Olympics inequities

[stuckinbig11]

Events like wrestling and weightlifting have separate competitions for different athlete weights. Swimming and track have different distances. So, these sports allow countries to get multiple gold, silver, and bronze medals. Team sports like basketball, volleyball, and soccer can only get their countries one medal. Here are some example options to fix that.

Basketball: 3-pt shooting, half-court shooting, dunking, 1X1, 2X2 (different skills than 3X3), mixed men/women (which would be possible for other sports also)

Track and field: different athlete weight classes for shot-put

Please add more !

 

[richard levy]

Some countries like China focus on events where a country can win individual medals to up their medal count

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Events like wrestling and weightlifting have separate competitions for different athlete weights. Swimming and track have different distances. So, these sports allow countries to get multiple gold, silver, and bronze medals. Team sports like basketball, volleyball, and soccer can only get their countries one medal. Here are some example options to fix that.

Basketball: 3-pt shooting, half-court shooting, dunking, 1X1, 2X2 (different skills than 3X3), mixed men/women (which would be possible for other sports also)

Track and field: different athlete weight classes for shot-put

Please add more !

Maybe this is a hot take, but I think there are too many events already. Especially when they add something like break dancing. And esports is next. I could live with the sports we grew up with or are more mainstream like baseball/softball, lacrosse, bowling, darts, arm wrestling and cliff diving. Maybe even bar sports like 8 ball, Foosball, table shuffleboard, air hockey, Pacman and Pinball.

But if you are talking hoops, how about a good ole game of horse. I mean, that's something that probably the entire world has played.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Some countries like China focus on events where a country can win individual medals to up their medal count

Looking at the breakdown of 2024 winners, the USA better start investing real money in certain sports so we don't get embarrassed in Los Angeles.

I haven't seen the stats but there has to be a record set for countries winning their first gold. Good for them. Bad for us.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Looking at the breakdown of 2024 winners, the USA better start investing real money in certain sports so we don't get embarrassed in Los Angeles.

I haven't seen the stats but there has to be a record set for countries winning their first gold. Good for them. Bad for us.

What happened to our diving program? China just swept the diving events. Who was our last great diver, Greg Louganis?

And we used to dominate beach volleyball and water polo. What happened?

I had a discussion the other day with my friend at ESPN about the potential fallout of the PAC 12 collapse on our development in some Olympic sports. A lot of our Olympians in swimming, volleyball, water polo, etc, come from PAC12 schools. The BIG and Big 12 don’t give a crap about those sports. College football realignment could really hurt our Olympic feeder programs in the next 10 years.

 

[Cheriehoop]

What happened to our diving program? China just swept the diving events. Who was our last great diver, Greg Louganis?

And we used to dominate beach volleyball and water polo. What happened?

I had a discussion the other day with my friend at ESPN about the potential fallout of the PAC 12 collapse on our development in some Olympic sports. A lot of our Olympians in swimming, volleyball, water polo, etc, come from PAC12 schools. The BIG and Big 12 don’t give a crap about those sports. College football realignment could really hurt our Olympic feeder programs in the next 10 years.

Lawsuits probably hurt diving the most in the US. So many municipalities, clubs, private homes etc are very reluctant to put in diving boards because of liability issues. Back in the days, many pools would even have different height diving boards and clubs, municipalities would sponsor diving lessons. Now most municipal pools etc don’t even have one diving board. Insurance costs, safety concerns make it prohibitive.

I knew someone who used to be very into water polo. To play it requires a very large, long deep pool. That means it requires a specialty pool without shallow water since all the players are required to tread water. Heavy capital investment is required to support these special water polo pools. It’s a popular sport in California with high school teams etc but hasn’t ever really caught on in the rest of the USA, Believe it or not, some youngsters even in California are spurning it - wearing a bathing cap, speedos plus not wanting to deal with some of the dirty hurtful play that goes on under water with the physicality involved in the sport. The athletes must be very strong, athletic, powerful so these players often opt for higher profile sports. If someone could make it profitable for the investors, the players, these sports would be more popular and find more fan support.

Volleyball, beach volleyball again mainly a west coast, mid west sport. Europeans etc have pro volleyball leagues, the USA doesn’t. Not much future in the USA and for some reason it’s a more popular option for females than men. Why, I don’t know.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The US has NEVER won a gold medal in Men's WP.

And WP was never an official Pac-12 sport. All the west coast teams played in the MPSF.

About the MPSF - Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

THE MOUNTAIN PACIFIC SPORTS FEDERATION Tomorrow's Olympians...Today! The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) was established in 1992-1993 to serve

mpsports.org

 

[donniesyracuse]

…the USA better start investing real money in certain sports so we don't get embarrassed in Los Angeles.

Do people actually feel embarrassed if the USA does not win medals?

 

[721Comstock]

Do people actually feel embarrassed if the USA does not win medals?

The USA is dominating the overall medal count.

But - I guess not by enough.
For some people.

I mean - France is hosting the damn thing, and they’re only in 4th place!
Can’t even get a medal for how many medals they’ve won.
Pathetic cheese eating surrender monkeys.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The USA is dominating the overall medal count.

But - I guess not by enough.
For some people.

I mean - France is hosting the damn thing, and they’re only in 4th place!
Can’t even get a medal for how many medals they’ve won.
Pathetic cheese eating surrender monkeys.

View attachment 243622

But Ghina !!!

I mean, they only have 1.1 BILLION more people than the US. How dare they finish 2nd.

 

[orange79]

What happened to our diving program? China just swept the diving events. Who was our last great diver, Greg Louganis?

I believe USA had someone win the gold in 2012 or 2016 (can't remember) in men's diving. David someone.


Edit: David Boudia won gold on the 10 Meter Platform in 2012. Then bronzed in 2016.

 

[donniesyracuse]

I believe USA had someone win the gold in 2012 or 2016 (can't remember) in men's diving. David someone.


Edit: David Boudia won gold on the 10 Meter Platform in 2012. Then bronzed in 2016.

That’s when America was great!

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Do people actually feel embarrassed if the USA does not win medals?

In some instances yes. Plus at home there will be higher expectations and more people will be watching in real time. Stuff like the 4x100 can't happen. And whatever the deal with missing the protest deadlines by four seconds reeks of the Avery Brundidge era where they were all crooks. And almost losing and not having Caitlin Clark on your roster. Yup, that's embarrassing.

 

[sufan59]

In some instances yes. Plus at home there will be higher expectations and more people will be watching in real time. Stuff like the 4x100 can't happen. And whatever the deal with missing the protest deadlines by four seconds reeks of the Avery Brundidge era where they were all crooks. And almost losing and not having Caitlin Clark on your roster. Yup, that's embarrassing.

That was almost very bad for Team USA. I’m of the camp that is was probably good for Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to be left off given that they basically have been non stop with basketball for almost a year with no rest. However, it’s very clear that Arike Ogunbowale, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese are among the top 12 best players in the USA already.

 

[Eric15]

Maybe this is a hot take, but I think there are too many events already.

3 on 3 basketball IMO is the most unnecessary Olympic sport by far. It feels like the Olympic equivalent of the CBI.

 

[upperdeck]

they showed a stat over that last 5-6 Olym that the home team gets about a 10-20% bump in medals

We need to get better in table tennis and badminton.

Will pickle ball become a thing?

baseball and softball come back as well in LA

 

[sufan59]

they showed a stat over that last 5-6 Olym that the home team gets about a 10-20% bump in medals

We need to get better in table tennis and badminton.

Will pickle ball become a thing?

baseball and softball come back as well in LA

I think we take gold, silver, and bronze in a hot dog eating event led by Joey Chesnut.

 

[JustPherU]

Is there anything more exciting in sports than a water polo shootout for the bronze medal?

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I think we take gold, silver, and bronze in a hot dog eating event led by Joey Chesnut.

I've never watched it, but is he that much better than Kobiyashi.

 

[miamicuse]

If lacking deep pools is the reason for the dive in diving, how about long jumps off the pool? Pure free throw shooting, soccer 12 yard kicks.

Will making all sports coed solve the trans division problem?

I think beer pong should be added.

 

[baggerbob]

they showed a stat over that last 5-6 Olym that the home team gets about a 10-20% bump in medals

We need to get better in table tennis and badminton.

Will pickle ball become a thing?

baseball and softball come back as well in LA

How is Table Tennis considered sn Olympic sport?

 

[CA Monk]

I think we take gold, silver, and bronze in a hot dog eating event led by Joey Chesnut.

I wonder how many chestnuts Joey Chestnut can eat.

 

[miamicuse]

How is Table Tennis considered sn Olympic sport?

You think tennis and tennis is like foosball and soccer?

 

[donniesyracuse]

Yup, that's embarrassing.

I don’t think you need to feel embarrassed.

 

[HoustonCuse]

They will have men’s and women’s flag football in LA 2028.