bangbang023
Jul 8 2005, 05:23
QUOTE
SINGAPORE -- Baseball and softball were dropped Friday from the Olympic program for the 2012 Summer Games in London.
Each of the 28 existing sports was put to a secret vote by the International Olympic Committee, and baseball and softball failed to receive a majority required to stay on the program. The other 26 sports were retained.
Baseball and softball are the first sports cut from the Olympics since water polo in 1936.
The IOC will consider replacing them with two sports from a waiting list of five sports: golf, rugby, squash, karate and roller sports.
Full Story
Hooray! I can't stand baseball. So boring. (Sorry bangbang023, I know you love it. But its boring to me).
soLoredd
Jul 8 2005, 05:32
That SUCKS.
I guess from the list I'd like to see rugby (not much exposure to it in the US) and also karate.
Still, dropping baseball is ridiculous.
Jonny Wake
Jul 8 2005, 05:33
I like watching baseball and women's softball but I love rugby. So here's hoping we see that, and lets say... squash, in 2012.
BroChaos
Jul 8 2005, 05:51
was the US any good at baseball? probably not, right? but i think we dominated softball (even though we got upset last time i think).
personally, i like seeing them take away sports that america is good at...
SeMz...
Jul 8 2005, 05:54
olympic baseball sucks anyway
soLoredd
Jul 8 2005, 07:08
QUOTE(BroChaos @ Jul 7 2005, 22:51)
was the US any good at baseball? probably not, right? but i think we dominated softball (even though we got upset last time i think).
personally, i like seeing them take away sports that america is good at...
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I think it was Cuba who ruled international baseball. I remember that year Tommy Lasorda coached the team and they beat Cuba (I think) and everyone was shocked. Might have been in Sydney 2000.
Oh well...I think last year's basketball debacle proved that America is not the big dog in homegrown sports anymore. They should get football in there, though. Or maybe get some NFL players to play some rugby. Might be interesting hahaha.
I never really considered baseball being an olympic sport, considering not many countries outside the Americas play it.
bigbluepride35
Jul 8 2005, 12:37
QUOTE(BroChaos @ Jul 8 2005, 01:51)
was the US any good at baseball? probably not, right? but i think we dominated softball (even though we got upset last time i think).
personally, i like seeing them take away sports that america is good at...
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And in softball we didn't get upset last time around. In fact, it was a dominating performance by our girls in Athens. This means less exposure for Jennie Finch
lol.
As for the story itself. I didn't even know they were considering cutting any of the sports.
SeMz...
Jul 8 2005, 12:41
now they should include pole-dancing
better replace it with golf then....Ryder Cup part two anyone?
stanneh
Jul 8 2005, 12:48
there has to be hundreds of better things to add to the olympics other than baseball/softball/rounders.
next on the list curling.
Baseball was a bit of a silly olypmic sport IMOP, so I'm not sorry to see it go. I think football should be dropped too. Olympic sports should only have a certain maximum number of people (5 or 6).
Not sure why Squash isn't an Olympic sport already seeing as Badminton has been for sometime now. Karate could also be introduced as there are already a few contact sports (boxing, judo).
Why add roller sports though? Don't they already have the X-Games for that sort of thing?
Fred Derf
Jul 8 2005, 12:53
Baseball does not have a very strong international appeal. Squash, on the other hand, is played in many more countries.
what is squash...other than a food
Squash is a racquet sport. Two players in a small enclosed room. You have to hit a small rubber ball against a wall. You get a point everytime you play the ball so that your opponent cannot return it.
Capodeluxe
Jul 8 2005, 13:01
Rugby for the win.
I think rubgy 7's would be good.
Golf as a replacement? Squash?
If the goal was to make the Olympics even more boring than before, they would be champions of the world.
They need 10 more categories of Synchronized swimming and Rhythmic Gymnastics, too.
Ugh. This sucks.
Squash should be in. Golf's boring!
Ayepecks
Jul 8 2005, 15:49
I don't mean to sound like a prick here, but how on Earth is Squash an "Olympic sport"? I guess if ping-pong (excuse me, table tennis) can make it, as can trampoline, that any sport can except team sports...
Golf would be pretty cool... maybe rugby too..
TheTerminator
Jul 8 2005, 16:17
Golf and rugby would be cool, but what about roller sports there? Could skateboarding become an olympic sport?
Fred Derf
Jul 8 2005, 16:23
QUOTE(Scorpio @ Jul 8 2005, 11:49)
I don't mean to sound like a prick here, but how on Earth is Squash an "Olympic sport"? I guess if ping-pong (excuse me, table tennis) can make it, as can trampoline, that any sport can except team sports...
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Squash is a much more vigious sport than baseball. Trust me, play it properly for 40 minutes and it is much more exercise than two hours of baseball.
Squash is far more of a sport than raquetball (which is relatively more common in the United States) where the ball bounces around so much you rarely need to move.
My dad used to play but all of his squash buddies (even the ones a decade younger) all have long term injuries. My dad has had knee surgery himself. It isn't an easy sport on your body.
Professional squash players, for example, cannot remain competitive as long as professional baseball players.
BroChaos
Jul 8 2005, 16:23
"extreme sports" should be left for the xgames.
i just don't like sports where 99% of the best people are in the US. when the rest of the world doesn't play the sport, it pretty much makes it pointless to have a competition. whatever the new sport is, i just hope it's a more "world wide" sport. it's like the US playing cricket....lol...do we even have a team?
streetw0lf
Jul 8 2005, 16:24
Chess!!!
Fred Derf
Jul 8 2005, 16:27
QUOTE(BroChaos @ Jul 8 2005, 12:23)
"extreme sports" should be left for the xgames.
i just don't like sports where 99% of the best people are in the US. when the rest of the world doesn't play the sport, it pretty much makes it pointless to have a competition. whatever the new sport is, i just hope it's a more "world wide" sport. it's like the US playing cricket....lol...do we even have a team?
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America has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1965
http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/members/usa.htmlThey are not full members so they do not participate in the "test" matches. Only 10 countries are involved at the elite level.
Ayepecks
Jul 8 2005, 16:31
QUOTE(fred666 @ Jul 8 2005, 16:23)
Squash is a much more vigious sport than baseball. Trust me, play it properly for 40 minutes and it is much more exercise than two hours of baseball.
Squash is far more of a sport than raquetball (which is relatively more common in the United States) where the ball bounces around so much you rarely need to move.
My dad used to play but all of his squash buddies (even the ones a decade younger) all have long term injuries. My dad has had knee surgery himself. It isn't an easy sport on your body.
Professional squash players, for example, cannot remain competitive as long as professional baseball players.
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I have no doubt that squash is a hard sport... but one could argue the same thing about table tennis. I just don't see either as "Olympic sports." And I agree that squash is more of a sport than raquetball, too, which also isn't an Olympic sport.
Fred Derf
Jul 8 2005, 16:41
QUOTE(Scorpio @ Jul 8 2005, 12:31)
I have no doubt that squash is a hard sport... but one could argue the same thing about table tennis. I just don't see either as "Olympic sports." And I agree that squash is more of a sport than raquetball, too, which also isn't an Olympic sport.
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I included the raquetball reference because raquetball is/was fairly popular in the United States and people often describe squash as "being like raquetball".
Squash is played in most Commonwealth nations. While the global TV ratings of squash are probably considerably lower than the global TV ratings of baseball, it is probably played in more countries.
I offer no support for table tennis.
Ayepecks
Jul 8 2005, 16:50
I know, I understand what you're saying. I understand it's probably played in more places than baseball, and I don't argue that it's a hard sport to play -- I've seen it played, and I don't think I could ever do it (not that I'd want to, personally), but I simply just don't see it as an Olympic sports. The Olympics really used to have a prestige and mystique to them... I really don't see that anymore, with the exception of the time-tested Olympic contests (track and field, swimming, etc).
Fred Derf
Jul 8 2005, 16:57
QUOTE(Scorpio @ Jul 8 2005, 12:50)
I know, I understand what you're saying. I understand it's probably played in more places than baseball, and I don't argue that it's a hard sport to play -- I've seen it played, and I don't think I could ever do it (not that I'd want to, personally), but I simply just don't see it as an Olympic sports. The Olympics really used to have a prestige and mystique to them... I really don't see that anymore, with the exception of the time-tested Olympic contests (track and field, swimming, etc).
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I'm a little too intense for squash. I make one bad shot and then I lose about five points in a row because I'm still ticked off and unfocussed. That's also my problem in golf, btw.
I'm better suited to hockey because I can take a shift, verbally abuse the oppenents from the bench and have a chance to cool down before I go again.
Any sport that uses the concept of a "penalty box" must have been created with me in mind.
Me loves baseball, but also agree on the fact that is not for being on the olympics. BTW the Cuba baseball team always kicked ass.
Virtues of Evil
Jul 8 2005, 17:13
QUOTE(Scorpio @ Jul 8 2005, 12:31)
I have no doubt that squash is a hard sport... but one could argue the same thing about table tennis.[right][snapback]586182785[/snapback][/right]
Table Tennis is the second most played sport in the world.
doubledragonxz
Jul 8 2005, 17:23
QUOTE(Virtues of Evil @ Jul 8 2005, 11:13)
Table Tennis is the second most played sport in the world.
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I was just about to post something like that. No to mention is a faster sport than baseball thus providing the thrill factor to the table. Another point in favour of Table Tennis is that Europe has some big names in the game and the rivarly with the eastern countries is very intense.
BroChaos
Jul 8 2005, 17:42
QUOTE(Virtues of Evil @ Jul 8 2005, 10:13)
Table Tennis is the second most played sport in the world.
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if thats true, then i would recommend it. it's a very fast and fun sport.
thats disapointing, what they should cut is that stupid a** curling from the winter olympics... its about as athletic as watching grass grow. If that is there then they should include Darts so all the bar hounds can have somthing to shoot for.
QUOTE(SlammedGST @ Jul 8 2005, 12:24)
they should cut is that stupid a** curling from the winter olympics... its about as athletic as watching grass grow.
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so true
BroChaos
Jul 8 2005, 18:36
curling is dumb, but man, once i start watching, i can't stop! i guess i always loved playing shuffleboard when i was little, and this is like giant shuffleboard.
Ping Pong is a sport?
Next we'll have Butt darts in the olympics.
Fred Derf
Jul 8 2005, 18:43
QUOTE(SlammedGST @ Jul 8 2005, 14:24)
thats disapointing, what they should cut is that stupid a** curling from the winter olympics... its about as athletic as watching grass grow. If that is there then they should include Darts so all the bar hounds can have somthing to shoot for.
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Curling actually gets huge TV ratings. Not that that is meant to justify its existance as a olympic sport but I found that surprising. I gather that a lot of old people watch it.
It is played in many european countries too.
BroChaos
Jul 8 2005, 19:21
QUOTE(BOOGSoftball @ Jul 8 2005, 11:41)
Ping Pong is a sport?
Next we'll have Butt darts in the olympics.
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butt darts is one of the sports they are considering for the 2016 olympics. it's on the verge of becoming huge.... but it's still pretty underground right now.
I KNEW it!
Fred Derf
Jul 8 2005, 19:25
QUOTE(BroChaos @ Jul 8 2005, 15:21)
butt darts is one of the sports they are considering for the 2016 olympics. it's on the verge of becoming huge.... but it's still pretty underground right now.
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They'll have to do testing to get rid of the dirty players.
Circaflex
Jul 8 2005, 19:26
QUOTE(bigbluepride35 @ Jul 8 2005, 04:37)
And in softball we didn't get upset last time around. In fact, it was a dominating performance by our girls in Athens. This means less exposure for Jennie Finch
lol.
As for the story itself. I didn't even know they were considering cutting any of the sports.
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Werd, ill be missing Jennie
shes a hottie!
DaViD_BRaNDoN
Jul 8 2005, 19:27
Geez... No more baseball/softball in Olympics? Baseball/softball is quite popular in my city
i don't really like watching it. i don't mind.
bigbluepride35
Jul 8 2005, 20:02
QUOTE(BroChaos @ Jul 8 2005, 14:36)
curling is dumb, but man, once i start watching, i can't stop! i guess i always loved playing shuffleboard when i was little, and this is like giant shuffleboard.
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Same here man! When I think about it I'm like that's so dumb. But last winter olympics I ended up watching so much of it!! I just can't explain why lol.
QUOTE(fred666 @ Jul 8 2005, 14:43)
Curling actually gets huge TV ratings.[right][snapback]586183319[/snapback][/right]
Probably because it somehow gets that mystic hold on people
.
Anyone know if this is going to be a permanent change or if they're going to re-evaluate how the events do after London and decide on changing it again?
BTW, the article's been updated
QUOTE
The committee then rejected the five sports wanting to get in. . . . With two slots open on the program, the IOC voted from a waiting list of five sports -- golf, rugby, squash, karate and roller sports. Squash and karate were nominated but rejected overwhelmingly, failing to get two-thirds approval.
maplecookie
Jul 8 2005, 20:58
QUOTE(fred666 @ Jul 8 2005, 12:43)
Curling actually gets huge TV ratings. Not that that is meant to justify its existance as a olympic sport but I found that surprising. I gather that a lot of old people watch it.
It is played in many european countries too.
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I love watching curling on tv. It's kind of interesting! I find myself trying to flip away from it, but about 5 minutes later I'm back to watching.
how the heck is curling played, i tried watching it flipped the channel, came back to watching it but i couldn't understand the aspects of the game. Just looks fun to play, but i can't even rollerskate
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