This is my special Olympic blog. Four years ago I wrote how I would help the Chinese Olympic team achieve success by being a "special consultant". It obviously worked as China won the most gold medals and finished second in total medals. Having seen the controversy over the U.S. uniforms being made in China, I decided not to be a consultant for China this Olympic for fear of backlash. If Harry Reid wants to burn the U.S. uniforms made in China, he may want to burn me at stake! The whole thing is ridiculous. Unless Reid and others have no clothes made from another country, they should shut up. The USOC needs sponsor money and gets some from Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren needs to make a profit so they send the work overseas. This is the capitalist system. Unless you want government sponsor Olympic teams and state owned enterprises, this is the way it is. It is not the fault of the USOC or Ralph Lauren. By the way, China makes its own uniforms but the wool is purchased from Australia because it is the best deal. If the U.S. can make it cheaper I am sure Chinese athletes will be wearing "Made in USA".
I found out that Phelps and Lochte are only competing against each other in the 200 and 400 IMs. They are favored to win the other two they entered. So if they are on all three relays then they each can win 7 golds but both can't win 7. I predict that they would split the two IMs and win 6 each.
The U.S. women are favored to win. China is not as strong this year and Romania figures to be the top competition. Gabby Douglas is coming on real strong and that will help the team but she can very well beat Wieber for the all round title. The U.S. men are also very strong. They have that guy from M whose name I forgot how to spell. Japan is the clear favorite as China had retirements from Beijing and couple of recent injuries that knock out couple of their stars. See what happens when I am not a consultant?
Some guy in my dancing class vehemently said that ballroom dancing should NOT be added to the Olympics. Most of the class disagree with him as expected, but I agree. While I found out that dancing requires athleticism of a kind I don't have, I don't think it should be a competitive sport. It is too subjective and at the highest level it is impossible to tell who is really better. It brings too much politics into it as have figure skating and ice dancing. I don't like those sports either. Too a certain degree so are gymnastics and diving but there are more obvious errors and strength moves with these sports. And since they have been there for a long time and are popular they should stay. But to bring in new sports like ballroom dancing, I don't think so. By the way I like sports where you can play defense and mess up the other team. I would make a good defensive player in ballroom dancing if it is allowed like in most other sports!
I also don't like golf being added. It is basically a rich man sport, more so even than tennis and so a poor country has no chance in it. Luck also plays too much of a role. Witness all the different people who won majors lately. Even Tiger at his best won only about 20% of the time. So to be an Olympic winner in golf would not mean the best golfer unlike Usain Bolt is considered the fastest man in the world.
Of course I am also the guy who wonders why swimming has any strokes besides free style. I mean in a race on land, you don't have events like running backward or run like a butterfly. Race walking should also be eliminated. All those officials along the route just to make sure nobody runs? If someone is chasing you in life would you walk instead of run or use the breast stroke instead of free style to get away? So as you can see if I am king of the Olympics a lot sports may be eliminated and very few new ones would get in.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
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I really don't think the Olympic uniforms thing would have been a big deal had they been made in Argentina or any non-Asian country. There's just a lot of backlash right now.
ReplyDeleteIt does bother me that no one on the Olympic committee thought of this ahead of time. It was predictable that there would be such a reaction.
Did you see the Romney backlash in England? I don't mind his candid truth but it seems to me that both candidates are doing everything they can to screw up their campaigns. Then Romney had to backtrack what he said the day after but my theory is, once you've said it, there's no going back. Just defend what you said and move on. He's not there to win English votes anyway.
I understand that he was there because his wife has a horse in the Olympics. I just can't figure out how the Brits would let him stage his visits like he was an official U.S. diplomat. It was like they were introducing him as the President.
I really don't think that his running the winter games makes him an expert on running the London games. Different place and a different time in the world.
I am not discounting what he did in Salt Lake. They were a great games, but the winter games is so much smaller and it was in Salt Lake City, not in busy town that is easily accessible like London.
The threat of terrorism is greater in London than Salt Lake City. And if I were to answer truthfully, I would say exactly what Romney said. However, I am not a candidate for the Presidency and as much as I believe there could be problems, there's no way I would say it in public.
I don't know if anyone would watch competitive ballroom dancing for the Olympics. I didn't even realize that baseball was missing. Do they still do handball? I personally would like to see rugby. But I don't know if there'd be fights which would cause problems.
Since they do the marathon, why don't they do bicycling? And I'm not talking about the velodrome stuff but something like a Tour de France type of competition?
I'm looking forward to the opening ceremony. I don't think it'll top China's over-the-top production but it will be interesting for sure.
Do you believe the prediction that David Beckham will light the cauldron at the end? Maybe he'll bend a flaming ball into the cauldron.
-LBOAYM
I don't think much of the Romney gaffe. It will blow over although this trip is supposed to make him look presidential on foreign soil with visiting Israel also. So it is not just about going to the Olympics and so he can't afford more mistakes. I am sure Fox News will back him up. Meanwhile the British politicians are using it to their own advantage with Cameron calling Salt Lake City middle of nowhere and the mayor of London riling up the crowd by mentioning Romney. So politics goes on both sides of the Pond.
ReplyDeleteYes, baseball and softball are out. Baseball because of no major league players and softball because the U.S. dominated too much. Handball is still in. It is popular in Europe so it will stay forever. Rugby actually was voted in but somehow not in London but in Brazil. It is rugby 7 which means it is much shorter and faster and more unpredictable. It is like the high school passing league compare to regular football. The best nation may not win because more scores are result of long runs as opposed to grinding it out.
They do have bicycle road race but it is not a multiple day type of thing like the Tour. And it is not mountainous so it favors the fast riders as oppose to endurance guys. I don't think Beckham deserves to be the guy to light the cauldron. He is the most famous British athlete but not the greatest. I think Roger Bannister, the first 4 minute miler, should be the one if he is still strong enough to do it. As I am writing this the ceremony has already completed but I am not going to find out any details until I watch on prime time tonight.
I recognize that fact that Israel is our ally and that we need to help protect her in the region. What I don't like is being one sided on this. I prefer that we play the role of peace keeper.
ReplyDeleteSo, when Romney talks tough about Iran, I cringe a bit. This may work well in Israel and pro-Israel groups here in the U.S. but I just don't agree with it.
I forgot to mention a while back that I didn't realize that Hilary Clinton was stepping down after this term. Has there been an announcement on who her replacement will be? I think it would have been a good idea for her and Biden to have switched roles at some point. This would have groomed her for the presidency, whether Obama wins or loses.
I am not convinced that she wants to retire. Though I believe the Secretary of State role is the 2nd hardest job next to the presidency.
I'm sure the next 4 years will get her to recharge her batteries for a run in 2016. If she's going to do it, she's going to do it then.
It figures that as wrote about handball and bicycling, they were showing both the next morning.
I am surprised that rugby didn't make it in London. I actually like to watch rugby and Aussie Rules football, though half the time, I have no idea what is going on?
Are they doing cricket? Yet another sport I have no idea what is going on.
I watched a little table tennis this weekend and am always shocked that most of the competitors are Asian, even though they are playing for other countries.
What did you think of the opening ceremonies? I thought they were OK. Interesting how they lit up the cauldron. I don't know if some of the story would make much sense to the outside world, but an interesting take on UK history.
-LBOAYM
Romney is just pandering. Money talks. Sheldon Adelson who basically sustained Newt Gingrich's campaign is an example why politicians cater to Israel. With Gingrich out, Adelson is out to buy Romney who is only too eager to be bought. This is not saying the Democrats don't cater to the Jewish vote or Jewish money. Obama does it also, only to a less extent. I don't think Obama will bomb Iran on behalf of Israel but a Republican president might. Israel has the right to defend itself and if they think it is to Israel's benefit to preemptively strike Iran, that is their business. I happen to think that won't make Israel safer and it certainly is not in the interest of the U.S. to bomb Iran.
ReplyDeleteI think Hilary will run in 2016. Given Bill is so active in support of Obama, I think he is planning the seed for her in 4 years. I think she has done a very good job and I have no idea who can replace her.
There is no cricket in the future. I think it is even more boring than baseball. A game can last days! I missed a third of the Opening ceremony. I was not impressed from what I saw. I don't understand why they had 7 kids light the cauldron. I still think that Roger Bannister or Daly Thompson should have been given the honor. English history is ok. I think most educated people in the world know something about English history. But I think more rock and roll music especially with McCartney and old Beattle songs would have been better.
Harry Reid is making stupid news again. He claims that he has a reliable source that tells him that Romney had not paid any taxes for years. He is not providing any evidence which to me is similar to Michelle Bachmann and others who recently claim that Muslim extremists have infiltrated the U.S. government. Neither Bachmann nor Reid has provided anything to back up their allegations. To me that is idiotic for government officials to make these type of unfounded statements. Reid's supporters say that it came from someone who worked with Romney at Bain. Now it seems to me if someone had worked with Romney at this capitalistic institution, why would he want to help the Democrats? If anything, it maybe a trap for Reid which may prove embarrassing to Obama.
ReplyDeleteI wonder who put Reid up to it. I get sick of seeing all the old guys up there. That's why I support term limits. However, it seems like the new breed of politicians are pretty bad, so I don't know what to think anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe democrats are just trying to put the emphasis off the economy and who knows, maybe Romney will screw up again. It's his fault that he will not show his tax returns. It's a bad move on his part. Who knows. Where there's smoke, there's fire sometimes.
-LBOAYM