It is a silly format, but you go out and play hard because that's what you're supposed to do. All the smart people like these badmintonners and the sports minister from China can talk and feel tough and hard-boiled like they really know what's going on, but they're wrong.
You go to the Olympics to win the overall competition, not every match. If you're a country who's goal is to win as many medals as possible and you can potentially get two teams in the final instead of one but it requires the one team to lose, then you tell them to go out and lose. I'm the guy who would refuse to purposely miss a free throw in 21 and I'm not saying I would do what the Chinese did, but it is a smart strategy if your goal as a country is to win as many medals as you can and I don't have a problem with it.
I have a problem with it. The Olympic motto is "Faster, Higher, Stronger." That doesn't mean the Olympics always or often or even 10 percent of the time live up to that, but that's the ideal. So when one purposefully doesn't strive for that ideal--or starts getting dazzled by some other goal--they miss the whole point. And everybody knows it right off the bat, and that's why it's news.
I have learned that there is an Asian version of the Olympics, called the Asian Games. The next one takes place in Incheon, South Korea from September 19-October 4, 2014. I will be watching.
Well, the badminton gurus apparently agreed with Eric, because they threw out the teams that were involved in these matches -- even the teams that won the matches.
My own belief is that this is incredibly harsh on these athletes, who were almost certainly doing what their coaches told them to do. But I should acknowledge that SmartMom agrees with Eric.
That doesn't seem fair to me. Doping is illegal under the rules as written. This is not. People from every culture can read the rules and understand them, but how are young people from China supposed to know what tactics are going to offend middle-aged people from Europe and North America to the point that certain competitors will be banished from the Olympics?
Yeah this is idiotic to me. Fine the teams if you want or warn them that if they do something like this again they'll be booted, but don't boot them. Like Go Heath said these players were simply doing what their coaches and team managers told them to do, and honestly the crowd should be smart enough to understand what's going on and get over themselves. These athletes aren't there to entertain them they are there to win a medal. If this had taken place in the pre-Olympic matches where audiences weren't allowed no one would have cared.
Oh, I don't agree with throwing out the teams, given that there is apparently no established rule against the tactic. But I do think it was absolutely wrong to be trying to game the system by throwing matches.
Why would they go out there and play hard?
ReplyDeleteI agree. It was a silly format.
ReplyDeleteIt is a silly format, but you go out and play hard because that's what you're supposed to do. All the smart people like these badmintonners and the sports minister from China can talk and feel tough and hard-boiled like they really know what's going on, but they're wrong.
ReplyDeleteYou go to the Olympics to win the overall competition, not every match. If you're a country who's goal is to win as many medals as possible and you can potentially get two teams in the final instead of one but it requires the one team to lose, then you tell them to go out and lose. I'm the guy who would refuse to purposely miss a free throw in 21 and I'm not saying I would do what the Chinese did, but it is a smart strategy if your goal as a country is to win as many medals as you can and I don't have a problem with it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, have you ever purposefully missed the free throws in 21? Even once?
DeleteOf course. There have been times when I wanted to win enough that I was willing to purposefully miss.
DeleteI have a problem with it. The Olympic motto is "Faster, Higher, Stronger." That doesn't mean the Olympics always or often or even 10 percent of the time live up to that, but that's the ideal. So when one purposefully doesn't strive for that ideal--or starts getting dazzled by some other goal--they miss the whole point. And everybody knows it right off the bat, and that's why it's news.
ReplyDeleteI have learned that there is an Asian version of the Olympics, called the Asian Games. The next one takes place in Incheon, South Korea from September 19-October 4, 2014. I will be watching.
ReplyDeleteWell, the badminton gurus apparently agreed with Eric, because they threw out the teams that were involved in these matches -- even the teams that won the matches.
ReplyDeleteMy own belief is that this is incredibly harsh on these athletes, who were almost certainly doing what their coaches told them to do. But I should acknowledge that SmartMom agrees with Eric.
I have less a problem with doping than I do with what these people did.
DeleteThat doesn't seem fair to me. Doping is illegal under the rules as written. This is not. People from every culture can read the rules and understand them, but how are young people from China supposed to know what tactics are going to offend middle-aged people from Europe and North America to the point that certain competitors will be banished from the Olympics?
DeleteYeah this is idiotic to me. Fine the teams if you want or warn them that if they do something like this again they'll be booted, but don't boot them. Like Go Heath said these players were simply doing what their coaches and team managers told them to do, and honestly the crowd should be smart enough to understand what's going on and get over themselves. These athletes aren't there to entertain them they are there to win a medal. If this had taken place in the pre-Olympic matches where audiences weren't allowed no one would have cared.
DeleteOh, I don't agree with throwing out the teams, given that there is apparently no established rule against the tactic. But I do think it was absolutely wrong to be trying to game the system by throwing matches.
Delete