Published: August 30, 2008 11:43 pm            

My thoughts on what the Olympics considers a sport

College 301

The Olympics — or “the games of the twenty-ninth Olympiad,” as the networks covering the event liked to so dramatically call them — are finally over. Overall, it was an enjoyable couple of weeks, and without a doubt the highest rated summer Olympics in quite some time. News sites have been boasting that it was the most watched television event of all time, but seriously, they were two weeks long, and what else could you really consider an event?

There’s no denying the fact though that the games were filled with some top-notch stories. Michael Phelps’ amazing eight for eight gold medal streak was astonishing, as was Usain Bolt establishing his place as the fastest man alive, and being so far ahead of the pack that he was able to begin his cool down before the finish line and STILL be miles ahead of the other competitors and STILL set a world record. The US women’s soccer team once again claimed the gold in a dramatic overtime victory, and the men’s basketball team found their way back to the top again as well.

But there were some things about these Olympic games that didn’t sit well with me. First and foremost, who in the world decided what announcers were going to be broadcasting certain games? Baseball, America’s past time and a truly exciting sport if you pay enough attention, was absolutely butchered by the MSNBC announce team, making it as dull as the rest of the programming on that channel. I mean seriously, the following could have actually been said and the broadcasters still would have found a way to make sure it was NOT exciting: “And uh, that’s going to take us into the record-breaking forty-fifth inning here in Beijing, with our score tied at 44.” Come on!

But the most discouraging, ridiculous news bit of all is the IOC’s decision to drop both baseball and softball from the next summer games in London in 2012. Yes, our beloved sports, and sports that have been gaining even more and more exposure all around the world thanks to events like the Little League World Series and the World Baseball Classic, will not be present in Britain. It’s an outrage and a disgrace to the Olympic name. But to make matters even worse, let’s think about some of the “sports” we saw this year that will be sticking around.

Competitive walking. Yeah, you heard me, competitive freaking walking. When I came across this I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A gaggle of ridiculously skinny “athletes” each wearing a pair of ridiculously huge sunglasses power walking, desperately trying to beat the other person without breaking into a jog. And they do it for over three hours! I can understand where such an event would be difficult, but you must be kidding me. It’s not a pretty sight to grown men speed walking, hips swaying from side to side, butts stuck firmly up in the air. When my friends and I saw the event, we made sure to thank our lucky stars that we didn’t see any Americans in the field, and we assumed that the US was too proud to be seen in such a goofy event. However, we soon found an American, and he was - walking - dead last. Oh boy.

What about synchronized diving? How in the world is this a sport? It’s pretty cool, yes, and takes some talent and skill, no doubt, but it’s not a sport worthy of the Olympics. If anything, put some synchronized divers in the opening ceremonies, that would be pretty cool, along with some computer-generated fireworks…Oh wait. Oops.

It’s completely insane that baseball and softball are losing their spots in the Olympics, while other non-sports get to stay in. It seems to me that the IOC is a bit more Europe-centric and traditional American sports are getting the shaft. Looks like our baseball players are going to have to start practicing their speed walking. Before you know it, there’ll be a “Guitar Hero” event. I’m not saying I wouldn’t enter it, though.

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Robert Rich is a junior journalism major at the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated from Westwood High School in 2006. He can be reached via e-mail at robert.rich@mail.utexas.edu

        

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