Why have the Olympics lost their appeal, or have they?

[Brad Goodman]

naughty bits will be pixelated

And hirsute

 

[GreyCrow]

The Tokyo Opening Ceremony should be amazing with the Japanese expertise in technology, they will be a lot more organised than the Brazilians too.

A robot Nikki Webster?

 

[imadodgyumpire]

LOL wut? Zero chance

Djokovic won't be crying if he loses a match in the US Open like he did last week. It's been noticeable to me how much more valued an Olympic medal is to the leading tennis players in the last 3 games. The Olympics will only gain more value in the future.

 

[The Passenger]

IMO It's no coincidence that the introduction of ranking points for the 2004 games saw an increase in participation of the top level tennis players. Last year they announced there will be no points for 2016. I think the fact that players like Djokovic, Nadal, Murray and co have played at Olympics before meant they had that first hand experience of it so the lack of points wasn't going to deter them. If they don't reintroduce points for the Olympic tournament, the danger is that younger players who are coming through now may not quite see the importance of the tournament and it could return to becoming a joke of a tournament like it was a couple of decade back.

 

[PP34]

There were others before Bolt and Phelps, and there will be others after they are gone. It promotes a different kind of interest because we won't know in advance who is going to win.

I'll be pretty stunned if anyone anytime soon comes close to doing what either of those two did.

 

[Firestarter]

It's definitely a clear number 1. They care about team sports. Hockey, football, baseball, basketball, rugby and soccer. Individual sports don't seem to appeal. That's why you don't see many tennis players, golfers etc.

They probably look at Raonic and wonder why he isn't hitting hockey pucks instead of tennis balls.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

It's definitely a clear number 1. They care about team sports. Hockey, football, baseball, basketball, rugby and soccer. Individual sports don't seem to appeal. That's why you don't see many tennis players, golfers etc.

I've heard there's some interesting regional differences. Baseball and basketball low popularity outside Toronto, Canadian football big in Saskatchewan, rugby big in Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

[Catfish Alley]

I've heard there's some interesting regional differences. Baseball and basketball low popularity outside Toronto, Canadian football big in Saskatchewan, rugby big in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Yep. Pretty much nailed it. The popularity of sports varies across the country. Only hockey is constant.

Canadian football is only popular in Saskatchewan because it's all they have. NFL is big across the country. Many here cross the border to watch the Seahawks.

 

[Gough]

Canada had a pretty decent rugger side in the early 90s, they made the quarters of the 91 World Cup but they didn't really capitalise on that momentum.

 

[Catfish Alley]

They are pretty good for amateurs.

 

[Gough]

Mike Pyke's premiership/try against the ABs double is probably a record that will never be matched.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Canada had a pretty decent rugger side in the early 90s, they made the quarters of the 91 World Cup but they didn't really capitalise on that momentum.

There's only about 10 countries that play rugby.

 

[Gough]

There's only about 10 countries that play rugby.

Gin, and Tonic, rugger, and cricket. Glory be the Empire.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Gin, and Tonic, rugger, and cricket. Glory be the Empire.

Another sport played by about 10 countries.

Rugby would kill to have India now.

 

[Gough]

The ICC turned down the chance to lobby the IOC to have T20 become in an Olympic sport, which when you add the reduction in numbers for the next World Cup is starting to look like the governing body self sabotaging at attempts to develop the sport beyond it's current boundaries.

 

[iluvparis]

Djokovic won't be crying if he loses a match in the US Open like he did last week. It's been noticeable to me how much more valued an Olympic medal is to the leading tennis players in the last 3 games. The Olympics will only gain more value in the future.

But if they can only play 1 of the two there is no way in hell they will be saving themselves for the Olympics - they'll be playing at Flushing Meadows.

Joker just cries to ham it up for the camera as he has some insane desire to be universally loved like The Fed.

 

[IKnowtheDog]

It's definitely a clear number 1. They care about team sports. Hockey, football, baseball, basketball, rugby and soccer. Individual sports don't seem to appeal. That's why you don't see many tennis players, golfers etc.

Hence the appeal of Mike Pyke

Mike Pyke's premiership/try against the ABs double is probably a record that will never be matched.

Luke Darcy likes this post!

 

[moses]

Will Pokémon Go be an official Olympic sport in Tokyo?

 

[Illinois Nazi]

Will Pokémon Go be an official Olympic sport in Tokyo?

It will be long forgotten by then.

Mind you, windsurfing still got introduced 20 years after anybody cared about it.

 

[Keys]

I'll be pretty stunned if anyone anytime soon comes close to doing what either of those two did.

Well it will be 2028 at the earliest before anyone repeats what bolt has done

 

[Scotland]

There's only about 10 countries that play rugby.

103 member unions + 17 associates. Close, though. About 15 nations that are any good.

The biggest problem is that outside the Six Nations (6 teams, obviously) and Rugby Championship (4) that none of the other competitions really matter. Japan, the Pacific Islands, teams like Georgia that have put in competitive World Cup performances need to test themselves against the top nations more than once every 4 years.

Pleasing that Argentina now compete in the Rugby Championship and came 4th at the World Cup. Be good to get Japan involved in that eventually seeing as they now have a team in Super Rugby.

Hopefully someone else cares. I know you don't.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

103 member unions + 17 associates. Close, though. About 15 nations that are any good.

The biggest problem is that outside the Six Nations (6 teams, obviously) and Rugby Championship (4) that none of the other competitions really matter. Japan, the Pacific Islands, teams like Georgia that have put in competitive World Cup performances need to test themselves against the top nations more than once every 4 years.

Pleasing that Argentina now compete in the Rugby Championship and came 4th at the World Cup. Be good to get Japan involved in that eventually seeing as they now have a team in Super Rugby.

Hopefully someone else cares. I know you don't.

I don't count the shithouse amatuer nations that get belted 70-nil at the World Cup.

 

[The Passenger]

Very few team sports outside soccer/football have more than about a half a dozen teams that are consistently good at it, and another half a dozen or so teams that are competitive at any one time.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Very few team sports outside soccer/football have more than about a half a dozen teams that are consistently good at it, and another half a dozen or so teams that are competitive at any one time.

Harder still soccer has achieved the double of getting people to sincerely care about both the international level and the club/domestic level. Lightning in a bottle that'll probably never be repeated. (Of course, the future is a very long time.)