And the road race... and isn't rugby being reintroced as 15 aside for Rio? I know golf is which will be another for the list. That's not to say they're not taken seriously, they're something "a bit different" to win.
Same thing happens here, in the sense that Loewenbrau, for example, makes a different beer for export to the US than they sell (or can sell) in Germany. The one you can get in the US, obviously, is the crap one. In Germany they've got the Reinheitsgebot, here we've got mandatory crap... And while I'm beating my fellow Americans up, I completely agree about US coverage/attitude towards the Olympics. I want to see competition, preferably exciting competition, and NBC wants to show nothing but American victories and so-called human interest stories which in fact are inhuman and uninteresting. A lot of Americans agree. "NBC Sucks" is a hot tag these days. And yet: as bad as NBC is this year, it's actually considerably better than the coverage in the past (they're showing more sports, and more non-American's winning). The boycotted games were the worst. Nothing but Americans beating up on fields excluding their main rivals. It was so sick it was straight out of 1984. On the bright side, Brittany Viola doing a handstand dive restores my love of country completely.
I always think that any American sports coverage should have to begin with this (predictably NSFW lyrically): [video=youtube;sWS-FoXbjVI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI[/video] All countries have their pros and cons, though. If there was a perfect one, then we'd all move there and it would become instantly ****e.
Sums us up nicely, doesn't it? I actually like Americans, on balance. Most are friendly, reasonably nice people. And as the video shows, our government, media, well, you have to laugh...I think we're running neck and neck with the Roman Empire as the most ludicrous great power ever.
The BBC's coverage is nothing but Team GB über alles. A friend of mine said that the coverage in Germany and the US is just as jingoistic towards their national sportsmen...and isn't that a glowing recommendation? You can compare the BBC's ridiculously slanted take on the Titanics to those nations known for being ridiculously triumphalist and overly nationalistic to the point of fanaticism that are the USA and Germany. So, anyone know where I can watch the Italian feed? I might be less likely to put my foot through the screen as they're not ignoring whole events to concentrate on some Brit that got knocked out in the heats.
Fantastic night of Athletics - David Rudisha breaking the 800m World Record and Bolt proving a lot of people wrong - AGAIN!!
PNP..Did I ever drink with Americans? Yessir.Sure did.Met an American lady in Russia.We married while she was still in the US Navy but stationed behind a computer in North Audley Street. We had nearly a church full of Yanks . They would visit us in Northwood Hills knocking back the Schlitz,Bud,Miller etc. I guess I was lucky.Only one duffer among them.The Master Chief"s next in line.A real piece of work!
They've just been singing Andy Murray's praises on 5 live saying it was the loudest cheer of the games and it was a brilliant effort. They said that he's grown up in the last 5 weeks which is why he won it so convincingly. I wish you lads would see the excellence of his effort but if you don't then you don't. More medals and I'm deliriously happy.
I know Luke,I'm saying that it's our best ever Olympic gold and not grand slamming or associated with it. I'm listening to Joshua on the radio,his opponent is 6 feet 10 inches tall.....phew.
Not a question of him growing up. The English media and therefore public always assumed he was a twat because he didn't act like a posh, sycophant like Henman. He was always good and improving all the time, pandering to everyone by showing more emotion and thanking the crowd for their great effort in helping him win doesn't change that.
They said that showing his emotions after his defeat has endeared him to the British public and that helped him win the gold. he was always a surly prat for me but I've totally changed my mind about him. I'm impressed because of the pressure he was under in the semis and final.
Did it ****. Nothing helped him more than the years of dedication he put in. Acting like Tom Daley and other twats that vomit the same old cliches about the crowd being key and being so proud to be British, didn't make him a better person, it just meant he lost his identity as an individual athlete with personality and became another media trained bore.
Sorry, I've had a couple tonight I liked that he came across as a dour Scot, to me he was just focused and would give journalists sarcy answers when they ask him dumb questions. A bit like Cavendish after the road race where he asked the journalist if he even knew anything about cycling.
Maybe you should actually watch tennis before making stupid comments, only the mixed doubles played a champions tiebreaker if it was a set each, the singles played best of 3 full sets.
Only in the doubles, I think. Certainly not in the mens singles because Federer won 19-17 against Del Potro in the final set of the semi setting an Olympic record for longest match.
