Olympic Dream is it real or just plain insanity!

[ATC]

How do you mean? The sport itself (technically WTF Sport Taekwondo) or all of the nonsense that goes with being in the olympics?


Well, the olympics are huge business. Not only in terms of money, but in terms of political favor trading.

No, many people in the world do not care about the olympics. Most in the US really don't. It's full of sports that we don't recognize played by amateur athletes that we've never heard of. The sports that we do recognize and follow generate no interest for us because we already know that the best players aren't playing in them; they're in the pros and the game schedule in US professional leagues is such that going to the olympics would actually hurt the athletes. I am sure that people in other countries have similar observations, the only difference being that the sports and athletes they've never heard of are different than the ones that we've never heard of.

Unfortunately, in amateur sports, the olympics have been for a very long time the only real means of large scale recognition.


Which America? North, Central, or South?

Daniel

Daniel, how many times have I told you, being level headed in a no no...

.

You have to be one of the few on here that I actually enjoy discussing things with. Even when we disagree it is always personable.

 

[Tez3]

Daniel, it has to the USA doesn't it? After all they are the ones that brought civilisation MacDonalds, Coke and all the rest ROFL. All sponsors of the Olympics. The timings of events in the Games have to be timed to catch the television news etc in the States, even to the point of having the marathon run in a hot country at midday!
Most countries outside the States have heard of the sports though, we have more variety of sports on our television channels plus we have things like the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games, African Games etc. Do any of you know how your American teams are doing in the Tour de France for example, a great many Europeans can tell you lol! On my television I have seven channels which just have sports on them. In Europe we watch everything from cycling, speed skating, badminton, Judo, athletics, bowls, curling, fencing, darts, cricket, foortball, rugby, Aussie rules etc etc. No TKD though,we do have various MMA fight nights on not American ones though, you have to pay extra for them.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Daniel, it has to the USA doesn't it? After all they are the ones that brought civilisation MacDonalds, Coke and all the rest ROFL. All sponsors of the Olympics. The timings of events in the Games have to be timed to catch the television news etc in the States, even to the point of having the marathon run in a hot country at midday!

US corporations spent the money, so it is not surprising. Still, most people here really don't care about the olympics. They are watched fairly broadly, but mainly to see how "we" are doing. I generally will not watch the olympics if given a choice.

Most countries outside the States have heard of the sports though, we have more variety of sports on our television channels plus we have things like the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games, African Games etc. Do any of you know how your American teams are doing in the Tour de France for example, a great many Europeans can tell you lol! On my television I have seven channels which just have sports on them. In Europe we watch everything from cycling, speed skating, badminton, Judo, athletics, bowls, curling, fencing, darts, cricket, foortball, rugby, Aussie rules etc etc. No TKD though,we do have various MMA fight nights on not American ones though, you have to pay extra for them.

Most people in the US have consciousness of competitive cycling pretty much only because of Lance Armstrong. Soccor (football), has gone to greater lengths to penetrate the US market and has really has not had any great success, which is really weird. Americans love soccor when their kids are playing, but won't watch it on TV due to the popularity of NFL football, baseball, and basketball. Even Nascar outranks soccor.

Taekwondo was not televised, at least not in the US, in 2008, and is not at any other time either. MMA, wrestling, and boxing, however, rate a large viewership. NFL Football handily outstrips them all... combined.

Daniel

 

[Gorilla]

Do you guys realize that you took a lament from a tired parent and made it into a international debate. Keep it up I love it. I love Horse Racing, WTF TKD, MMA
England, all the all the America's, a great debate and of course Spider Monkey's.


I also like long running threads that I started. My competitive Nature.

I forgot I also love Australia an Mexico(tribute to MANNY)

 

[d1jinx]

Taekwondo was not televised, at least not in the US, in 2008, and is not at any other time either. MMA, wrestling, and boxing, however, rate a large viewership. NFL Football handily outstrips them all... combined.

Daniel

I had to watch the tkd matches online. they streamed most of the fights. First time and I like it like that. no commercials, no wasting time watching other matches, skip to the ones you want to see on MY time....

ahhhh technology.

Now had NBC televised it, I would have heard things like "JUDO CHOP" and "double rear round kick with a violent yell to the scoring area" by idiots who dont have a clue about TKD.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

while we are off topic I'll throw something else out there. Is there another sport other than horse racing that survives soley on the fact that people gamble on it. If you could no longer bet on horses how long would the sport survive? I dont imagine many people would still tune in to watch horses running around in a circle. Whereas, if you could no longer bet on football, soccer, cricket, boxing etc people would still tune in and watch. Its probably why I find horse racing so boring, because I dont gamble.

 

[Tez3]

while we are off topic I'll throw something else out there. Is there another sport other than horse racing that survives soley on the fact that people gamble on it. If you could no longer bet on horses how long would the sport survive? I dont imagine many people would still tune in to watch horses running around in a circle. Whereas, if you could no longer bet on football, soccer, cricket, boxing etc people would still tune in and watch. Its probably why I find horse racing so boring, because I dont gamble.

The sport doesn't survive on betting at all, the betting companies do of course but racing doesn't. You find it boring because you don't understand it, it's like kata, MMA, polo and to me golf in that if you don't understand it you won't like it. Many people go to the races and never bet. The prize money and sponsorship is what keeps racaing going and a very large dollop of money from Dubai. Going to the races is a social occasion as well as watching horses run ( we don't run in circles here or anywhere else must be an American thing chasing your tail) it's no different from watching athletic races, the steeplechase, sprints, hurdles etc only it's horses. The last I looked people don't bet on human athletes but still go to watch them run.
Keeping it on topic I don't watch Olympic TKD until theres a Brit in it precisely because I find it boring, I find little depth in it, just the kick, your turn to kick, then a kick etc etc.

Off topic, Lance Armstrong and Tyler Farrer have been unlucky with injuries this year at the Tour but America has world class cyclists who deserve more support and recognition.

 

[Tez3]

Do you guys realize that you took a lament from a tired parent and made it into a international debate. Keep it up I love it. I love Horse Racing, WTF TKD, MMA
England, all the all the America's, a great debate and of course Spider Monkey's.


I also like long running threads that I started. My competitive Nature.

I forgot I also love Australia an Mexico(tribute to MANNY)

We do our best! I think it's easy to forget that it's now an international site with many Europeans, Antipodeans, Asians etc now reading and posting ( Bob should be very proud of that achievement, it shows the class MT has). I heard America decribed by an American btw before you all get mad with me, as a very insular place, watching only the news on tv that occurs in their part of the world not even the rest of America. Perhaps by dialogue with others this can be remedied to a certain extent.

 

[terryl965]

Why don't we bring Tennis and Volleybal as well since they do not get enough support, wait fishing I love but they get no support. I wish we could just love one another and sing happy days are here again, I love hotdogs and fish and chips.....

 

[Tez3]

Why don't we bring Tennis and Volleybal as well since they do not get enough support, wait fishing I love but they get no support. I wish we could just love one another and sing happy days are here again, I love hotdogs and fish and chips.....

You don't have programmes about fishing? We do. It's big business here, loads of support for fishing here on mainstream tv as well as satellite (a whole channel dedicated to country sports in fact) and yes we have volleyball and loads of tennis. There is a lot of support here for a great many sports thats why we don't feel isolated as martial artists. Look at any leisure/sports centres here and you will find a great many activities going on including many different martial arts.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

while we are off topic I'll throw something else out there. Is there another sport other than horse racing that survives soley on the fact that people gamble on it. If you could no longer bet on horses how long would the sport survive? I dont imagine many people would still tune in to watch horses running around in a circle. Whereas, if you could no longer bet on football, soccer, cricket, boxing etc people would still tune in and watch. Its probably why I find horse racing so boring, because I dont gamble.

Then how do you explain the popularity of NASCAR?

Daniel

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

We do our best! I think it's easy to forget that it's now an international site with many Europeans, Antipodeans, Asians etc now reading and posting ( Bob should be very proud of that achievement, it shows the class MT has). I heard America decribed by an American btw before you all get mad with me, as a very insular place, watching only the news on tv that occurs in their part of the world not even the rest of America. Perhaps by dialogue with others this can be remedied to a certain extent.

Kind of. Our evening news and major papers give a broad brush to national news, with most people being most interested in the more localized news. I think that the fact that it is a major endeavor for most Americans to get to many parts of the country, let alone foreign countries, is the major reason that we tend to be that way. I understand that many Europeans commute to other countries in Europe. Most Americans have never left the US. This is mainly due to the size of the country.

I'd gather that there is a level of nationalism that factors in as well.

Daniel

 

[mango.man]

Then how do you explain the popularity of NASCAR?

Daniel

People watch NASCAR for the wrecks, don't let anyone tell you any different. The chances of a 15 horse wreck is pretty slim. In NASCAR it is a weekly occurrence.

 

[Tez3]

People watch NASCAR for the wrecks, don't let anyone tell you any different. The chances of a 15 horse wreck is pretty slim. In NASCAR it is a weekly occurrence.

Have you ever seen the Grand National? Horrible race, usually horses killed in it.

 

[mango.man]

Have you ever seen the Grand National? Horrible race, usually horses killed in it.

I said the chances of a 15 horse wreck are pretty slim. I didn't say it never happens. In NASCAR you can pretty much count on it happening week after week for 36 weeks out of the year. And that is why people watch it.

I have no idea what the TV ratings are for horse racing, but I would bet that on the races where there is a high probability of a 15 horse wreck, that ratings are up from a televised race where there is virtually no possibility of such an occurrence.

 

[Tez3]

I said the chances of a 15 horse wreck are pretty slim. I didn't say it never happens. In NASCAR you can pretty much count on it happening week after week for 36 weeks out of the year. And that is why people watch it.

I have no idea what the TV ratings are for horse racing, but I would bet that on the races where there is a high probability of a 15 horse wreck, that ratings are up from a televised race where there is virtually no possibility of such an occurrence.

Er, I don't think so somehow, the thought that people would want to watch horses and riders being killed and hurt is not a nice one, where on earth did you drag that up from?

Definitely time to get back to nice safe Olympic TKD.

 

[mango.man]

Er, I don't think so somehow, the thought that people would want to watch horses and riders being killed and hurt is not a nice one, where on earth did you drag that up from?

Definitely time to get back to nice safe Olympic TKD.

It's kinda like running with the bulls in Pamplona. How many people do you think are watching that spectacle and cheering for the people, vs how many are cheering for the bulls.

I would guess that somewhere between 2/3s and 3/4s are pulling for the bulls.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Then how do you explain the popularity of NASCAR?

Daniel

I cant. Maybe people like the crashes and smell of petrol.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

I said the chances of a 15 horse wreck are pretty slim. I didn't say it never happens. In NASCAR you can pretty much count on it happening week after week for 36 weeks out of the year. And that is why people watch it.

I have no idea what the TV ratings are for horse racing, but I would bet that on the races where there is a high probability of a 15 horse wreck, that ratings are up from a televised race where there is virtually no possibility of such an occurrence.

Im sure the only people watching horse racing on TV have their TAB ticket in one hand, not all, but 99%.

 

[ATC]

Im sure the only people watching horse racing on TV have their TAB ticket in one hand, not all, but 99%.

I actually watch a horse racing event once. It was when I was young and I had this video game that was a horse racing game. But that was about it. The game was more fun as you controlled the whipping of the horse. To soon and he tired and got passed by. To late and you could not catch the front runners soon enough. So you had to know things like how many furlong in the race and if the horse ran better in mud, dirt, or grass. The game was pretty fun. The real event was not. I think the people that bring you horse racing made the game and put it out to attempt to stir up interest in the sport. I guess it worked because it made me watch an event. But the event itself just could not hold me.

Now if I had some money on a horse then I guess I would watch.

The game even had the betting aspect to it. You could bet on your horse but your horse only (guess it would be pretty easy to cheat and bet against yourself and then lose on purpose). There were 3 bets you could make. A win bet, a place bet, and a trifecta bet where you would bet on three horses and you had to pick the order of the horses. So 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

As I said the game was fun. Me and my friends use to play all the time. And this was 30 years ago. But the real thing I guess, is for the Aristocratic.