racist that's what! Now I'm happy to admit that you don't see alot of black families living in and around the winter sports areas in the U.S. or world. But to say that reason makes it not a real sport or competitive because there are a few black athletes? PLEASE! Oh, by the way a black athlete won a gold medal in speed skating last night. His attitude about being a Olympic team player, we can talk about later. One of the nice things (and the ting I love) about the Olympics is it's spirit - it has no care for race, ethnicity, wealth or background only fair competition and rewarding excellence. So piss on Mr. Gumbel and the like who because of their own elitist or racist bias disregard something the rest of us might enjoy.
Okay, number two Lindsey Jacobellis the snowboard cross racer. Now if you've turned on a TV over the months prior to the Olympics you've seen her EVERWHERE (she's the girl in the AMEX, Dunkin Donuts and Olympic commercials that played every ten minutes) being tauted as the soon to be newest member of the gold medal club. She goes into the medal round, gets offa great start, fights of an almost crash, a big pile up and within spitting distance of the finish with a huge lead, she showboats on the final jump and takes a spill. If not for the crash that wiped out the field and her big lead there would have been no chance for the silver she ended up with. Now I think winning a medal (no matter the color) in the Olympics is a great accomplishment but LOSING a gold medal because of your own hubris (the classis Greek term for reckless pride and the term attributed to the downfall of their tragic play subjects, kind of ironic ain't it) and showboating is a slap in the face. It flies directly in the face of what the Olympics is about and ruins all the hard work she's done over her career. As I always say "one oh shit wipes out a thousad attaboys". So a very talented and successful athlete will now be known for what is becoming a famous sports blunder. Good job, I bet she'd RATHER be known for winning the first Olympic medal given for her sport's Olympic debut.
So in closing, seeing people compete on a world stage with a sense of good sportmanship and wanting to represent their country in the Olympics-very cool. Uninformed racism and boastful pride or showboating-bad. Now I've got to get back to watching curling.
So what's my rant about? The Olympics. I LOVE the Olympics.
I think its one of the coolest things and watch as much of it (alpine, long jump, biathlon, speed skating, cross country, snowboarding) as I can. Now I have a great appreciation for ANYONE who is passionate and a competitor but to be an elite athlete and compete against the WORLD (on the world stage no less) while representing your country is the amazing. I mean ever notice the they call the NBA, SuperBowl and World Series winners world champions but it nots against any international competitors? I love football and the other sports but come on! You stand on an Olympic podium with a gold medal and THAT's a world champion.
So there's a couple of things under my skin. The first is Bryant Gumbel's comments on the Olympics. I you missed it here's what he had to say, "..finally, tonight, the Winter Games. Count me among those who don’t like them and won’t watch them ... Because they’re so trying, maybe over the next three weeks we should all try too. Like, try not to be incredulous when someone attempts to link these games to those of the ancient Greeks who never heard of skating or skiing. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention. Try not to point out that something’s not really a sport if a pseudo-athlete waits in what’s called a kiss-and-cry area, while some panel of subjective judges decides who won ... So if only to hasten the arrival of the day they’re done, when we can move on to March Madness — for God’s sake, let the games begin...."
Hey, Mr. Gumbal? GET BENT! Who made you the Olympics officianado? So you don't think there should be a winter Olympics merely because they didn't exist during the time of the original games? And because there's few black competitors also means that we shouldn't care or watch? So what would happen if I said that I wasn't going to watch a sport or competition because there are no white athletes? I would be called a racist that's what! Now I'm happy to admit that you don't see alot of black families living in and around the winter sports areas in the U.S. or world. But to say that reason makes it not a real sport or competitive because there are a few black athletes? PLEASE! Oh, by the way a black athlete won a gold medal in speed skating last night. His attitude about being a Olympic team player, we can talk about later. One of the nice things (and the ting I love) about the Olympics is it's spirit - it has no care for race, ethnicity, wealth or background only fair competition and rewarding excellence. So piss on Mr. Gumbel and the like who because of their own elitist or racist bias disregard something the rest of us might enjoy.
Okay, number two Lindsey Jacobellis the snowboard cross racer. Now if you've turned on a TV over the months prior to the Olympics you've seen her EVERWHERE (she's the girl in the AMEX, Dunkin Donuts and Olympic commercials that played every ten minutes) being tauted as the soon to be newest member of the gold medal club. She goes into the medal round, gets offa great start, fights of an almost crash, a big pile up and within spitting distance of the finish with a huge lead, she showboats on the final jump and takes a spill. If not for the crash that wiped out the field and her big lead there would have been no chance for the silver she ended up with. Now I think winning a medal (no matter the color) in the Olympics is a great accomplishment but LOSING a gold medal because of your own hubris (the classis Greek term for reckless pride and the term attributed to the downfall of their tragic play subjects, kind of ironic ain't it) and showboating is a slap in the face. It flies directly in the face of what the Olympics is about and ruins all the hard work she's done over her career. As I always say "one oh shit wipes out a thousad attaboys". So a very talented and successful athlete will now be known for what is becoming a famous sports blunder. Good job, I bet she'd RATHER be known for winning the first Olympic medal given for her sport's Olympic debut.
So in closing, seeing people compete on a world stage with a sense of good sportmanship and wanting to represent their country in the Olympics-very cool. Uninformed racism and boastful pride or showboating-bad. Now I've got to get back to watching curling.
posted by Dutch DeGay at 7:42 AM
1 Comments:
WOW, very nicely articulated! Lindsey Jacobellis is a boob! That was just showing her age. Sure, she can be excited knowing she's going to take home the gold, but make it across the finish line first! I wouldn't want to be the gold medalist that only got the gold because the leader was a boob and had to show off a bit. I would rather WIN the silver than recieve the gold due to ignorance and immaturity!
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