Have Olympics diminished excitement over football training camps?

[Joemailman]

I think they should disqualify badminton as an Olympic sport.

[ThunderDan]

Is a team deciding to rest its starters really comparable to tanking a game? Aren't the subs still trying their best to win? If an NFL team came out and showed an obvious lack of effort from beginning to end, that would and should be a scandal.

Oh, and welcome to PR!

Like the ProBowl for one example!

[ThunderDan]

First post...I dont think the 8 badminton ladies that tanked their matches should've been disqualified and sent home. What they did was a bit embarrassing and kind of funny, but all they did was legally exploit a flawed system. No different than the undefeated Colts subbing Manning in their last few games or the Packers subbing Rodgers for Flynn in week 17 last season.

Welcome to PR.

Did you actual watch the badminton or just commenting? I finally heard someone breakdown one of the games in question. One team didn't serve the shuttlecok over the net something like 5 times in a row. When they finally did serve over the net the other team hit the birdie 90 degrees from the correct direction. It wasn't just missing shots by a touch here or there it was plain out hitting it into the ground on your own side.

[LegandofthePack15]

Is a team deciding to rest its starters really comparable to tanking a game? Aren't the subs still trying their best to win? If an NFL team came out and showed an obvious lack of effort from beginning to end, that would and should be a scandal.

Oh, and welcome to PR!

The matches that the women tanked were pretty much so-called glorified exhibitions, akin to the Pack-Lion wk 17game. The women were trying to draw favorable opponents for the "playoffs," and they weren't doing anything illegal. In sports, sometimes the end justifies the mean. After all, the Pack's 15-1 season was pretty much a waste.

I am sure if losing to the Lions means the Pack could avoid the goddamn Giants in playoffs, they would tank the game in a heartbeat; probably make up an injury for Flynn and let Harrell loose.

The Colts were something like 14-0 and on the verge of history when they decided to bench Manning for that ex-Purdue qb who couldn't complete a pass to save his life. That's an insult to the game of football. Yet nobody cared.

Blame the game, not the player.

[pbmax]

I am having a tough time working up much disgust with badminton teams. One of the women's soccer squads did the same thing with their last game in group play to get an easier opponent.

If that is a problem, then just reseed on another criteria. If they wish to tank in an obvious fashion, its their reputations that are hurt.

[Harlan Huckleby]

If badmitton is an olympic sport, then they should also have wiffle ball, jarts, and chicken fights in the pool. Maybe even golf. Well, probably not golf.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Maybe this is the right time to recycle Andy Baggot's list of helpful sport identifiers.

1. If you can drink alcohol and smoke a cigar while competing, then it’s not a sport.
Examples: Horseshoes, golf, bass fishing.

2. If the winner is determined solely by the work of judges, then it's not a sport.
Examples: Gymnastics, figure skating, cheerleading, ballroom dancing.

3. If an animal dies or does the heavy lifting, then it’s not a sport.
Examples: Iditarod, horse racing, hunting.

4. If you sit on your butt for hours at a time, then it's not a sport.
Examples: Chess, poker.

5. If an engine does the work, then it’s not a sport.
Examples: Auto, truck, boat and motorcycle racing.

6. If you wear a watch, long pants and a collared shirt while competing, then it’s not a sport.
Examples: Pool, bowling.

7. If there’s a script, then it’s not a sport.
Examples:WWE, RAW.

8. It’s possible to be an athlete but yours may not be a sport.
Gymnasts, golfers, cheerleaders and rodeo clowns are good examples of this.

9. The need for great eye-hand coordination doesn’t automatically mean it’s a sport.
That’s why marbles, juggling and croquet are out.

10. Competing against someone doesn't automatically mean it’s a sport.
If it did, getting the number of the woman at the end of the bar before your buddy would have leagues.

[MJZiggy]

Get a room you two!

I'm trying for godssakes!

[gbgary]

Consider training camp coverage: some sports reporter watches practice and tweets...

for some reason i like reading semi-live tweets. lol

[wootah]

I didn't see the badminton game which caused the stirr, but it seems they should've been a little more subtle. Can't blame them in my opinion; it might be poor sportsmanship, but it's not breaking any rules. Where does this end? Is someone who's behind 4-0 in tennis and who tanks the set to save energy for the next also in fault? And what about the high jumpers who skip a jump just to put more pressure on the opponent?

It's not that the Chinese girls wanted to be out of the tournament; they wanted to lose the game so that they would improve their chances in the long run.

Anyone saw the cycling race? Right before the sprint with 2, the poor Colombian dude looked specifically away from his opponent for a couple of seconds. In the meanwhile his Kazakh opponent passed him by on the other side and won gold. Knowing that the Colombian was in theory the far better sprinter, and that the same Kazakh that has been known to buy victories in the past, it was clear what happened there. If you want fair play, fix that first.

[swede]

I think they should disqualify badminton as an Olympic sport.

I enjoyed watching badminton, equestrian events, archery, water polo, and of course I always enjoy watching the gymnastics, swimming, and track and field events. The badminton matches look as if you could grab a racket and win a few points. I'm thinking I probably couldn't actually win a point, but it still looks a lot like the epic backyard matches of my youth.

I had never seen handball before and I thought while watching it that it was just water polo without a pool, and water polo without a pool is a little bit stupid.

I refuse to watch basketball or soccer on the grounds that they are stupid Olympic sports. (cuz really? Who on this planet could beat a good NBA team? We send mish-mashed One hand tied behind our backs teams and we are still competitive.)

There is room in my life for Training Camp and the Olympics. I'm loving following both.

[swede]

I didn't see the badminton game which caused the stirr, but it seems they should've been a little more subtle. Can't blame them in my opinion; it might be poor sportsmanship, but it's not breaking any rules. Where does this end? Is someone who's behind 4-0 in tennis and who tanks the set to save energy for the next also in fault? And what about the high jumpers who skip a jump just to put more pressure on the opponent?

It's not that the Chinese girls wanted to be out of the tournament; they wanted to lose the game so that they would improve their chances in the long run.

Anyone saw the cycling race? Right before the sprint with 2, the poor Colombian dude looked specifically away from his opponent for a couple of seconds. In the meanwhile his Kazakh opponent passed him by on the other side and won gold. Knowing that the Colombian was in theory the far better sprinter, and that the same Kazakh that has been known to buy victories in the past, it was clear what happened there. If you want fair play, fix that first.

Goddam Kazhaks.

[wootah]

Sprint can be found via this link: link

Come on now, for me this is worse than the badminton story: it's buying a gold medal in a sport known for its dubious ethics...

Edit: note that the cyclist in white is known as an experienced sprinter, so it's not like this is a rookie mistake or anything. He locates Vinokourov to his right, and then lookes left for a couple of seconds into nothing, he even turns left to make more room for Vinokourov to pass him.

[Gunakor]

First post...I dont think the 8 badminton ladies that tanked their matches should've been disqualified and sent home. What they did was a bit embarrassing and kind of funny, but all they did was legally exploit a flawed system. No different than the undefeated Colts subbing Manning in their last few games or the Packers subbing Rodgers for Flynn in week 17 last season.

When the Packers sub in Flynn for Rodgers in week 17 they're still trying to win the game. When the Colts sub for Manning the last few games they aren't throwing the game, tanking on purpose in an effort to lose. They're playing reserve players rather than their starters but they're still playing to win. There's a difference between not putting forth your best effort to win vs. putting forth your best effort to lose. Those badminton teams were trying as hard as they could to lose the game. That's the difference, and it's very significant.

[wootah]

When the Packers sub in Flynn for Rodgers in week 17 they're still trying to win the game. When the Colts sub for Manning the last few games they aren't throwing the game, tanking on purpose in an effort to lose. They're playing reserve players rather than their starters but they're still playing to win. There's a difference between not putting forth your best effort to win vs. putting forth your best effort to lose. Those badminton teams were trying as hard as they could to lose the game. That's the difference, and it's very significant.

That's a matter of perception, Gunakor: by losing that game, in fact they did an effort to increase their chances to win gold by drawing an easier opponent in the next round. They had their eyes on the big prize and did everything to improve their chances to reach that.