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I'm sitting here watching "Rhythmic Gymnastics" scratching my head.
I keep hearing the IOC canceled (or cancelled) baseball and softball for the 2012 London Games.

I think I'd rather watch extra innings of baseball than a bunch of chickies jumping around with ribbon on a stick.
Looks like a school dance recital.

(no offense to any of you hot, RJ dancers)

Or synchronized swimming, ice dancing in the winter games.
These seem more like theatrical performances than sporting events.

MuslDrew saidOr synchronized swimming, ice dancing in the winter games.

I can't vouch for ice dancing, but synchronized swimming is MUCH more difficult than it appears. On average, a synchronized swimmer has a better aerobic capacity than a swimmer.

lol synchronise swimming and ice skating are definitely more athletic than... say shooting?

Now, bring wushu and squash into Olympics...

I can see the IOC's sense in scrapping baseball and softball. Are they not pretty much the same game........
Truth be told, they are not as diversely played internationally as say synchronised swimming.
I would like to see the introduction of something like skateboarding. It gets the youth involved and crosses over easily to the winter Olympics in snow boarding... Just a thought..

MuslDrew saidOr synchronized swimming, ice dancing in the winter games.

Dude, you have no idea how much strength and control it takes to do what ice dancers do. Sure, they aren't jumping around, but the athletic prowess required for what they do instead more than makes up for it.

Furthermore, with the new judging system, "theatrics" is far less rewarding than actual skating skills. Posing and acting will get you nothing unless it's in the middle of an intertwining serpentine footwork sequence or in the transition between a couple dance spins. And tell me how many hockey players have the coordination to bend over backwards while doing multi-turns.. not to mention while holding a partner and staying in synch with them.

Uck.

EDIT: Because I know how people just love to pick apart small parts of arguments instead of the whole on the internet, let me make it clear that I'm not arguing the merits of hockey or it's difficulty in comparison to ice dance.

blink777 said

MuslDrew saidOr synchronized swimming, ice dancing in the winter games.

Dude, you have no idea how much strength and control it takes to do what ice dancers do. Sure, they aren't jumping around, but the athletic prowess required for what they do instead more than makes up for it.

Furthermore, with the new judging system, "theatrics" is far less rewarding than actual skating skills. Posing and acting will get you nothing unless it's in the middle of an intertwining serpentine footwork sequence or in the transition between a couple dance spins. And tell me how many hockey players have the coordination to bend over backwards while doing multi-turns.. not to mention while holding a partner and staying in synch with them.

Uck.

EDIT: Because I know how people just love to pick apart small parts of arguments instead of the whole on the internet, let me make it clear that I'm not arguing the merits of hockey or it's difficulty in comparison to ice dance.

I understand all that. the olympics used to be about games. now they've taken out ball games and made room for rhytmic gymnastics, which we already have mens & womens teams, individual all around, individual apparatus, now looks like they've added trampoline gymnastics. they have room for synchro swimming but not baseball. the winter games have pairs figure skating in addition ice dancing.i'm not knocking the athletic abilities of anybody. just don't understand how the IOC comes to their decisions.
while the diving & gymnastics are my favorite olympic events,i'd rather watch ball games than the other gymnastics or synchro swimming, and i prefer pairs figure skating over the ice dancing

I think it is totally unacceptable they decided to eliminate baseball. WTF?

While events like synchronized swimming are fun to watch, millions more people care about baseball than give a shit about synchronized swimming.

Side note: The overt sexism is in the Olympics needs to be addressed. Why do the women in beach volleyball have to wear two piece swimsuits while the men wear shorts and t-shirts or tank tops. Make the men were speedos or even thongs ;)

definitely should make men beach volleyball shirtless

Besides not being as widely played as other events, baseball is also an expensive sport to include as it requires its own facility, a facility that because many nations don't play baseball, would have to be built from scratch and then not used again. The IOC wants to control the costs of hosting the games and eliminating baseball was a step to achieve that goal. The other events people generally disrespect are disciplines in exisiting sports. Syncro swimming is part of aquatics, rhythmic gymnasitcs part of gymnastics and so these discplines already have facilities available. And being able to use a facility for more events and bringing in some additional revenue are important considerations i'm sure.

Also, for the syncro swimming and table tennis and many others, the olympics is the only time when these events are seen throughout the world, certainly in the USA; as for baseball, i'm sure the world series is much more important.

I discussed this with a friend who has done much more reading on the issue.

He says the IOC debated the baseball cancellation at great length. Many wanted to see the addition of well-known ball players from the major leagues. Like basketball, many of these players are recruited from around the world. There was a feeling, like in basketball, these famous baseball players could inject excietment into the sport at the Olympics. But, because the season overlaps the games, there is just no interest from MLB.

As pointed out, the IOC also considered the economics of the matter.

I can see the artistry of rhythmic gymnastics, but I don't think it compares to baseball. While it is a sport I can no longer safely enjoy, I marvel at the skill and strength needed for nine or more innings; the motor skills to hit, pitch and catch... the speed to run. There are plenty of team efforts in the Olympics. It's a shame they're suspending baseball at the London games. I'm sure there is already a stadium the teams could use in a city as big as London. And, think about all the young, amateur ball players who dream of a chance for Olympic gold.

so is it official already? the cancellation of baseball for the 2012 Olympics.

are there any more events which were taken down too?

Seems official. For now!


From the Wall Street Journal:
http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2008/08/14/baseball-and-softballs-last-licks/

i think the mens gymnastics should be done shirtless too

Can we have the Men's shirtless, pant less, rythmic, gymnastic, wrestle-fucking for London 2012?

And what about Olympic Rimming?

I mean we have Curling, why not Rimming?

I am dead set against the Biathlon.

How about Olympic Pentorgasm or Mens Competitive Wanking?

Anyone for Fisting?

ursamajor saidAnyone for Fisting?

What would be the criteria for judging it?

yeah i'm disapointed that these sports are being cancelled. A good friend of mine plays for the Canadian womens' softball team..they are a talented young team who finished 4th this year...since they are so young they could have possibly won a medal at the London games. Really too bad.

Style

jprichva said

ursamajor saidAnyone for Fisting?

What would be the criteria for judging it?

I think the choice to cancel Baseball and softball came when the IOC looked at it closely and saw it was basically a given a certain country would win it. There is no fun in that and its certainly not fair when the rest of the world is not even close to the gold medal team.

Its kinda like the U.S. mens basketball team. what happend to the young up and coming athletes?!?

Sean_85 saidI think the choice to cancel Baseball and softball came when the IOC looked at it closely and saw it was basically a given a certain country would win it. There is no fun in that and its certainly not fair when the rest of the world is not even close to the gold medal team.

Its kinda like the U.S. mens basketball team. what happend to the young up and coming athletes?!?

if that's the case, there would be no table tennis too right?

i heard they are considering to cancel badminton because it's dominated by asian countries -_- come on, it's the UK that invented badminton at the first place

It's only America that plays baseball - or, as we call it, rounders.

or beach volleyball - the u.s. has dominated that sport as well.

bmx - seriously? I was thinking the same thing when I was watching hula-hooping... trampoline... and walking. I think they should reconsider, especially since the U.S. didn't win the Gold in softball, as expected.

BigSETXjock saidI think it is totally unacceptable they decided to eliminate baseball. WTF?

While events like synchronized swimming are fun to watch, millions more people care about baseball than give a shit about synchronized swimming.

Side note: The overt sexism is in the Olympics needs to be addressed. Why do the women in beach volleyball have to wear two piece swimsuits while the men wear shorts and t-shirts or tank tops. Make the men were speedos or even thongs ;)

Well what do you expect, after Russia succeeded in sneaking a man in to the womens competition they weren't taking any chances

AMT87 said

BigSETXjock saidI think it is totally unacceptable they decided to eliminate baseball. WTF?

While events like synchronized swimming are fun to watch, millions more people care about baseball than give a shit about synchronized swimming.

Side note: The overt sexism is in the Olympics needs to be addressed. Why do the women in beach volleyball have to wear two piece swimsuits while the men wear shorts and t-shirts or tank tops. Make the men were speedos or even thongs ;)

Well what do you expect, after Russia succeeded in sneaking a man in to the womens competition they weren't taking any chances

LOL i must have missed that

SuneFL saidI'm sitting here watching "Rhythmic Gymnastics" scratching my head.
I keep hearing the IOC canceled (or cancelled) baseball and softball for the 2012 London Games.

I think I'd rather watch extra innings of baseball than a bunch of chickies jumping around with ribbon on a stick.
Looks like a school dance recital.

(no offense to any of you hot, RJ dancers)

So don't. Watch baseball any of the THOUSAND OTHER TIMES it's on, unlike gymnastics of any form, or any number of other sports for which the Olympics is essentially the only publicized venue.

Citius, Altius, Fortius
Faster, Higher, Stronger

The Olympic Ideal based on the motto, isn't based on popularity. I personally rarely watch any sports at the Olympics that I could see any day on ESPN.

I enjoy Gymnastics, Fencing, Decathalon, Equestrian, Diving, Water Polo, etc. Even the rhythmic gymnastics requires athletic abilities beyond the 'average' athlete. It's just that sometimes the aesthetic component overshadows the strength and precise control that's required to make it look as effortless as it sometimes appears. This is a common denegration of certain sports due to their lack of a 'pure strength' aspect of something like a deadlift competition. I wouldn't oversimplify that sport by saying it's nothing more than lifting the most weight even though that is the simple goal. Besides, the motto isn't set to require all three attributes at once, nor does it exclude one for another. It isn't
Faster and Higher and Stronger
or
Faster or Higher or Stronger.
The sport events that contain an aesthetic aspect to them do not let the aesthetic aspect contain more weight than the athletic abilities.

So if I want to see Baseball, I'll catch a Sox game. If I'm watching the Olympics, then I'm going to want to see things I don't get to see everyday.

Maybe it's just our American attitude. If the Olympics setup by the American public, it would be Football, Baseball, Basketball and Poker. These are the 'sports' that people want to watch. The other sports are things you do but don't watch.

Yeah when did Poker become a SPORT and the Hold Em crap Glorified Black jack. ESPN covers it and Cheerleading as SPORTS give me a BREAK