February 24, 2006
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Olympics
You can still vote on the post below on what we call the xanga mascot.
I want to talk about the Winter Olympics. They have been so boring. I had high hopes going into the Olympics this year. I wanted to see Michelle Kwan finally win a gold. She dropped out and so the main attraction was gone. As I sat down and watched the Olympics, I realized that the winter Olympics is full of sports I have never heard of before. I watched this one where they pushed this object and then tried to smooth out the ice so the object could move quickly. I thought to myself, “This is a sport?”
Overall, I thought it was a disappointment. I wish Tayna Harding would have showed up and hit someone with a stick. We need controversy to drive the ratings.
One more thing, if I hear one more sad story about an Olympian who had a mother with cancer and yet was able to make it, I am going to shoot myself.
On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being awesome), how would you rate this year’s Olympic games?
Comments (150)
0 …
8.
That girl LOSING first place showboating made my day.
Ah, well… This year I was introduced to Curling, and I fell in love with it.
10 for sure, because I discovered Curling
Nicholas
it has been boring..i say 4
4th!!
amazing. an eight at least.
i love shaun white and jeremy bloom. they are all i watch.
americans focus too much on the lives of the olympians. just show us the sports, and how they are done.
i still enjoy them, but i wish they’d just show everyone, not just the top teams
2… boooorrrringgggg
oh, so i give them a 7
The Olympics are on? Sorry, I watch ABC.
lol
hmm… they’re ok… but, in the words of my littlest sister…. nyeh!
2 — boring, but makes for interesting stories.
2. i havent even been watching, but the snowboard cross thing apparently was adrenaline pumping.
“curling” is ridiculous.
5 – Average
^^^What sugarbear said!
I barely watched any of it. I thought NBC did a terrible job of covering them.
I give it a 2. Not 1 because they will talk about Vancouver at the closing ceremonies. Vancouver for life!
Curling is AWESOME Dan!!!! How could you question it’s sportiness?
Nicholas
I dunno, the only thing I really watch intensely is speed skating (I dunno why, really) and luge (because it looks fun!)
3
5. Some things were exciting, some weren’t.
Who cares?
The Olympics sucked.
The X-Games are way better.
i love the snowboarding.. thats all i watch..
6…no one is really paying attention to them this year
when are these human games?
oh I’d say about a 2…cause Michelle Kwan isn’t on there and because our guys keep gettin gipped…bleh
the only part I enjoyed was Sasha Cohen’s short program performance…that was beautiful
How many dramatic stories can they come up with, anyways?! Its like they search high and low for every single last one. Iyiyi…
I’d give it a 4 at best.
2
I have not even watched the highlights of the winter olympics this year so I would have to say my nterest level is 0.
I can’t really say what the games’ rating would be since I have not even watched any of them.
I thought the opening ceeremony was pretty unspectacular and I didn’t watch after that.
a -3…. wait wait… yeah.. a -3…
1. Last I saw was the snowboarding one.
it was awful.. i cant wait to watch law & order again..
crystal
I have only watched 3 minutes total of the whole mess. a 1
Ohmygosh, I LOVE the Olympics…I’ve been glued to the TV for 2 solid wks. The withdrawal next week is gonna be a killer…and don’t knock curling!
I am watching it now. So I definitely have to rate the games a 10…because I am an Olympics freak.
7, it wasn’t as great as I thought they would be. I’m going to the 2010 games in Vancouver and Whistler and I’m hoping they turn out better than this.
It should have been a 5… but the song is worth 2 more points just for being awesome.
Seeing that Sweden has never won more medals in an Winter Olympics than now, I would have to rate it a 10, even though I’ve hardly had time to watch any of it. Except the intriguing hockey games today. On Sunday we will wipe the ice with the Finns just like we did with the Czechs!
I wouldn’t know because I haven’t watched
I intended to, but I just haven’t yet.
The first time I tuned in I saw an australian woman soar through the air on skis, and land very badly. She was just screaming, like crazy, and holding onto her leg. The second time I instantly saw two ice skaters fall, and hit the ice in a way that made me cringe. So I think I better lay off the olympics before I cause any more unjuries
I give them a 1 because of this
Flanga
ANd the games suck!
0. I’m going with the video game reviews, here. Verdict? “The game models are beautiful, until they move.” Taken from Gamespy.
LOL : – ) Don’t shoot yourself, Dan.
Hmm, good question. 3? The only thing I wanted to see was Michelle Kwan, really. The X-Games are loads better
TV is as bad for you as the computer…so i choose the computer for my pasttime…lol…therefore i dont watch television….let alone the olympics.
and if i do watch tv….its usually family guy or someother mind melting hilarious show:)
10. Curling = best sport ever.
give it a 4.5
with michelle kwan bowing out….and no real record setting event. bodie was a dissapointment, the mens speed skating was a dissapointment. and even the ohno hype was just that hype…he’s been wasted by the koreans every time.
like i mentioned on my site….even the figure skating which is the superbowl of the olympics was anti climatic with the top ranked skaters messing up. no offense to the japanese skater who won gold….she was the best that evening.
have a great weekend.
Dan…that “sport” where they shove a stone down the ice and sweep it off in front is called curling…its actually a pretty skillful game…and you already know im disappointed with this years games….
5
7. I actually enjoy curling. Shaun White was impressive, and Emily Hughes and Sasha Cohen did great jobs, even if things didn’t work out quite like they wanted them to.
Dan, don’t shoot yourself because of the cancer stories…
Shoot the cancer survivor mothers. Help motivate the children to win more medals in the next Olympics.
Last time I checked, we still were losing to the Germans on total medals won.
4
a strong 7
I’m laughing so hard, I thought curling was the lamest sport I’d ever seen. I mean, it’s shuffleboard, guys!
Yeah, I thought this year was boring, too, though I like snowboarding, it’s fun.
I thought they were very good, actually. With all the crap going on in this world, it’s nice to see people from all over come together and compete without anyone feeling the need to kill anyone else.
Haven’t seen even one second of it. Couldn’t tell ya.
I’ll give curling a 10 individually, and give a 2 to everything else.
5 (They’re just there if nothing else is on tv!)
I find the sports utterly boring, especially disappointed in the figure skating. The requirements that they have to take are not very artistic at all. :/
I’d say 7, though the only thing I’ve watched is ice skating…late last night…but Shizuka Awakawa (I think…) was so graceful and calm; she deserved the gold.
5
ahhh!!!! the sport ur talking of is curling, my 1st winter olympics I was waaaay too young to remember or care, but I watched it this year…and I turned the tv on and all there was to watch, was the stupid sport where people were throwing this red and yellow things down and all they did was brush the ice…now i’ve fallen in love with curling…I’m going to miss it, curling is a 10, everything else…a 3, I really wanted to see kwan in the olympics.
Yes, a 2 or 3. Where IS Tanya when you need ratings? Celebrity boxing season is over and she is AWOL. Oh well. Since 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women get cancer, it’s a sure bet there will be more moms with cancer in 2010.
Okay, you made me laugh with shoot yourself thing.
10 GO KOREAN SHORTTRACKERS
and apollo cried again… boohoo
haha and seth westcott, snowboard cross was awesome. :9
I never watch the olympics. They’re generally very boring.
Here’s another question. Why do the Olympic games have every single sport imagineable except for american football?
i like curling
negative, on that scale. The olympics was only something when there was the tanya drama haha.
but oh well. my scale is on the -1 scale. hehe
im gonna have to say probably a negative somthin or another
1.
shaun white was amazing, but other than that, i cant give it much more than a 3…. they’ve been kinda blah…..
7 – The female snowboarder who lost the gold – was frustrating.
9
but does anyone know what curling is?
Like a 1 maybe I love the summer Olympics, but the winter can’t even hold my attention
about a six point five, i think .. curling? easily the most ridiculous (and amusing) waste of time and money i have ever seen. whenever it’s on my roommate and myslef call a couple of other people into the room to poke fun at it =)~. but i think the figure skaing has been pretty good – i was disappointed that michelle kwan dropped out too, but the young girl, kimmy meissner, is from b*more, where i’m at school right now, so it’s pretty cool to see her doing well, esp considering it’s her first olympics. overall, i’m liking the olympics – no drama like there was at the summer olympics, with mark (?) hamm (the gymnast) and micheal phelps (the swimmer), but it’s still entertaining.
i say 4…i don’t care who was the main attraction in fig skatin i loved watchin the women.
I think you would be describing curling, it is quite a sport and very entertaing to watch. And the US team is based very near to us (me).
7. I like snowboarding, ski jumping, speed skating, and figure skating — men’s, women’s, pairs, ice dancing. I loved the opening ceremonies. I wish that NBC would cover the hockey better — I don’t have cable, so I can’t watch it on the affiliate stations at 2 in the afternoon or whenever they supposedly showed it.
0. this is our worst ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ll give this year’s Olympics a 6. There have been a few great moments. You know what bothers me more than the games themselves is the pithy commentary given by anchors. They are nothing but negative. I think this really brings the games down. I’m tired of hearing all of the conjecture about women falling while ice skating, what is Bode thinking right now as he has lost another medal, is Shaune an angry man. What ever happened to the Olympic Dream being worth more to an athelete than some idiotic commentator’s take on their metal state while strapping on their skiis?
What olympics???
LOL! Tonya Harding would liven things up. I still think Nancy Kerrigan is the one who sabotaged her laces.
Actually the skiing–all of the skiing and snowboarding events–are pretty interesting to watch. The speed skating is good too.
3; I’ve watched a little but not much. And Curling – where the push a big rock down the ice and smooth the ice as it goes – has been the most interesting thing about the Olympics. Now that’s sad. There’s no tension, no drama, no competition. It’s bland;; everyone is so “fabulous” and “a great athelete” and “putting forth their best” and golly gee we sure do wish they could all win. blech
10. the canadian women are cleaning house. more than any other countries female athletes. maybe you would be more excited if you cheered for them. you can probably watch them win some more speed skating medals tomorrow. enjoy.
ehhh, I second that it’s a 6. I’m not watching. The snowboard competitions are somewhat “cool”, but only to watch the boarders slip while doing their stunts. Like you, I am unhappy that Michelle Kwan has quit. Why did she just let bad times at practice get in her way? Sarah Hughes’ young sister doesn’t have a chance; sorry to be pessimistic, but that’s how it seems. I’ll also tell you; the introduction night was kind of funny, when Yoko Ohno started reciting John Lennon’s “Imagine” song in a frisky way followed by Peter Gabriel’s murky singing of the song. I would have preferred Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr to sing instead.
On a scale from 1 to awesome? Good…to very good. Mostly in that range.
8
I don’t really want to know that much about the contestants. Their personal lives are in the home towns. When they come to compete, I want to watch the sport. But my feeling on this hasn’t changed the way the games are reported in the last 25 or 30 years, and this comment won’t change it either.
Actuall, I haven’t watched too much of the games, because I didn’t have a television until yesterday. I got it set up to see the figure sakting last night.
9… there have been great people in the games, and lots of competition. and awesome ads. i didn’t watch them for just michelle kwan, unlike millions of others.
I would give it a 6.. only because of the curling..
other than that.. it’s not been a very exciting year.
7. Could be better.
I’ll give them a 5. I, myself, missed the zillion personal stories that they have aired in years past. Sure they are cliched, but without them, the athletes may as well be robots. With all due respect to the ancient Greeks, I do not consider athleticism a virtue. Sure these people are fun to watch, but unless they have overcome a near-crippling paper cut or something, I’m just not gonna get too excited. I remember watching Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards embarrass himself on global television — and I cheered him on. I don’t have a clue who the winner was. I just remember he was excessively whiny because all the attention was on Edwards.
I wish they would have more daytime broadcast coverage. I know, it’s my fault I don’t have cable, but I’d still appreciate the chance to see something besides what they offer in that 4 hour evening slot. I wouldn’t miss the soap operas or whatever it is they pre-empted.
NOW FOR MY BIG GRIPE: That ice skating coverage is just plain depressing. They should put the commentary on the SAP so i don’t have to listen to Dick Button and Scott Hamilton slashing their wrists everytime someone fails to land their Flying Hammer-Toe Sopwith Camel. I’m sure Michelle Kwan is nice and all (incredibly talented even), but I haven’t missed her. I’d rather watch Emily Hughes smile. That to me is more enthralling than any clean (and boring!) skate routine.
And, for the record, I like curling. But it’s a skill contest, not a sport.
20
Shaun White made it like.. at least a 7
2
i didnt watch one game and dont know anyone who did
1
There was so little advertising that I had no idea it was coming.
I do not watch them.
However I did find myself up at 4am watching something called…wow I totally drew a blank.
What is that called with the brooms?
To be honest, the only reason why people think the Olympics are boring is because they don’t love the sport enough to appriciate it. I love Figure Skating & Speed skating and they were the most fun for me. Other sports just made me wonder “& why is this an olympic sport?” I think the only way to make the Olympics seem fun, is to actually watch the sports you LOVE and not just turn on the t.v. and just say, “Oh the olympics are on.” Then leave out of sheer tidium.
So I would have to say an 8. I wanted Michelle to win really bad.
Remember to watch the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
hello Dan. can i call u Dan? don’t wanna be rude. lol i’ve noticed ur site a few times on xanga b4, and every time, i’m overcome with curiosity because i know that whatever you have to say is going to get me seriously thinking about that subject. i really enjoy coming to your site and reading your posts. just wanted to let you know that. as for your newest entry… well… i don’t really get much of a chance to sit down and watch the olympics, but from what i’ve seen, i’m with you. it’s at about a 2. not really exciting. but what do i know? i’m only 15… almost 16. lol anyways, try to comment back or something so i know u read this. i’d really appreciate it. thanx. keep posting!
Aaron
the olympics are on?? oh . . . that’s why my shows aren’t being recorded by my Tivo! (j/k)
4.
Don’t knock curling until you’ve tried it. This game takes a lot of skill…seriously.
p
I give the olympics an 8 because of the people who are competing. A lot of time, and energy has gone into getting themselves ready to compete. How many of us can honestly say that we would be willing to give ourselves to what we believe in such a strong way?
hello? curling! that sport rocks. snowboarding, speed skating, ski jumps, hockey! what’s not to love?
We can’t use negative numbers? Okay then, a 1. I’m a summer olympics girl.
I haven’t been able to watch much of it, but I was pretty disappointed with what I saw.
7 - Mostly for the mysterious lure of Curling, Johnny Weir’s hissy fit after not getting a medal, and the ‘feud’ between Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick.
7
1 I have watched maybe 10 minutes of the entire games so far… was never interested in it because all of the hype coming up to the games was not there at all, like it is for the summer games and stuff. I didn’t even know where the torch was at all.
If they had JUST shown the snowboarding (halfpipe, that is), it would have been a 10. Sadly, there were all kinds of boring sports like the aforementioned BORINGNESS of curling. Stupid, stupid idiot who said that passed as an Olympic event.
Over all… a 5 or 6
Olympics – 7
Americans – 4
But then again, it was pretty hard to beat Salt Lake.
9!!
I can’t rate them fairly b/c I have not been watching the Olympics. I never watch the Olympics. I will admit to be fascinated with curling the first time I saw it.
Erika
haha curling? thats the thing they push into the target thing…yeah i dont get it and i think its stupid haha. i think the ski jump things are pretty cool. im not gonna rate though cause i’m not watching the whole time, just bits and pieces.
10 – shaun white was awesome, and the opening ceremonies were cool, and I think it’s a nice way to bring the world together.
today is the anniversary of the day the U.S men’s hockey team won against russia.
1.
It’s called CURLING Dan, and it’s riveting! Bone up on your Canadian culture… jeez. Anywho…. eh, i’d say 7. Hockey’s been good
HAHAHAHAHA
I LOVE CURLING!!!! it’s quite fun 
i guess it’s a canadian thing… hehee
haven’t been watching over here… i’ve always found them slightly boring anyhoo
I watched this one where they pushed this object and then tried to smooth out the ice so the object could move quickly.
was this, by any chance, they sport they call curling?
actually, i’ve watched more of the torino olympics than any other before. i’ve just been more interested this time.
7. Technology has made the watching of them on TV so mundane. You already know what happened because reports have been everywhere.
CURLING!!! Haha…yes! lol. See, I live in Germany with American tv, so during the day only Curling and Ice Hockey is on. I have to wake up at 2 AM to see anything good (aka Figure Skating). You know you’re an army brat when you understand the rules of curling…lol.
I’m still mad at the Olympics for cutting into my Oprah time. >[
-2
Olympics? Seriously, I know they are going on, but I’ve not watched even one part.
4
it sucks …
i mean really sucks!
i am obsessed with speedskating and the skating this year was awesome so i really liked it 8
You must be talking about curling and it is actually very fascinating when you understand it. I thought the olympics were great this year. Other then neither North American Mens Hockey team getting a medal.
It definitely wasn’t great, but the summer olympics is where it’s at anyway.
-10
I give it a 1
Why is it everytime i go past a TV with the Olypics on it… they are showing Curling… for crying out loud… its someone pushing a rock down the ice and a few guys brushing the ice in front of it…. how lame is that????
Why don’t they just have a watermellon seed spitting contest during the summer olympics… that would make just as much sense.
Controversy? What about Shani Davis and his arch rival, fellow American Chad Hedrick? That is the feud that was played up continually by the media. You mean you missed that? LOL Of course, there were no baseball bats or metal rods involved, but plenty of snide comments from both sides. How about the loud mouthed American skier Bodie. He hasn’t accomplished crap at the Olympics and he was suppose to be such a hot shot gold medal winner. He has one more try today. I like winter Olympics….I love the skiing and ice skating and speed skating, both short track and the longer distances. But that is just me. I like to sit in my warm cozy house and watch all of them in the freezing cold and thank God I’m not there. Rate this Oympics: 7. I guess I’m the only one watching this year huh? How can people who say they are not watching the Olympics rate them?
Yeah, so basically, I’m one of those people who thought it was awesome simply because you get to watch televised curling, which only happens every four years. Furthermore, we won a medal, so that made it even better.
Funny how it’s such a love-it-or-hate-it sport…
5
Haven’t watched them.
10, the winter Olympics are always AWESOME. Who cares if the Americans are doing poorly. Get off your damn soapbox and watch the Olympics for what they are, an opportunity for talented athletes from around the world to compete in some of the fastest and most graceful sports there are.
i luv everything in the olympics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4
5. no one really payed attention to the olympics this year.
News flash, buddy, they aren’t here to entertain you, exactly. They’re just there to play their sport and win some medals. Hell, they might have fun while doing it, who knows. If you’re so pissed about it, why don’t you just write an angry letter in Italian, send it off to Torino, and hope it gets there before the Olympics is over. Honestly, these guys are only celebreties for about two weeks every four years, give them a break.
Second of all, I hate redundancy:
“As I sat down and watched the Olympics, I realized that the winter Olympics is full of sports I have never heard of before…”
Are the Olympics boring? Tell me about the Olympics. The Olympics sound fun. I know something about the Olympics. The Olympics is where Olympians Olymphasize!
—Matt
The winter Olympics are a complete waste of time in my opinion. Besides skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating, the rest of the games are a little forced at best. Average viewers from across the globe, I’m willing to bet, are all thinking WTF as well.
i haven’t watched any of the olympic games.
I hope you do shoot yourself.
it depends on what you watch for > the women’s halfpipe competition, when Kelly Clark risked it ALL to try to take the gold, did inCREdible tricks with airs every bit as big as any guy’s, only to partially sit on her last landing and thereby drop to fourth — that is what it is truly about. giving everything you have for your sport and your country! The women’s snowboarders were a 10 in my book.
the men’s speed skating, with the ridiculous spoiled-brat feud btwn the members of the US team, i rate a zero.
curling is fun to watch if you consider the physics behind the moves, and it has gained in popularity in Central New Jersey, so perhaps i enjoy it because i know something about it.
as far as figure skating goes, sure it would have been nice to see Kwan win a gold, but you can see skating competitions almost every other weekend on cable. bring out the lesser known sports!
the thing both my husband and i missed the most were the medal ceremonies for each sport > their lack made the experience a 2 or 3 for him, and dropped mine to a 6 or a 7….
the olympics are, for me, the best thing on tv since the superbowl. maybe even better. this year they are a 8, so many upsets and surprises. AND YES, CURLING IS RIDICULOUSLY BORING.
hi there, u get lots of comments
I would say about 6 or 7.
An 8, I feel like the womens’ figure skating really lacked, but Sascha Cohen should have won–too bad she fell.
{Yawn}
Crap! A typo, I meant to put in a 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t watch olympics..
about the mascot I pick #4
I would give them an 8 I think there are some sports that just aren’t exciting to watch on TV ( like curling…sorry if that is a sore spot, I didn’t say I didn’t like it though) but there are also some events I truly love (ok figure skating and speed skating definitely win out here) the skill, determination, and endurance it takes for those men and women to complete the long program especially is incredible. and speed skating makes me really nervous! lol. all in all they are usually pretty fun to watch and even when they’re not all that exciting I say props to the athletes who work so hard at what they do!
Your post was great. I’m with ya about the inspiring stories of the Olympians. Just let me watch the games. I’d give it about a 4.
Are you kidding, I thought they were great. All of the personal crap got verrrry old. And of course the Media had a field day emphasizing every little drama between the Olympiads.Most I could have done without. The mute button was a godsend. The snowboarding….. hmmmm not the time to take an chance. Its the time to celebrate excellence on a world wide scale, not just on a national level. I was very happy for Arakawa, the Japanese skater. She was genuinly happy and surprised about her Gold Medal and exquisite to watch. I am sorry they are over. I would give them an eight, though. They were not the atheletes of old.