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08/25/2004 Entry: "Olympics"

So I have been watching the Olympics and I have come to the conclusion that I hate Paul Hamm, and Maurice green. Screw them with a roman candle. The judging has been so messed up. I am so mad so often in the subjective sports. All of the absolute sports, like races and feats of height or distance are the ones with all of the third world countries in them. Mexico got silver in the 400-meter, yaay Ana Guevera. Goes to show ho much bias goes into the judging of subjective sports.
People I don't think deserve the medals they have:
Paul Ham: Gold in the all around, silver in the high-bar, the russian guy should have gotten gold, the italian silver.
The greek guy in the still rings, they totally screwed the bulgarian guy who was much better.
a lot of the women's gymnastics were also judged weird although I have no specific complaints that I can recall.

I like gatlin in the 100-meter. He seemed really humble and just happy about it, not cocky like green. I'm really happy that the middle distance running is going to smaller countries like Morocco, and Japan. I am really sad a bout Iraq being beaten. I hope they get the bronze at least, although I can't understand how Bush is trying to take credit for them competing in the olympics. I like all the weightlifting stuff they are insane.

Thats enough for now. I leave you with a good olympics song. Matthew Wilder "break my stride"

Replies: 2 comments

yeah its true, but the problem with slam is you never know what to expect from slam to slam. So how are you competing when the standard changes so often and depends on so many outside factors?

Posted by edward garcia @ 08/26/2004 11:23 AM EST

Yeah, I feel ya on the subjectivity of the whole Olympic scoring process. It's really just like slam, and people are bound to be screwed on a regular basis. Someone recently made the argument to me that if you do decide to slam, you have to be prepared to accept the rules of the game. The olympics, if you believe that to be true, really aren't all that different. Every gymnast, or diver, or whoever, knows that they compete in a subjectively scored sport. Personally, I think it's unfair. And I think that it's equally unfair when it happens in slam. I suppose part of the difference between the two is that slam judges aren't supposed to be "experts" and the specifications for what a "successful performance" should include aren't as rigorously defined for slam as they are for the purposes of Olympic sports. But I still think that ultimately the two aren't really all the different. If ya don't like the way the game is played, then don't play the game...just my two cents...MCS

Posted by MCS @ 08/26/2004 10:18 AM EST