It's time to end the Olympics

[Algernon Moncrieff]

The doping.
The absurd amount of money that is spent preparing the venues
The rotting of the venues after the games
The petty rivalries.
The constant worries over terrorism (and in the case of the upcoming games in South Korea, the constant worry about North Korea).

The corrupt IOC.
The Ryan Lochte story
The Tonya Harding story
Larry Nassar
Corrupt judging

I'm over it. Whatever is going to be spent to prepare LA, there have to be better ways to spend the money.

[Fullduplexxx]

1. It has jumped the shark a long time ago

[NCjack]

25. Too corrupt from bottom to top to every become clean and relevant. nt

[applegrove]

2. No. It is inspiring to have heroes who are not political. The youth who

train in sports need a goal. The coming together of nations in peace. Only the GOP would see a threat in that.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

9. It's great to have heroes that aren't political

However, the Olympics have become a trainwreck. The event doesn't accomplish it's stated purposes.

[johnnyrocket]

10. Except it IS political. It's posturing on a grand scale, with the corruption and the waste.

...yes, Olympics should have a permanent home, and they should tone down the production of it all.

Also, I think they should de-emphasize the country rivalries. Make it about the athletes competing.

[applegrove]

19. Think of the poor people around the world who will never go to a sporting

event but can watch a countryperson or other compete at the highest level and feel particularly partial to their success because they are from their part of the world or have a story that resonates.

[treestar]

67. draws terrorists too

just downthread someone mentioned the bombing in Atlanta and then too there was Munich.

[brush]

3. All the things you list are disgusting, however, the Olympics are the pinnacle of achievement for...

athletes so I suggest we instead hold the games in a permanent location, Greece since that is the origin of the games.

Athens recently hosted and has rusted, deserted facilities ready to be refurbished and bought back to life and permanent usage. During the off years the sites could be used for training.

And Greece's economy could sure use the injection of capital.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

8. That's where I was about three Olympiads ago.

Athens for the summers; a site in Austria or Switzerland for the winters.

Now, I'm just over the whole thing. Russia has been barred, so the whole event will be overshadowed by that. It's just become this bizarre exercise in geopolitics. And while I admire the athletes, the overall event is no good anymore.

[malaise]

16. The athletes are pawns in these power games

They are all about corporations and politics.

As Houlihan pointed out, one of the reasons for the problems is that the IOC have long promoted the view that the Olympics is more than just a sports festival. And then they went commercial openly and it's been downhill since.

[brush]

30. It is for the athletes though. A permanent site would get rid of the politics and bribery as to...

where the games would be held.

I agree with your take from years ago about where to hold the winter games.

Without all the politics and payoffs of where the games will be held out of the picture every two to four years, the other problems can be tackled head on.

Why take away the athletes' goals and the unique experience and achievement of making the team and representing their country before the world?

[treestar]

69. Definitely a good idea

What is the point of building a whole lot of facilities that won't have any use afterward?

[greymattermom]

80. Or maybe one permanent location

on each continent to make it worldwide.

[jalan48]

4. Bread and circuses on a grand scale, not to mention the outpouring of nationalistic pride.

[malaise]

5. Have you ever read

Jennings' two books - Lords of the Rings and New Lords of the Rings.
Houlihan also has a great book called Sport and International Relations.

Most of the International Sporting Bodies have been run by Monarchs, the Aristocracy, Fascists and RW Military folks across the globe and all play politics all of the time.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

6. No, but they sound like great recommendations.

[Renew Deal]

7. Tell that to the athletes that dedicate their lives to it

[Algernon Moncrieff]

12. People should look at the Olympics and seriously ask themselves if it is worth it.

There are a bunch of Russian athletes that just had their dreams crushed today. What about the Americans in '80? What about the athletes that were judged in fixed matches?

Ask the American women gymnasts from the past decade if they think it was worth it.

[malaise]

18. The ones the coach was abusing?

If people had a clue about the sphere of sport, we would weep collectively.

[Mariana]

63. Also the ones who starved themselves,

and who trained so excessively while their bodies were still immature, that they have permanent health issues as a result.

[stevenleser]

87. The Russian athletes who werent doping can still compete so no innocent Russian

athletes had their dreams shattered.

I’m not feeling to sorry for the athletes that did dope.

[mythology]

64. Not a particularly convincing argument

People dedicate their lives to all sorts of things. Plenty of people had their lives dedicated to making buggies back before cars.

[Renew Deal]

75. Not a particularly convincing argument

[Brother Buzz]

11. The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics actually made money (and without government money)

And youth sports in the greater LA area are still benefiting from the trust fund that was established from the profits.


If they use Peter Ueberroth model, there is no reason they can't do it again.

[Initech]

22. Plus, like it or not, we need the tourists.

Because tourists bring in tourism money, which is a huge part of California's economy. Trump and his anti-globalist fans need to realize that.

[oasis]

55. 1984 LA: one of the best ever. nt

[Brother Buzz]

58. Time magazine named Ueberroth "Man of the Year" for 1984.

He repeatedly played it down by simply pointing out it was the blue ribbon committee he pulled together that did all the work.

[oasis]

61. Everything went like clockwork. The main venue was in a rough

part of L.A., but the criminal elements were greatly reduced several months before the opening ceremonies.

Residents were able walk to local retailers at all hours of the day, visit the Natural History Museum and Expostion Park Rose Garden without fear of being mugged or harassed by hustlers.

Pin trading was huge during that period, and accommodation was made in public spaces for the throngs of enthusiasts. Plenty of Olympic related events happening all over town. Angelenos and other So.Cal residents accounted for an overwhelming amount of attendees at Olympic events. The RTD (Los Angeles Rapid Transit District), moved masses of people attending Olympic events from all over the county. Driving and parking problems were minimal, considering the population density of the main venue, L.A. Coliseum and USC Swimming Stadium.

It was a magic time. I give Peter Ueberroth all the credit.

[mopinko]

57. i was gonna point that out. i was really sad that chicago didnt get them.

like la, we had a lot of infrastructure already in place. many universities already had good venues, and those that needed to be built were gonna add to that.
we had the public transportation. we were going to gain a lot of affordable housing. and we are major media market that was really up to the task.

the model that ends up w unused, rotting venues can die. i have no problem w that. but cities that already have a lot to offer, and will put those things to good use can gain a lllooootttt from being an olympic city.

[lagomorph777]

13. How about we go the other way?

Allow doping, bionics, exoskeletons, meth, anything and everything to maximize performance, no matter the cost to the athlete.

It would be super-entertaining, like the Roman Coliseum. Then, when you've filled the arena with Republicans, hand out unlimited free beer.

And oh, by the way, schedule this event for the day before Election Day.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

15. Wait - we should explore this idea further.

[malaise]

20. Don't forget

They burned it down

[lagomorph777]

21. You said it, not me.

[crazycatlady]

24. Ok make the sport NASCAR

And put a free Kid Rock concert.

[lagomorph777]

28. +Ted Nugent for good measure.

And Monster Trucks.

[rpannier]

77. Nascar

Figure 8 track

[Retrograde]

36. OK, and let's limit it to "real" sports

by which I mean human-powered events that have defined measurable outcomes rather than arbitrarily awarded points. A contest in which whoever covers the distance the fastest, or jumps the highest, or lifts the most weight, or throws something the furthest - that's in under the new Retrograde rules. If an event involves style points or artistic valuations, that's out. And if it requires the participants to wear glitter, spangles, sequins, or make-up it's doubly out. I realize this leaves out some of my favorites but when I'm in charge cuts have to come from somewhere.

[aggiesal]

44. You forgot to add the sarcasm thingee! n/t

[Dr. Strange]

59. It's been done:

https://view.yahoo.com/show/saturday-night-live/clip/4973328/weekend-update-all-drug-olympics

[Sneederbunk]

14. Many of your concerns apply to American pro and college sports as well.

[ProfessorPlum]

17. Harry Shearer has been complaining about what a huge scam the Olympics are

for decades now. You and he would have a lot of common ground.

and I agree with both of you.

[Alea]

23. I don't like the politics of it all but I love the athletic endeavor

and I love this song and video. rip Whitney

[malaise]

54. That was 1988

I had my own Olympics and Gilbert going on that year

[disalitervisum]

26. Yeah, the IOC

Who consider themselves to be royalty above reproach and make outlandish demands of the host country like private highway lanes for themselves only and stipulations that their accommodations must be maintained within a specific temperature range, among others.

[Dreamer Tatum]

27. Sounds like it's time for you to stop watching them

rather than insisting they end because Tonya Harding sadded you.

[get the red out]

29. I agree

I thought I was the only one who felt that way. Glad I have company.

[AlexSFCA]

31. olympics is just like life, complicated

unfortunately, it is folks like the OP who give us liberals a bad rap and ammunition to the right. Just because you don’t like something, does not mean it needs to be destroyed. It’s called freedom, you can always choose to not watch olympics just like I choose to not watch faux news. Olympics has always been a uniting force of nations which is so desperately needed now. And by the way, barring Russia has nothing to do with politics but with Kremlin sponsored doping. The olympic committee is very nice to allow russian atheletes to participate and represent themselves rather than putin’s russia.

[ghostsinthemachine]

32. And replace them with Knee-jerk championships?

Clean em up. BTW, use the Olympics as s model of private ownership..

[Alea]

33. This is a good example of why our party is so divided

Half the party wants to burn down everything that was, and half the party just wants to move forward, and the part that wants to burn it all down won't admit that's their goal.

Add in the republicans that want to destroy it all and I don't see how America survives

[Fozzledick]

34. I say go back to the original rules!

Always hold it at the base of Mt. Olympus.

All participants compete as individuals, not as part of a national or regional team.

To prevent cheating with hidden devices or supportive clothes, all participants compete naked.

[SunSeeker]

40. Well that should help Greece's economy!

[loyalsister]

35. They are the only athletic events that welcome people with disabilities

The paralympics are separated, but still part of the Olympics.

https://www.paralympic.org/

[Kirk Lover]

37. I LOVE the Olympics and ALWAYS look forward to them. I am SO PROUD of the multi cultural envoy

from the United States at the opening ceremonies every time I see it. THAT IS AMERICA.

[SunSeeker]

41. Yup. Tears me up every time.

[joshcryer]

70. Especially because so many of them come from a very unlikely background.

And they strove to be the best in the sport that they love.

Look at Katie Ledecky or Simone Manuel.

Here's a video where 15 year old Katie came out of no where and won the 2012 Olympics:

[OldHippieChick]

38. 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, despite the bombing, was

unquestionably one of the best experiences of my life and helped introduce my young son to new sports as well as international tourists from everywhere. We had a blast and I would not want to keep others from enjoying the same moments we did.

[SunSeeker]

39. No. Clean them up, don't end them.

Banning Russia was a good start along that road.

[Awsi Dooger]

42. The Olympic Games are indescribably awesome

I feel beyond sorry for anyone who doesn't understand that, and especially sorry for anyone who has never attended the Games.

Once I joined this site in 2002 there were three aspects that startled and mostly amused me:

* Desperation to pretend cats are superior to dogs

* Desperation to knock the Olympic Games

* Desperation to clutch various lunatic conspiracies like the Kennedy assassination stuff, and also the Wellstone stuff that happened after I was here

I assumed Democrats would know better.

[Tarc]

43. What an ill-informed, hare-brained suggestion

There are problems with the Olympics and financing, yes, but you don't scrap a historical event because there are problems, it's easy to criticize from the sidelines without offering solutions.

[onenote]

45. I think its time for you not to watch them if you don't like them.

And fine for the massive worldwide audience that does want to watch to do so.

[treestar]

68. I don't think that was the point

[onenote]

83. The point of the OP seems to be that the Olympics should end because the author of the OP

is "over" them for various reasons.

The point of my response is that if the author of the OP is "over" the Olympics, he or she should simply stop watching them. To the extent that there are people who are not "over" the Olympics -- and there appear to be billions of them -- they should be allowed to keep on enjoying them.

[treestar]

84. The OP has a list of reasons

and I'm over it seems to be only one and not the main focus.

There is a good point about the wasted construction - the idea of having a permanent location in Greece seems worth thinking about.

Each other thing in the list is an issue.

[onenote]

85. As I said, the reasons given by the OP are why he or she is "over" the Olympics

and, apparently, the reason he or she thinks the Olympics should end. (Presumably if the OP wasn't 'over' the Olympics, he or she wouldn't be calling for them to end).

My point is that just because the OP finds those issues to be reasons to be 'over' the Olympics and for the Olympics to end. not everyone finds those issues to be reason to be "over" the Olympics or for them to end.

The solution therefore is obvious: The OP, consistent with his or her feeling of being "over" the Olympics should stop paying attention to the Olympics.

[IronLionZion]

46. Having it in the same location each year would help control the costs and waste

like Athens each year for the summer games. Maybe Switzerland for the winter games only because they're not likely to ever be at war.

Corruption needs to be exposed and cleaned up. If you want to demolish institutions and cultural things because it's gotten corrupt, then you would have to get rid of most everything including governments and most organizations of every type, even ones you might like.

Petty rivalries? Sports rivalries are to be nonpolitical and help avoid war while giving people some national pride and giving athletes worldwide recognition.

[zentrum]

47. There's a better solution.

Return them to the founding country—Greece.
Let it be there every year.

Let the countries compete to be the presenter country within Greece.
For example, the Chinese would have a Chinese opening ceremony and be profiled in other ways for the year they
were chosen for .
Next year it might be Spain, for example, all within the same buildings, tracks and pools.

No new venue would need to be built every 4 years and instead all participating countries would contribute jointly (that's real Olympic spirit) to build the buildings, dorms etc needed—in Greece.

This would hugely salvage the economy of bankrupt Greece, keep from bankrupting other countries, keep the competitive hoopla alive and restore the dignity, more or less, of the entire Olympic endeavor.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

48. Something would replace it w same problems. In the meantime you destroy a world community.

On net, the Olympics are a positive. (And I'm not even a sports fan.)

[2naSalit]

49. I agree...nt

[NCTraveler]

50. Love the olympics.

If I ran from flaws I could never take part in political organizations. Things ebb and flow.

[oasis]

51. The Olympics: Fountain of a Thousand Inspirational Moments.

And it will continue.

[FreepFryer]

73. Agree 1000% It's a global tradition that uplifts humanity. And I like your turn of phrase! (n/t)

[OnlinePoker]

52. The last Olympic event I watched was Ben Johnson winning the 100

Then the subsequent doping scandal sullied it all for me. Whenever they try to get an Olympics or Commonwealth or Pan Am games here in Canada, mine is the voice of opposition.

[Blue_Tires]

53. I'd rather see the NCAA end first...

[BoneyardDem]

56. We had the Winter Olympics come to my town a while ago

A lot of pomp, circumstance, pageantry, history, and a whirlwind of activities. It's one of the few great and interesting things in this life the "little guy" can witness and participate in. Sure some of the high demand tickets were premium priced, but many many were affordable.

I enjoy watching athletes press their skills to the limit. I enjoy it all.

No, it's not time to end the Olympics because of some bad players. There are plenty of honest athletes that deserve a moment to shine and display their hard earned skills.

[Saboburns]

60. The Olympics are much more than whats on TV.

I've been lucky enough to attend two different Olympic Games, and the amount and diversity of the watchers doesn't come through on the TeeVee broadcasts. It's a huge, happy, party atmosphere with people from all over the world getting along and having fun with each other.

People spend way more time hanging out with each others (weeks) than just going to watch the games themselves (hours)

[ProfessorGAC]

76. I Went To Montreal

We had a very nice time as well. For a lot of special circumstances, we stayed in the village and got free passes to the boxing events.

That was the year of Leonard, the Spinks brothers, Howard Davis and that whole group who won all those medals.

Enjoyed it immensely.

[trof]

62. Agree. My life would be unchanged.

[brooklynite]

65. Here's a suggestion: if it bothers you, don't watch the Olympics

[Persondem]

66. No. No way. In no way, shape or form should the Olympics end.

You may as well say .. "Why don't we end democracy in the USA?" ... most of the same things apply.

[FreepFryer]

72. LOL. Nope. (n/t)

[hexola]

74. Im turned off by all the weepy athletes

Sorry - I just find all the emotion and crying to be lame...and says something about the personalities that make their way to the Olympics.

You're athletes - not babies...

Celebrate! Fist in the air...!

[Calista241]

78. Shit, we should all just give up now.

Bitching about petty politics on a political forum. That part really cracked me up.

As if we don’t have hundreds of posts a day about Melania’s Outfit, or how she wasn’t holding Trump’s hand during one picture. Our whole world is petty in case you haven’t noticed.

[samnsara]

79. i like watching them...

[Loki Liesmith]

81. Nah

[democratisphere]

82. No longer sports of amatures.

Mostly, if not all, professional athletes.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

86. Those that enjoy "amateur" sports should focus on collegiate "non-revenue" sports

One can often attend gymnastics, wrestling, water polo, and swim meets for cheap money and see world class athletes.

[TheMightyFavog]

88. You can thank the Soviet Bloc for pros in the Olympics.

During the Cold War, The Soviet Bloc, (particularly the USSR and East Germany) were fielding de facto professional athletes. The IOC decided to allow professional athletes starting in 1992 in order to make things a bit fairer. Don't think it worked out the way they intended to, really...