The Swamp

If he'd gone with

I can't be the only one who thinks if the NFL wanted to they could put together a rugby sevens team and dominate the Olympics.

then that might have been funny.

So far, from what I've seen, all of the venues in Tokyo look amazing. Its a shame that they can't have any spectators there.

That said...they couldn't find somewhere to have a real softball diamond? They had to set it up on a baseball diamond? It looked like the celeb softball game at the All-Star Game.

rass wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 1:38 pm If he'd gone with

I can't be the only one who thinks if the NFL wanted to they could put together a rugby sevens team and dominate the Olympics.

then that might have been funny.

I had a guy who worked for my dad. Played rugby at JHU (Pre med class of '90, then got an MD/PHD at JHU). Anyway went to one of his games and remember him saying the US could dominate rugby if we could just leverage a few Eric Metcalfs. He also worked at a fried chicken place in Lexington Market where he co-workers called him No Arms

That's sounds like a tv opportunity. Have NFLers play New Zealand in rugby sevens. Not the rugby sevens team, choose 7 guys from the New Zealand rugby team.

I think we all know that even an elite athlete can't just pick up a different sport and immediately dominate. (Maybe Bo Jackson?)

But, on a more realistic note, I wonder how long it would take some elite football players with the right body types to become top-end rugby players.

23 days. Training camp.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 5:01 pm I think we all know that even an elite athlete can't just pick up a different sport and immediately dominate. (Maybe Bo Jackson?)

But, on a more realistic note, I wonder how long it would take some elite football players with the right body types to become top-end rugby players.

An article from 2012 of a fantasy soccer team

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndicatio ... w.amp.html

Larry Fitzgerald is the goalkeeper.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 5:01 pm I think we all know that even an elite athlete can't just pick up a different sport and immediately dominate. (Maybe Bo Jackson?)

But, on a more realistic note, I wonder how long it would take some elite football players with the right body types to become top-end rugby players.

Less time than we think...but isn't Carlin Isles the answer to this question.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlin_Isles

Also guessing 7s is a bit easier transitions than full Rugby Union. I think athleticism is a bigger factor than the skill/knowledge of the full game.

Of course you also have Mason Cox going from pretending to be Brittney Griner to standout performance in the AFL Grand Final

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_Cox


B.T.W. this is a fascinating wiki page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_p ... to_another

Handball goalies have to be either the bravest people in sport or the craziest. Or possibly both.

duff wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 9:32 pm Handball goalies have to be either the bravest people in sport or the craziest. Or possibly both.

Gump Worsley 👍🏼 this post.

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 1:22 pm

Rex wrote: ↑Mon Jul 26, 2021 8:01 pm The Olympics are exposing surfing as boring.

I can't decide if a tropical storm is good for surfing or bad for surfing. Definitely bad for drone shots and camera work.

I'd wager bad. I've been at the beach for a few tropical storms and typically turns the water into an unpredictable, choppy mess.

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 5:14 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 5:01 pm I think we all know that even an elite athlete can't just pick up a different sport and immediately dominate. (Maybe Bo Jackson?)

But, on a more realistic note, I wonder how long it would take some elite football players with the right body types to become top-end rugby players.

Less time than we think...but isn't Carlin Isles the answer to this question.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlin_Isles

Also guessing 7s is a bit easier transitions than full Rugby Union. I think athleticism is a bigger factor than the skill/knowledge of the full game.

Of course you also have Mason Cox going from pretending to be Brittney Griner to standout performance in the AFL Grand Final

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_Cox


B.T.W. this is a fascinating wiki page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_p ... to_another

Yeah, I grew up around the UofMichigan rugby team (my mom's long-time boyfriend was the captain) and you would routinely see guys that dropped off the football team, joined the club, and dominated out on the flanks. Their speed was unstoppable. Saw about 7 or 8 of those guys cycle through and it was incredible to watch. They didn't really have to know/understand the nuances of the sport, they just had to fly down the outside.

My daughter has taken up club volleyball this summer. She really likes it so I have been watching a bunch.

1.) Those are some tall ladies
2.) In the men's game I am surprised we don't see more bloody noses
3.) In the men's game even the serves look like bullets. Guys returning serves getting knocked backward...just wild.
4.) Surprised they don't radar gun that as part of the presentation. The time between spike and return reaction to get the ball is nearly superhuman.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 10:59 am I'm sure all the enlightened folks like Clay Travis will have genuine respect for what Simone Biles is going through...

the best way to kill the outrage cycle and culture is to ignore the outrage cycle and culture

I know it's hard (and I'm not accusing you DIS of elevating it either) but shit like that is said simply for the virality and nothing more. these people give no shits if they're being dunked on. they just want the attention because they know they can gain something about being the "enemy" of WOKE CULTURE

Looking forward to every Olympics from here on out when I go back down the Wiki rabbit holes and find Titmus and Stubblety-Cook.

What a strange leaderboard early in golf. Jazz Janewattananond is on it.

Ryan wrote: ↑Wed Jul 28, 2021 9:17 pm ...Stubblety-Cook.

Was SHOUTING his name during the breaststroke final last night. Fun!

degenerasian wrote: ↑Wed Jul 28, 2021 11:10 pm What a strange leaderboard early in golf. Jazz Janewattananond is on it.

There's only 60 players, so that's more likely to happen. But yes, weird to be a "marquee" event.

Women's Gymnastics Individual Final

[+] spoiler

Fuck and yes. 5 straight.

rass wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:17 am

Ryan wrote: ↑Wed Jul 28, 2021 9:17 pm ...Stubblety-Cook.

Was SHOUTING his name during the ... stroke ... last night. Fun!

Tame.

This phrasing really worked for me.

One thing the Olympics lacks is that they have the combat events but they don't have the artistic aspects of those martial arts so it feels incomplete. It's an art form, not just fighting and competition.

[+] spoiler

Karate Kata



Taekwondo Poomsae



Judo nage no-kata

Let me ask you this, is it fairly obvious to the trained/initiated observer when someone is doing well technically in those forms?

I can watch diving and gymnastics and after all these years it's fairly easy to tell when there is a form break (or I fully understand the commentary pointing it out.)

One of the reasons (IMO) surfing is kind of lame as a spectator sport is that I don't really know what I'm looking at in terms of scoring. Not in terms of adding up scores (duh), but in terms of what is considered good v. bad (and not the obvious "oh, she fell" stuff.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:59 am Let me ask you this, is it fairly obvious to the trained/initiated observer when someone is doing well technically in those forms?

I can watch diving and gymnastics and after all these years it's fairly easy to tell when there is a form break (or I fully understand the commentary pointing it out.)

One of the reasons (IMO) surfing is kind of lame as a spectator sport is that I don't really know what I'm looking at in terms of scoring. Not in terms of adding up scores (duh), but in terms of what is considered good v. bad (and not the obvious "oh, she fell" stuff.

No idea. I watched a full session of judo the other day and have no idea what's a point and what's a penalty. For example, to my untrained eye, that throw looked good but got no points. Most matches go to golden score 0-0.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:10 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:59 am Let me ask you this, is it fairly obvious to the trained/initiated observer when someone is doing well technically in those forms?

I can watch diving and gymnastics and after all these years it's fairly easy to tell when there is a form break (or I fully understand the commentary pointing it out.)

One of the reasons (IMO) surfing is kind of lame as a spectator sport is that I don't really know what I'm looking at in terms of scoring. Not in terms of adding up scores (duh), but in terms of what is considered good v. bad (and not the obvious "oh, she fell" stuff.

No idea. I watched a full session of judo the other day and have no idea what's a point and what's a penalty. For example, to my untrained eye, that throw looked good but got no points. Most matches go to golden score 0-0.

Shoot if it was not for the lights the blink, Fencing was unwatchable to know who got the point on first touch. I just assumed it was who screamed first.

Yeah, there are absolutely sports I don't even bother with and you guys just ticked off some of the most egregious. I watched a random Judo match that was in Golden whatever it was some of the most boring shit I've ever seen. And, yes wlu, I gave up on fencing many Olys ago... Just unwatchable.

They should to that American Gladiator deal, where they get those big two-ended clubs and try to smack the other guy off their pedastool.

/grunt... spit on ground... scratch balls... 'murica

That said, boxing has been great. Ever since they took off the head gear and went to the 10-point must system it's really good. I wish it was 5 rounds instead of 3, which feels too short.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:25 am One thing the Olympics lacks is that they have the combat events but they don't have the artistic aspects of those martial arts so it feels incomplete. It's an art form, not just fighting and competition.

[+] spoiler

Karate Kata



Taekwondo Poomsae



Judo nage no-kata

I can’t imagine anyone outside of people who have (practiced?) those (arts?) understanding or wanting to see them. No clue what I just watched. No idea how you score that. I could see the greatest (performance?) ever and someone who sucks and not know the difference. That doesn’t seem like a competitive event, more like the Tai Chi I’ve seen old women do in parks.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:53 pm That said, boxing has been great. Ever since they took off the head gear and went to the 10-point must system it's really good. I wish it was 5 rounds instead of 3, which feels too short.

Are the judges still cheating the Americans? That is basically what I remember of Olympic boxing (regardless of scoring system).

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:58 pmThat doesn’t seem like a competitive event, more like the Tai Chi I’ve seen old women do in parks.

Ok, creep.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:58 pm

degenerasian wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:25 am One thing the Olympics lacks is that they have the combat events but they don't have the artistic aspects of those martial arts so it feels incomplete. It's an art form, not just fighting and competition.

[+] spoiler

Karate Kata



Taekwondo Poomsae



Judo nage no-kata

I can’t imagine anyone outside of people who have (practiced?) those (arts?) understanding or wanting to see them. No clue what I just watched. No idea how you score that. I could see the greatest (performance?) ever and someone who sucks and not know the difference. That doesn’t seem like a competitive event, more like the Tai Chi I’ve seen old women do in parks.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at. I don't really think the Olympics needs yet another highly subjective, judged event.

With the established judged events, even the more X games types, it's pretty easy for the commentators to let you know about the level of difficulty of any given run/routine and it's (usually) pretty cut and dry if they pull it off or not.

No idea how you'd differentiate good/bad in those clips, like you said.

That's amazing

OMG. My second-hand embarrassment couldn't get to the end of that clip. bail!

I love how hard the guy on the left is fighting it.

I know but the combat part is also fairly judged. The ref is important. It's just the in the Olympics you are removing half the sport compared to the worlds.

Well my wife made it until 5 minutes ago without being spoiled. Apple Watch NYT notification with the dagger.

Ryan wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:04 pm Well my wife made it until 5 minutes ago without being spoiled. Apple Watch NYT notification with the dagger.

Same for my wife, though it was (checks clock) about an hour ago.

It's REALLY difficult this time around. Especially if you have notifications from WaPo or NYT. They could put an OLYMPICS UPDATE or something in the email header, but... nope.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:48 pm I know but the combat part is also fairly judged. The ref is important. It's just the in the Olympics you are removing half the sport compared to the worlds.

Yeah but nobody is trying to get Dancing into the Olympics.....except Ice Dancing..and Ice Skating...and Breakdancing in 2024..and Ballroom dancing almost getting in for this go around...and Artistic Cycling (which is recognized by the UCI) and the ski ballet thing, ...and of course canoe freestyle (insert famous video meme).

I am okay with sports having to make some decisions on what gets in and what does not make the cut. I actually think some sports would do better to bring the lesser known variations to the olympics instead of the big dogs (i.e. Soccer could go futsal or beach). Rugby 7s works great, Lacrosse in 2028 will likely bring a 6s version to L.A. Golf should be some non-standard tournament or at least match play. If the Olympics is not the pinnacle moment for your sport then find the angle to make it (BMX, mountain bike, track cycling way more interesting than another one day classic cycling event).

The water polo teams come out for introductions wearing bathrobes and Tevas? Get outta here!