Observations on the Olympics.
 

I know they are not over yet but for me I can get back to normal. Very handy having them in the UK so I can watch the events without getting up- or going to bed- at some ungodly hour of the night. helps that I am retired aswell so I have not had to take a couple of weeks off work.

But these games have been costly for me. After the track cycling I think I have to buy a new armchair. The old one is beginning to sag a bit and the joints have come loose from all the jumping up and down I have been doing. And track cycling is not a sport I would get that enthused about and watch 40 odd riders emulating one of our local club rides with all those sprints going on every Km or so. Good fun watching the slow "bike race" but they have a misnomer in calling it a "Sprint" Have to admire the riders in the Keiran though- That bloke that cheats on the motorbike should win every time but he hasn't managed it yet.

I think my bikes have gone rusty as other than getting the beater out to run down the shops for all the snacks I needed to survive these games- They have not been used. Might have to stay on the beater for a while as with all the snacks eaten- I think it is the only bike that will take my new increased weight.

And then the athletics. Vowed I would not be watching that part of the games as I feel a bit jealous of some of the body's these athletes have. Just wish I could have a 6 pack like most of the athletes and that was watching the heptathlon.

So a great games held over here but I can start getting back to normal. Now where did I put those Carrot sticks to wean me off all the carbs and sugars I have had for the last two weeks

I love sport but I can't wait for it to be over. Crass commercialism at it's worst and NBC coverage sucks. Liked it better when it was about amateurs.

That's interesting. I don't like the commercialism either - the irony of McDonalds and Coke having the franchises is too much for my squeamish soul - but I haven't found it as intrusive as I'd feared. Of course, we are protected to a degree because the BBC doesn't carry any advertisements. Makes a big difference.

Not much is about amateurs any more...

Having the live streaming events available has been great for me. I can set an event choice and put it on a separate screen so I can hear/watch the event while I am at work. Great for the road and the track events since they are only covered in the mornings. I can also replay them at my leisure.

Stap and Chasm, I envy you both for being so close to the games and having the BBC. I really wish I could get the BBC and EuroSport feeds I enjoy for the Classics and the Tours now. The BBC coverage is so much better than NBC but I remember watching ABC coverage as a kid, always at night, in little snips and no bicycling or any of the lesser known sports. Only time I ever got to see Vassily Alexiev, the CCCP,super-heavy, weight lifter and the shot put, discus, hammer throw and javelin events any at all. The coverage now is head and shoulders above the "Old Days" to me.

Coke and Mc Donalds sponsoring dose not bother me a bit. their money supports our viewing and the fact we even have the Olympics. I miss the amateur athletes too, I don't miss the Soviet eastern bloc mass drug use and hidden professionalism with military covers. However the bike events would be lacking without the Pro Tour riders in it.

Bill

Luckily, I have a DVR, a TiVo, and can record 2 channels at once. I can even watch a recording while 2 channels are being recorded. The TiVo has been a Godsend to me since I go to bed around 9:30~10:00 PM since I get up between 4:30~5:00 AM. I just catch up later. Some really nice examples of good sportsmanship in these games which is nice to see.

+1000

I prefer to ride instead of watching tv. I realize Im in the minority.

Possible to do both isn't it?

Back on topic:
I'm not sure I have seen a representative sample but I've seen enough gymnastics and beach volleyball to last awhile. Glad they finally got to showing a little track and field.

I could live with fewer of those human interest features too.

What!? You don't want to know more about Michael Phelps and Lo Lo Jones?

All I seem to manage to get are flippin' water polo and asssorted volleyball contests, and, while the volleyball has some limited appeal to me, I've had my fill. I have managed to view a grand total of 5 Velodrome races (races mind you, not events), but am just computer/tv illiterate enough to be unable to find more of them. Is there a website that one can find replays of specific events to stream? I'm not a racer by any stretch, and actually know nothing about the sport, but I really like the space-alien outfits and ultra-slippery looking techno bikes of the track racers. It would be nice to see some more of that.

MEH, I haven't watched any of it. Nothing to interest me.

Daughter got tickets for the games and at the refreshment area there was Mc D's and a lot of other kinds of food aswell. My daughter said the queue for Mc D's was long so they went to the alternatives of Pie and Mash- Noodle Bar- Pizza- Chinese- Indian and others. Seems Mc D's is what the minions want.

That's awesome! Thank you!

If I had the money, I'd buy one of those bikes, stick it in my living room, and just stare at it!:thumb:

I don't get it about people who think "amateurism" was a better system. Why? How would elite athletes get that way w/o some sort of income? Seems like nothing but whistful romantic elitism to me.

I think the current system is much better than what we saw in the 60s, 70s 80s. At least there's not cheating vis-a-vis whether the athletes can actually earn money and buy food and shelter using their best talents rather than faking some sort of non-athletic job.... or ridiculous, unnecessary economic suffering for no good reason other than the amateur standards set by people who aren't doing the same.

Most of us make our living doing something that we have a particular innate talent for, and we get paid for either that raw talent, or more often, because we work hard at making the best of that talent. Why not people whose athletic capabilities are their innate and sellable talent? Why not glorify amateur actors, musicians, and physicians?

Yeah, those make me groan most of the time when my wife turns on the tv. That and I find coverage of track, swimming and gymnastics to be incredibly boring and that comes from someone who was a swimmer when very young and ran track all through high school. I want to see more of the obscure events (well not the equestrian because I'm not sure why that belongs, but that's for another thread) with just commentary explaining to me the rules I can't figure out. I do still like watching both varieties of volleball, but other than that I want more odd stuff. And I wish NBC would tell us exactly when it's going to air what, so I can be more selective in my picking choosing. The know in advance what they're going to show and when because it's all on tape delay, so why can't they tell us?

Stapfam, it has indeed been a great year for the UK Olympics - and the TdF could also be liable for transferring a pound or two to your backside!
Cheers!

Stap... England should be proud of the show its putting on for the world. The British scenary alone is well worth watching. Unfortunately being on the West Coast of the states I don't see much unless I am unable to sleep. What they show here on "prime time" I find boring. I missed all the road races (at work) and most of the track events.

Do you know if there is any mountain biking scheduled? I haven't heard a thing and if possible will ditch work to watch...

Just to make you Jealous--On the BBC there is an Interactive channel that will show every sport as it is being run---LIVE. Those interactive channels lack some commentary but on the Main BBC coverage they cover all the major activities. If some clash then you get a re-run of what happened.

And the UK is doing better than expected on the medal stakes but the target is just above Beijing and it definitely helps being on home ground.

And Pamestique--Mountain bilking starts on Saturday and if you can read it- the Link to the BBC coverage is

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/...-mountain-bike

The only coverage I truly objected to was for the opening ceremony. NBC handled it like the Macy's Parade, when they should have let the festivities stand on their own. Truly awful. Other than that, I DVR everthing, which lets me pick and choose from the events that are 'covered', and I can skip past the crap.

The really good news is that, if you view online, everything is covered. The only issue is that you may have to view it live, since they don't archive every video for later viewing. But there is a way around that. If you open the live video, you can then pause it (and rewind), and that is almost like recording it. You can join in late, but still rewind back to see what you missed. I'm not sure if that capability goes away if the live broadcast ends while you have it paused, as I haven't tried that. Another caveat is that to see the online video, you need to subscribe to a service (cable or satellite) that carries NBC, and have that validated by logging in.

As a big beach volleyball and cycling fan, I've mostly appreciated the TV coverage decisions.

I have watched very little of the Olympics on TV. Way too much swimming and volleyball. I downloaded the NBC Olympic 2012 app for my iPad and watched the cycling events and events I want to see, with limited commercials and no announcers and side stories. I also have the option of going back and seeing events that I missed.

Saturday? Sucks... I have an early morning ride and can't spend the night up trying to watch TV... and I will probably be out when if they show it during the day. Oh well...

This year I'm enjoying the Olympics more than ever before. I haven't watched a single event and don't know who won anything. Doing other things has been really great. bk

All I can say is Destinee Hooker... Poor girls parents either had very low expectations for her or just didn't think that name through.