Favorite Winter Olympic viewing sport

[NCMUFan]

I have become kind of hooked on curling.
Lots of strategy.

[Jockey]

I have become kind of hooked on curling.
Lots of strategy.

It should be required that the walls of the curling arena be painted right before each match so as to give the viewer an option as to what they want to watch.

[NCMUFan]

 

[dgies9156]

My favorite Winter Olympic viewing sport is the same as the Summer Olympics -- the program that comes on immediately after the Olympics are over!

The International Olympic Committee is a bunch of bandits dressed in tuxes and pin striped suits. They dishonor the suit I wear to work most days.

Corruption, bad behavior and failure to grasp the realities of today's world -- that's the IOC. I think they go to totalitarian countries and countries with huge oligopolies because those countries will give them what they want. They come here and it's a negotiation (yes, I know, they're going to LA in 2028. Good for them).

We're one of the few countries to give back an Olympics -- Denver 1976! The 1980 Olympics were a hushed, understated affair compared to the BS they throw at us today.

That slimy Spaniard, Juan Antonio Samaranch, never got over the Atlanta Olympics and the IOC never liked the fact that Peter Ueberroth outsmarted them.

Let's move on and if an Olympic broadcast is on my house, know that it's not me who is watching it! I'd rather watch the Pro Bowl, or Big Bang reruns!

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Short track speed skating for me.

[MUeng]

Curling and downhill. Kinda weird with all the fake snow though.

[muwarrior69]

After the 40 minutes of commercials, 15 minutes of the athletes biography, 3 minutes of how China is the perfect host country, I do enjoy the 2 minutes of actual competition.

[wadesworld]

Short track speed skating for me.

Exactly. Then downhill skiing.

[Pakuni]

Bobsled/luge, unless NHL players are taking part, in which case hockey.

[tower912]

Closing  ceremony.

[MuggsyB]

My favorite Winter Olympic viewing sport is the same as the Summer Olympics -- the program that comes on immediately after the Olympics are over!

The International Olympic Committee is a bunch of bandits dressed in tuxes and pin striped suits. They dishonor the suit I wear to work most days.

Corruption, bad behavior and failure to grasp the realities of today's world -- that's the IOC. I think they go to totalitarian countries and countries with huge oligopolies because those countries will give them what they want. They come here and it's a negotiation (yes, I know, they're going to LA in 2028. Good for them).

We're one of the few countries to give back an Olympics -- Denver 1976! The 1980 Olympics were a hushed, understated affair compared to the BS they throw at us today.

That slimy Spaniard, Juan Antonio Samaranch, never got over the Atlanta Olympics and the IOC never liked the fact that Peter Ueberroth outsmarted them.

Let's move on and if an Olympic broadcast is on my house, know that it's not me who is watching it! I'd rather watch the Pro Bowl, or Big Bang reruns!

Uhhh.....that was a KABOOM take brother dgies!

[ZiggysFryBoy]

After the 40 minutes of commercials, 15 minutes of the athletes biography, 3 minutes of how China is the perfect host country, I do enjoy the 2 minutes of actual competition.

The USA network coverage has been just showing the competitions.  No sob stories,  no smarmy studio hosts.  Refreshing vs NBCs coverage.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Figure skating and snowboarding for me

[The Sultan]

Peak Olympics for me was probably '92 Barcelona and '94 Lillehammer. Have cared less and less with each passing games.

[Warriors4ever]

I was at Lillehammer. It was awesome. Considered one of the best games, the last of the 'small' games. It was like a big apres-ski party - everyone staying  in Lillehammer literally hung out on one street.
While I have liked figure skating for decades, I actually enjoy watching the skiing, sledding, and the other sports a lot. Even the newer skiing stuff, which I didn't think I would like watching. I like them better than the Summer Games, tbh.
The short track relay cracks me up, pushing each other.

[Uncle Rico]

I was at Lillehammer. It was awesome. Considered one of the best games, the last of the 'small' games. It was like a big apres-ski party - everyone staying  in Lillehammer literally hung out on one street.
While I have liked figure skating for decades, I actually enjoy watching the skiing, sledding, and the other sports a lot. Even the newer skiing stuff, which I didn't think I would like watching. I like them better than the Summer Games, tbh.
The short track relay cracks me up, pushing each other.

Lillehammer was the last Winter Olympics I watched other than hockey in 1998 and 2002.  Remember watching '84 and '88 pretty closely.  Think as cable options proliferated, it became easier to find other viewing options.  For me, anyway, the Olympics just don't feel as big as they once were as a must see TV

[The Sultan]

Ski jumping should be based on distance only. No judging at all.  They should incentivize dangerous jumping for thrills.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Downhill skiing and the Snowboard event that reminds me of Roller Derby where bodies go flying

[mu_hilltopper]

.. Was talking to my kids today .. I distinctly remember the 1976 games and how it was a HUGE deal, watching every day.  1980s, 90s, all good.

Fast forward to the 2020s, throw in amazing graphics, stories, entertaining new sports, massive coverage of tons of sports .. and it's one big meh.

https://sports.yahoo.com/olympics-opening-ceremony-draws-abysmal-ratings-why-arent-americans-tuning-in-011318548.html

.. record low for the Opening Ceremony (20.1 million for 1988 in Calgary was the previous record) and a whopping 43 percent below the 2018 Games in South Korea that notched 28.3 million viewers despite also dealing with a less than advantageous Asian time zone for American audiences.

It comes on the heels of Thursday's ratings disaster that saw just 7.7 million people tune in, dramatically below same-night audiences of 2018 (16 million) and 2014 from Russia (20.02 million).

NBC has the rights to the Olympics thru 2032 for $7.75b.   One would guess they are going to lose their shorts.  The next bids for the Games will be .. half?  a quarter?

[The Sultan]

.. Was talking to my kids today .. I distinctly remember the 1976 games and how it was a HUGE deal, watching every day.  1980s, 90s, all good.

Fast forward to the 2020s, throw in amazing graphics, stories, entertaining new sports, massive coverage of tons of sports .. and it's one big meh.

https://sports.yahoo.com/olympics-opening-ceremony-draws-abysmal-ratings-why-arent-americans-tuning-in-011318548.html

.. record low for the Opening Ceremony (20.1 million for 1988 in Calgary was the previous record) and a whopping 43 percent below the 2018 Games in South Korea that notched 28.3 million viewers despite also dealing with a less than advantageous Asian time zone for American audiences.

It comes on the heels of Thursday's ratings disaster that saw just 7.7 million people tune in, dramatically below same-night audiences of 2018 (16 million) and 2014 from Russia (20.02 million).

NBC has the rights to the Olympics thru 2032 for $7.75b.   One would guess they are going to lose their shorts.  The next bids for the Games will be .. half?  a quarter?

My guess is it will be the most watched event every night but next Sunday. Not sure it's worth that much but I've been wrong before.

[real chili 83]

My favorite winter Olympic sport is team ice drinking.. Our team has several gold medals.

[dgies9156]

My favorite winter Olympic sport is team ice drinking.. Our team has several gold medals.

I took the silver

[The Sultan]

Team figure skating should have each team's man, woman, pairs and ice dancing all doing their routines at the same time.

[Galway Eagle]

Remember to support a fellow Marquette alum and support Emery Lehman in speed skating!

[MU82]

I was at Lillehammer. It was awesome. Considered one of the best games, the last of the 'small' games. It was like a big apres-ski party - everyone staying  in Lillehammer literally hung out on one street.

Every word of this is true. It was colder than f@ck, but it was like a winter wonderland. And on top of it all, the people were so nice. One of my favorite sporting events ever.