2024 Paris Olympics

[warriorchick]

The historic comparison has always been that their culture selected for hyper competitive individual performance more so than unified team performance. I'm not sure I buy that.

I would consider the possibility that it may be easier for a person raised in a culture that defines itself in some ways in opposition to "western" culture to excel at things that don't carry as much cultural weight. Soccer or rugby or basketball might be "western" sports, and thus there is a slight barrier to pursuing them as compared with, for example, shooting.

Just a knee jerk supposition though. Very likely I am wrong.

I wonder if medal count has to do with it.  Why devote your resources to a sport that needs 10+ athletes to win one medal where one gymnast or swimmer can win five or six?

I would love to see a version of the medal count that shows the actual number of medals that were given out - tennis doubles is two medals, team gymnastics is 5 medals, etc.

[jutaw22mu]

I wonder why China isn't as dominant in team sports as they are in individual sports (diving, gymnastics, ping pong, archery etc.)

I realize that Asians tend to be smaller people on average, but they have a billion and a half people to choose from.  You would think they could put together a decent soccer or basketball team.

I wonder the same about India with its billions of people.  One of my advisors in grad school is from India, and according to him, the best athletes only want to play cricket.

The Chinese women's soccer team in 1999 was pretty damn good....we had to go to PKs on our home soil to beat them in the final game...whcih of course led to Brandi Chastain's iconic celebration.

[lawdog77]

I wonder if medal count has to do with it.  Why devote your resources to a sport that needs 10+ athletes to win one medal where one gymnast or swimmer can win five or six?

I would love to see a version of the medal count that shows the actual number of medals that were given out - tennis doubles is two medals, team gymnastics is 5 medals, etc.

How many would basketball be?

[jutaw22mu]

I wonder the same about India with its billions of people.  One of my advisors from grad school is from India, and according to him, the best athletes only want to play cricket.

The Chinese women's soccer team in 1999 was pretty damn good....we had to go to PKs on our home soil to beat them in the final game...whcih of course led to Brandi Chastain's iconic celebration.

I quoted myself on accident!

[jficke13]

I wonder if medal count has to do with it.  Why devote your resources to a sport that needs 10+ athletes to win one medal where one gymnast or swimmer can win five or six?

I would love to see a version of the medal count that shows the actual number of medals that were given out - tennis doubles is two medals, team gymnastics is 5 medals, etc.

This really could be it. It's sparking vague memories of there being like an organized objective or structured target toward jacking up the medal count in the runup to the 2008 Bejing games where China tried to find the sports where the odds of hunting golds/medals would be more likely to be successful. It's hard to go from nothing to a gold in Basketball, but hell you take enough bodies and hammer them in a niche individual sport like one of the shooting sports and maybe your odds of success are way higher.

I can't specifically put my finger on it though, so maybe I'm remembering rumors and supposition more than an actual CCP-sponsored objective to increase its soft power via exhibiting it had "arrived" on the world superpower stage via medal count in addition to just the overaarching spectacle of the games that year.

[Uncle Rico]

This really could be it. It's sparking vague memories of there being like an organized objective or structured target toward jacking up the medal count in the runup to the 2008 Bejing games where China tried to find the sports where the odds of hunting golds/medals would be more likely to be successful. It's hard to go from nothing to a gold in Basketball, but hell you take enough bodies and hammer them in a niche individual sport like one of the shooting sports and maybe your odds of success are way higher.

I can't specifically put my finger on it though, so maybe I'm remembering rumors and supposition more than an actual CCP-sponsored objective to increase its soft power via exhibiting it had "arrived" on the world superpower stage via medal count in addition to just the overaarching spectacle of the games that year.

Eastern Bloc did this for decades

[warriorchick]

How many would basketball be?

However many athletes are on the roster.  I am guessing there is a limit to the number you can have, just as in other Olympic sports teams.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

That USA Serbia womens volleyball game was a lot of fun.  Can't believe the US pulled it out

[wadesworld]

That USA Serbia womens volleyball game was a lot of fun.  Can't believe the US pulled it out

Crazy match.  Couldn't believe their coach pulled Boskovic in the middle of that 5th set.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Crazy match.  Couldn't believe their coach pulled Boskovic in the middle of that 5th set.

I was stumped by that too. The US had no answer for her. Only thing i can think of is a minor injury that needed to be checked out

[tower912]

I think Shayok on South Sudan is a former MU target.

[tower912]

USWNT holds on against the Matildas.

[PGsHeroes32]

Tatum with the pity start just makes Kerr look weak

[wadesworld]

I was stumped by that too. The US had no answer for her. Only thing i can think of is a minor injury that needed to be checked out

They did it to get a bigger block in the front row for the US's serve receive (their setter was only 6' and 39 years old, so that's a target for the US to expose), but I'd take my chances that I can get a dig and just chuck the ball up to Boskovic in transition.  The setter's blocking wasn't really an issue/overly exposed throughout the match.  The coach just overthought it big time in my opinion.

[CreightonWarrior]

A rare gold for US in the swimming pool

[MuggsyB]

Tatum with the pity start just makes Kerr look weak

He did what???

You're spot-on.  Inexcusably weak.

[tower912]

Embiid hasn't played.   Maybe, just maybe, after the last South Sudan game, an adjustment was made to bit more perimeter speed on the floor.

[Uncle Rico]

Embiid hasn't played.   Maybe, just maybe, after the last South Sudan game, an adjustment was made to bit more perimeter speed on the floor.

I doubt it.  Kerr is woke

[tower912]

Getting interesting.

[jutaw22mu]

Korbin Albert's first USWNT & Olympic goal was lit.

[Galway Eagle]

Korbin Albert's first USWNT & Olympic goal was lit.

Still shocked she was allowed to stay on the team. Personal views aside, posting publicly about your joy of a (polarizing) player's injury on the team you're trying to join should be a deal breaker.

[BM1090]

He did what???

You're spot-on.  Inexcusably weak.

It's group stage. They switched the lineup. They have one more game to figure combos out before knockouts. This isn't that hard. Haliburton didn't play last game and he's in there today. Is Kerr weak for playing him?

If he's still switching the lineups incessantly next week, then I'll agree.

[jutaw22mu]

Still shocked she was allowed to stay on the team. Personal views aside, posting publicly about your joy of a (polarizing) player's injury on the team you're trying to join should be a deal breaker.

She definitely shouldn't have done that, but that is a harsh price to pay for a 20 year old who just liked a post.  Esepcially when people in other sports can literally stab someone to death and not only keep their football job instead of going to jail, but also be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Or have camera evidence that they beat the crap out of a woman on an elevator and get a second chance in a new city.  Rapinoe is a known bully and twice Albert's age.  She could have handled the controversy in a more dignified way.  It seems like Korbin is remorseful and has "learned her lesson" regarding how to behave on social media.

[Pakuni]

She definitely shouldn't have done that, but that is a harsh price to pay for a 20 year old who just liked a post.  Esepcially when people in other sports can literally stab someone to death and not only keep their football job instead of going to jail, but also be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Or have camera evidence that they beat the crap out of a woman on an elevator and get a second chance in a new city.  Rapinoe is a known bully and twice Albert's age.  She could have handled the controversy in a more dignified way.  It seems like Korbin is remorseful and has "learned her lesson" regarding how to behave on social media.

1. Ray Lewis didn't stab anyone. He's never been accused of stabbing anyone.
2. Wild that you would cast Rapinoe as the villain here. Someone mocked her suffering an injury, and she's the one who acted undignified? Yikes! Pray tell, what did she do that was undignified?

[MuggsyB]

It's group stage. They switched the lineup. They have one more game to figure combos out before knockouts. This isn't that hard. Haliburton didn't play last game and he's in there today. Is Kerr weak for playing him?

If he's still switching the lineups incessantly next week, then I'll agree.

I'm anti tweaking at this point.  Although I see Curry played abysmally today.  I'm also pro domination and keeping the foot on the gas.  It's okay to go 10 deep with our talent but find the best combinations, attack relentlessly, and take no prisoners.