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piperspitt
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[Jokerfish]

So the olympics are under way. Is anyone actually excited about this. If they had more of this.....
http://FunnyOrDie.com/m/71qo
I might be inclined to watch

[Scotty]

I'm super excited! Now it will be on TV in the background instead of Say Yes to the Dress!! (stupid girl tv!)

YAYYYYYYYY

[piperspitt]

I always look forward to the wrestling and gymnastics, even more so now that I have kids competing at the national and international level.

[Queensryche]

I'm gonna be watching Olympic soccer (men's and women's) and Olympic basketball.

Men's soccer started with a shocker right off the bat when Japan beat Spain 1-0. Spain's lucky it wasn't a bigger margin of victory, because Japan played extremely well against them. It's also the first time Japan has ever defeated the current European champion and the current World Cup holders.

As for basketball, I'm expecting this 2012 version to win the gold medal. It's also possible that this is the end of an era, because FIBA is proposing a World Cup of Basketball, and if that ends up happening, from then on the Olympics would feature U-23 teams. Word is that the various professional leagues around the world (including the NBA) are very interested in a Basketball World Cup.

[piperspitt]

I just have a tough time watching a sport in which the competition at the Olympics is a step down from the regular competition. I prefer the sports in which the competition is truly the best in the world.

[Queensryche]

I was originally going to post this in Rants, then another subforum, but I figured it'd be best to post here since there's a thread about the general subject.

I was really happy yesterday when Gabby Douglas won gold in the all-around gymnastics program. It was another gold medal for the United States, and the fact that her mom had to work three jobs to be able to support her so she could do this is an inspiring story. After the highlights were shown, Bob Costas commented that Douglas would be someone that young African-American girls could look up to.

To be honest, the fact that Gabby is African-American didn't even cross my mind until Bob Costas mentioned it. Then it was stuck in my mind. I don't even know why Costas felt the need to say that. Can't she be an inspiration for anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or creed? Can't her story and what her mom went through be an inspiration for everyone? Dilbert and I talked about it, and while I see his point, I don't believe it was necessary for Costas to mention it. I'm happy that Gabby became the first American gymnast to win gold in both the team all-around and individual all-around. Maybe I'm taking what Costas said the wrong way, but it made me feel uneasy.

Lemme know what you guys think. I also eagerly await Piper's inevitable post about my inherent stupidity allowing the media to play me for a fool.

[dilbert505]

To clarify, in case anyone's curious, the point QC is referring to was twofold: first, while it wasn't necessary for Costas to throw the reference to Gabby Douglas' race into the sentence, it wasn't harmful, and certainly wasn't malicious. Second, yes, Gabby Douglas certainly can be an inspiration to anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or creed. (I didn't mention this in our conversation, QC, but throw in gender, while you're at it. If singling out African American girls for her to inspire makes you uneasy, why not singling out girls? Men compete in gymnastics as well, albeit a different set of gymnastic events.) However, the dearth of specifically African-American female role models is a problem American society still faces, and people tend to be more inspired by people whose background is like theirs in more ways.

My counter-example: who is a young Asian-American girl more likely to be inspired by? Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan, or Nancy Kerrigan? Certainly, all three are inspiring, but Asian-American girls face a specific set of challenges based on being Asian-American (as people of all races, creeds, etc. do. There isn't a one-size-fits-all bundle of challenges everyone goes through), and seeing someone who faced that same set of challenges and overcame them is more likely to inspire than seeing someone who faced a different set.

[piperspitt]

There was no need to mention race. They certainly never would have said that "Lochte is someone that young white boys can look up to.". I feel the comment was innocent as well, but it kind of diminishes her accomplishment by limiting who is supposed to be admiring her. I haven't heard that Michael Phelps is the greatest white Olympian or that Michael Jordan was the black leader of the Dream Team. I'm typically a fan of Bob Costas,but that is a dumb comment.

Old Egyptian Blessing: May God stand between you and harm in all the Empty places you must walk