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I'm starting this thread because I think we need it. The games are scheduled to start in just a few days, and already, there has been, IMHO, too much negativity around the event.
I understand Covid remains a very real concern. It is the single reason why the games are a year late already. Spectators will not be allowed for this reason. And sadly, Cases in Tokyo are on the rise. Safety will have o be maintained, and I hope that zero athletes go home ill.
There has been talk about the heat wave in Japan, how the games could be too risky for the safety of the athletes, playing in high heat and high humidity. (Florida conditions in other words) There has been talk about why the games cannot be moved to cooler months, thanks to Global warming, and many accuse American TV of having the power to dictate the Olympic schedule. And there may be some truth to that. NBC pays more money than anyone to cover the games, so they have a strong financial vote. They do not want September or October games in which the TV ratings might suffer in competition with the NCAA or NFL, and for this reason, the games will be played in the scorching heat.
And I have heard many people say that they will not even watch the games. That is fine too. There are a lot of sporting events and TV shows I refuse to watch as well. I understand.
But I want to talk about WHY we need the Olympics. I want to talk about why I want the games to go on.
Our blue world is on the verge of recovering from the worst pandemic in 102 years. 191 Million human beings, that is 191 million people who, just like each of us, had lives, hopes, dreams, ambitions, have died. 191 Unique individuals that cannot be replaced. And sadly, more will likely happen. The only good that has come of this is a vaccine type that may possibly hold the future for success against HIV, HBV-c and even certain types of cancers The rest of the news in 2020 and 2021 has not been good...death, illness, loss of families and friends, conspiracy theories, political gaming, unemployment, shortages of goods...the list goes on.
And along come the Olympics, once every 4 years* The Olympics are supposed to be a happy fun event. We need to stop for a minute and look at them as such.
In 1996 we travelled to Atlanta to see the games in person. What we discovered was a mix of cultures, ethnicities, nationalities all coming together in friendship and unity to compete and enjoy the sports. Some of the sports we saw were not even shown to US audiences and not even noted on NBC But the fans present in person had a better time, more so than I would have had watching it from home.
(Basketball and Gymnastics are not the only events, NBC, but I doubt you care)
It was fun watching the men from India and Pakistan play Field Hockey. Although both were out of the medals round, this game meant more to them ,and their fans, than anything else that week. To be there and experience it was indescribable.
The Spirit of Olympic competition remains anytime the fans and athletes allow it to. And it gives us a break for a couple of weeks, to sit back and enjoy the competition, to enjoy the gathering of athletes The Triumphs and the Victories.
The games have never been perfect, They never will be. (I narrowly missed a terrorist attack in 1996) Nothing created by man will likely be. That does not mean that we cannot sit back and enjoy them. Yes, they are a lot more fun in person, but they are fun. They are fun for the competitors, coaches and fans. And they exist for us to enjoy. And many of us will do just that.
SO A few Bold Predictions
Mexico wins Mens Soccer Gold. USA wins womens Soccer Gold
The Aussies win a medal of some type in both categories of beach volleyball.
The Italian Cats will medal in sword fighting
Look for winners to come mostly from China, USA and Germany. Japan will win baseball.
I will not watch any men's basketball.
And above all else, many many people will have fun, and many will realize that the Olympics can be , and are, the Panacea that the world needs right now. ENJOY it. You will be much happier that way.
I was all set to go in-person w/ my fiance'. It was supposed to be a dream, bucketlist trip for me. I just really wanted the Japan + Olympics experience TOGETHER. I'ave always wanted to go to both, so this was going to be perfect.
I was also planning to go to the 2012 London Summer Olympics w/ my mom & aunt, but that fell through too (also due to no fault of my own). Can't believe I missed going to 2 summer Olympics!
I was 9 when they held the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles where I lived. I didn't see anything live back then, but I biked all around the area where they held many events. It was nice & interesting to see what I saw up close & personal.
I've always watched it on TV. I even like watching the Winter Olympics & would go to one of those in-person too someday...once COVID's completely under control/gone.
We NEED the Olympics like how people NEED all the other sports. It's fun, it's an outlet to watch/experience, and educational (seeing other sultures ways) amongst other things. I personally don't watch the 3 (American) biggies: basketball, baseball, & football, so I really enjoy many other sports that the Olympics offers that you may never see otherwise such as synchronized swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, etc.
I hope to go to Los Angeles in 2028 Going in Atlanta was fun Seeing events that were not on TV was worth it. Meeting people from other nations was too. I wish they would show things like sword-fighting and team handball (a very fast moving sport) on TV but I too can do without gymnastics and basketball. I do want to see Mexico win the soccer and see if my prediction is true.
Sword-fighting is called fencing. And I've never seen it live on TV, but I've seen para-fencing online. Even though the games are taking place in 2021, it's still officially called 2020 Tokyo, just like Euro 2020.
I like the fencing too. I watch the weightlifting, rowing, trampoline, wrestling, track & field, archery, badminton, table tennis, & more. And Olympics or not, I've always been a huge tennis fan & have been to several pro matches.
I'll be watching, mainly because I know how hard they worked to make these games happen despite no spectators (and huge loss of revenue for the country). Looking forward most to basketball, track & field and women's gymnastics.
softball started last nite .. the US and Japan won their games . they should meet in the gold metal game later .. i`m a bigtime softball fan .. it is the only event in Japan that i will note when most games are scheduled .. if i catch running or any other events it will be just that i had the TV on at the time .. mite try to look up the womens Gymnastics schedule ..
Our blue world is on the verge of recovering from the worst pandemic in 102 years. 191 Million human beings, that is 191 million people who, just like each of us, had lives, hopes, dreams, ambitions, have died.
I will watch the Olympics, I have for many years and will continue to do so. I do feel bad for these athletes who have trained most of their life for their sport only to have their Olympic experience diminished.
One thing I want to point out in your original post. 191 Million (192,489,942 to date) people worldwide have contacted covid, 4,137,505 have died.
I will watch the Olympics, I have for many years and will continue to do so. I do feel bad for these athletes who have trained most of their life for their sport only to have their Olympic experience diminished.
One thing I want to point out in your original post. 191 Million (192,489,942 to date) people worldwide have contacted covid, 4,137,505 have died.
I probably won't watch much. Definitely won't be watching the Megan Rapinoes and Gwen Berrys of the Olympics. Might watch a handful of events that actually interest me (of which there are only a few).
To be quite frank, I'm perfectly fine with the Olympics collapsing. Does anyone really care? Sure, it's cool to see the fastest humans, the best swimmers, the highest jumpers, etc. But for most of it, I really don't care. They are giant money pits and I can't figure out why cities and countries are so eager to host given the financial turmoil that almost certainly follows. I remember when Chicago was passed over some number of years back and my buddy who lived there threw a big party because that meant the next decade would not be spent hemorrhaging money building unnecessary venues and all the hassle that the added construction around the city would cause.
If people are "training their whole lives" to do something that has little to no value in the world, then maybe they are wasting their time and should spend time doing something else. In that sense, I kind of view a lot of these athletes the same way that I view people who spend years studying (taxpayer subsidized, no less) in fields with little to no career prospects.
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