Winter Olympics 2018

[Sean Hayden]

Russian Curler Is Suspected Of Doping At Pyeongchang Winter Olympics

Nothing's stranger than reality.

[Hermit]

Any "sport" that requires subjective judges to determine who has won is not a sport. Figure skating is definitely not a sport but entertainment and should not be part of the olympics.
Why do they give style marks to ski-jumping? The Olympic Motto is: "Faster, Higher, Stronger". Nothing about prettier.

If you add "Smarter" to the motto, chess is a sport. No subjective judges required to determine who has won.

Is it an Olympic sport though?

Yes. It has been since 1924.

[Hermit]

Chess would not be a "sport" because the physical exertion of moving a chess piece is incidential.

You do realise that the original series of Olympic games (776 BCE to 393 CE) included contests in music, theatre, poetry and other arts, don't you?

The choice of contests in modern times reflects a cretinisation, a descent to the lowest common denominator, especially since broadcasting the games has become big business for the media and advertisers alike. Expect the competitors' garb to be emblazoned with their respective sponsors' logos in the not too distant future. Then there will be huge advertising graphics on the astroturf, running tracks, gymnastics implements, hoardings and any other surface a broadcast camera can be pointed at. The 2040 games will be officially named "The Coca Cola Olympic Games in Las Vegas". Those steps will complete the takeover by the commercial interests.

[JimC]

Embrace your inner Torville and Dean...

Edit - directed at rEv...

[Scot Dutchy]

Fark, figure skating is on again today. Just fuck the fuck off!

Luckily the Dutch PB does not transmit much of it. We concentrate on the real skating.

[Forty Two]

Chess would not be a "sport" because the physical exertion of moving a chess piece is incidential.

You do realise that the original series of Olympic games (776 BCE to 393 CE) included contests in music, theatre, poetry and other arts, don't you?

You do realize that their inclusion in the original Olympic games doesn't make theater, music, poetry and such "sports," don't you?

The choice of contests in modern times reflects a cretinisation, a descent to the lowest common denominator, especially since broadcasting the games has become big business for the media and advertisers alike. Expect the competitors' garb to be emblazoned with their respective sponsors' logos in the not too distant future. Then there will be huge advertising graphics on the astroturf, running tracks, gymnastics implements, hoardings and any other surface a broadcast camera can be pointed at. The 2040 games will be officially named "The Coca Cola Olympic Games in Las Vegas". Those steps will complete the takeover by the commercial interests.

Appealing to the masses is what sells tickets and memorabilia, and puts eyeballs o the screens. It's no shock. There's not much of an alternative, other than offering something fewer people want to see. Heck, professional wrestling appeals to the masses. I never watched it, but to each his or her own.

[Forty Two]

Fark, figure skating is on again today. Just fuck the fuck off!

Luckily the Dutch PB does not transmit much of it. We concentrate on the real skating.

Yes, the Dutch are so civilized and advanced that they don't pay attention to winter sports in which their people don't excel ---- which is every sport other than speed skating. The one the Dutch are good at. That's the "real" one.

[Hermit]

Chess would not be a "sport" because the physical exertion of moving a chess piece is incidential.

You do realise that the original series of Olympic games (776 BCE to 393 CE) included contests in music, theatre, poetry and other arts, don't you?

You do realize that their inclusion in the original Olympic games doesn't make theater, music, poetry and such "sports," don't you?

You do realise that we are talking about contests, don't you?

Have you ever watched Theatresports? Enthralling contests.

Appealing to the masses is what sells tickets and memorabilia...

Yes. I know. And you make it sound like A . Good . Thing.

[Forty Two]

Chess would not be a "sport" because the physical exertion of moving a chess piece is incidential.

You do realise that the original series of Olympic games (776 BCE to 393 CE) included contests in music, theatre, poetry and other arts, don't you?

You do realize that their inclusion in the original Olympic games doesn't make theater, music, poetry and such "sports," don't you?

You do realise that we are talking about contests, don't you?

You do realize that we are talking about "sports," don't you? You do realize that the word "contest" does not appear in this thread, don't you?

http://www.rationalia.com/forum/viewtop ... 2#p1751419

Any "sport" that requires subjective judges to determine who has won is not a sport. Figure skating is definitely not a sport but entertainment and should not be part of the olympics. Why do they give style marks to ski-jumping? The Olympic Motto is: "Faster, Higher, Stronger". Nothing about prettier.

If you add "Smarter" to the motto, chess is a sport. No subjective judges required to determine who has won.

Is it an Olympic sport though? How about snakes and ladders? Tiddlywinks anyone? There are international tiddlywinks tournaments and nothing subjective there.

You do know that the question was "Is it [chess] an Olympic sport though," don't you?

You do know I answered that question, don't you?

You do know that whether theater is a contest is not relevant to that question, don't you?

You do see how wording questions in this fashion is smug and insulting, don't you?

Have you ever watched Theatresports? Enthralling contests.

I've seen that format, yes. Certainly can be quite entertaining. It's very effective in the comedy/improv vein.

Appealing to the masses is what sells tickets and memorabilia...

Yes. I know. And you make it sound like A . Good . Thing.

It's neither good nor bad. I placed no value judgment on it.

However, the masses are no less members of our respective societies than you are. And, nothing is stopping you or anyone else from creating a contest or production that appeals to you and others, and is, in your mind, a higher-level form of entertainment.

The utility of ticket sales is that such sales are what pays for the event to be possible in the first place. It's no different from movie tickets or theater tickets. If a production is not entertaining for people to fill the seats and to pay a cost of admission which sustains the operation and makes it worthwhile for the people doing the work of creating it and taking the risk of funding it to put the production on, then it won't survive long and the people who took risk in trying to fund it would suffer a financial loss. That's just the reality. Also, to some degree, lots of people like memorabilia. When we take the kids to Disney, they love the Frozen memorabilia. I don't see that as a good or bad thing.

The movie Frozen appeals to the masses. Millions and millions and millions - maybe a billion - people like that movie. Is that a "bad" thing?

The Olympics have tried to keep asses in the seats by updating their sports list. They added those trick skiing things, the snowboarding with all the jumping and flipping. Not my cup-o-tea, but the kids like it.

If the Olympics thought they'd get a bump in attendance and viewership by adding chess and theatersports to the competitions, then they certainly would do so. I would think that would be a betrayal of what the Olympics is all about, which in the modern age is sports competition - but, that's just my view. It would't be "bad" if they opted to go a different route and expand the contests into non-sporting events. Once they did that, you can believe that merchandising would also take place -- people want a Shaun White snowboard. So, they'd want a Magnus Carlsen chess piece or chessboard tool. People like memorabilia and merchandise. If they go to the Olympics, they typically want to bring back a souvenir or two.

[pErvinalia]

Fucken figure skating is STILL on.

[Hermit]

Chess would not be a "sport" because the physical exertion of moving a chess piece is incidential.

You do realise that the original series of Olympic games (776 BCE to 393 CE) included contests in music, theatre, poetry and other arts, don't you?

You do realize that their inclusion in the original Olympic games doesn't make theater, music, poetry and such "sports," don't you?

Yes, I do. They were part of the original Olympic games, though, and I see no reasons, other than Pierre de Coubertin's decision to exclude them and commercial interests, why they should not be now. Of course commercial interests trump. I see no return to the original range of contests.

Pity, though. Theatre can be competitive and fun to watch.

[Scot Dutchy]

All subjective sports though. How would a poetry competition actually work? Mind boggling really.

[Hermit]

All subjective sports though.

Yes. That's right. Titled "Olympic games", I see nothing indicating that contests must be restricted to those that can be adjudicated with clocks, tape measures or some such objective devices. They have not been excluded in the 1100 hundred years they were run in antiquity. I see no objective reasons why they needed to be excluded in the 130 or so years since the Olympic games were resurrected.

How would a poetry competition actually work? Mind boggling really.

Really not. Only minds that insist on clocks, tape measures and such to recognise a game or a contest as such boggle.

[Scot Dutchy]

All subjective sports though.

Yes. That's right. Titled "Olympic games", I see nothing indicating that contests must be restricted to those that can be adjudicated with clocks, tape measures or some such objective devices. They have not been excluded in the 1100 hundred years they were run in antiquity. I see no objective reasons why they needed to be excluded in the 130 or so years since the Olympic games were resurrected.

How would a poetry competition actually work? Mind boggling really.

Really not. Only minds that insist on clocks, tape measures and such to recognise a game or a contest as such boggle.

It is not subjectivity but how would you organise it? Which language for a start? The Greeks were fortunate only one language.

[Hermit]

All subjective sports though.

Yes. That's right. Titled "Olympic games", I see nothing indicating that contests must be restricted to those that can be adjudicated with clocks, tape measures or some such objective devices. They have not been excluded in the 1100 hundred years they were run in antiquity. I see no objective reasons why they needed to be excluded in the 130 or so years since the Olympic games were resurrected.

How would a poetry competition actually work? Mind boggling really.

Really not. Only minds that insist on clocks, tape measures and such to recognise a game or a contest as such boggle.

It is not subjectivity but how would you organise it? Which language for a start? The Greeks were fortunate only one language.

Multilingual adjudicators for now. In a few years time they won't need to be multilingual. They'll just stick a babelfish with hitherto unachieved AI into their ears.