The Olympics: The Biggest Corporatist Sports Scam of All

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Winston

Lorenzo von Matterhorn
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You can probably tell from the following that I have ZERO interest in WATCHING any sport. Occasional personal participation is another matter.

The Olympics: The Biggest Corporatist Sports Scam of All

https://mises.org/blog/olympics-biggest-corporatist-sports-scam-all-0

Why the U.S. Should Never Host Another Olympics
It's expensive, demanding, and in the eyes of the many cities that have refused to throw their hats into the five-ring circus, a total scam

https://www.outsideonline.com/2031911/why-nobody-wants-host-olympics-america-least-all

The outrageous rip-off of taxpayer-funded stadiums

https://theweek.com/articles/629756/outrageous-ripoff-taxpayerfunded-stadiums

No One Wants Publicly-Financed Stadiums—Except "The People Who Count"

https://deadspin.com/no-one-wants-publicly-financed-stadiums-except-the-peop-1748487455

Why Are Sports Franchises on Welfare? A Look Into Stadium Subsidies

https://www.fool.com/investing/gene...-franchises-on-welfare-stadium-subsidies.aspx

Taxpayers have spent a staggering amount of money on NFL stadiums in the last 20 years

https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story...tlanta-san-diego-minnesota-los-angeles-033116

WEALTHY SPORTS TEAM OWNERS WANT TAXBREAKS TO GO ON FOREVER

https://www.newsweek.com/2014/05/02/wealthy-sports-team-owners-want-taxbreaks-go-forever-248356.html

Sports Channels Comprise 20 Percent Of Typical Cable Bill

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...els-Comprise-20-Percent-Of-Typical-Cable-Bill

Approximately 20 percent of a typical cable bill in the United States goes to sports channels, which pay teams and leagues for the right to show their games. Sports therefore are receiving a large subsidy from cable customers who don't watch them.
 
You can probably tell from the following that I have ZERO interest in WATCHING any sport. Occasional personal participation is another matter.

The Olympics: The Biggest Corporatist Sports Scam of All

https://mises.org/blog/olympics-biggest-corporatist-sports-scam-all-0

Why the U.S. Should Never Host Another Olympics
It's expensive, demanding, and in the eyes of the many cities that have refused to throw their hats into the five-ring circus, a total scam

https://www.outsideonline.com/2031911/why-nobody-wants-host-olympics-america-least-all

The outrageous rip-off of taxpayer-funded stadiums

https://theweek.com/articles/629756/outrageous-ripoff-taxpayerfunded-stadiums

No One Wants Publicly-Financed Stadiums—Except "The People Who Count"

https://deadspin.com/no-one-wants-publicly-financed-stadiums-except-the-peop-1748487455

Why Are Sports Franchises on Welfare? A Look Into Stadium Subsidies

https://www.fool.com/investing/gene...-franchises-on-welfare-stadium-subsidies.aspx

Taxpayers have spent a staggering amount of money on NFL stadiums in the last 20 years

https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story...tlanta-san-diego-minnesota-los-angeles-033116

WEALTHY SPORTS TEAM OWNERS WANT TAXBREAKS TO GO ON FOREVER

https://www.newsweek.com/2014/05/02/wealthy-sports-team-owners-want-taxbreaks-go-forever-248356.html

Sports Channels Comprise 20 Percent Of Typical Cable Bill

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...els-Comprise-20-Percent-Of-Typical-Cable-Bill

Approximately 20 percent of a typical cable bill in the United States goes to sports channels, which pay teams and leagues for the right to show their games. Sports therefore are receiving a large subsidy from cable customers who don't watch them.
I cannot dispute any of what you posted. My feelings are in line with yours.
 
Ummmmmm, I have a tendency to agree. With professional sports, if one can get somebody to pay them astronomical amounts of money to play a game they are the luckiest SOB's on the planet.
Still I do like to glance at stuff like gymnastics as wow! some of the stuff they can do is incredible to watch. Plus a "professional" gymnast really doesn't exist and won't ever make as much as a
star baseball player. Sure, get your picture on a Wheaties box and perhaps be a coach later but will never "clean up" like baseball, basketball, football, golf etc. Kurt
 
...but will never "clean up" like baseball, basketball, football, golf etc. Kurt

Right now the highest paid athletes are soccer players. Cristiano Ronaldo made $88 million last year.

But Tiger Woods wins. In his entire golf career he has earned an estimated $1.4 billion.
 
Meh. half of that is pro us sports.

the olympics is a good thing overall, but I believe it needs a single host site. This rotating stuff is a scam/joke.



People piss a nd moan about salaries and ticket prices. Its simple- don't like it, don't pay. They provide entertainment and get paid accordingly. The market sets the price. Thats simple. If you entertain 35 million people a week, you deserve your millions in cash.

As for the tax breaks..... Its abused.... but it does bring cash into cities, so meh. Taxpayer funded stadiums? well... they voted for it....
 
I agree.
The Olympics were great when they were a matter of nationalistic pride, but now it's not politically correct to be proud of ourselves, so the Olympics are only a mere afterglow of a shadow of the past.
I don't watch any organized sports either, though I am and always have been an Athlete. It's tough on me with my back problems, but I hold fitness in high regard when it comes to my responsibilities to my self. I'm very selfish in that regard.

The only Olympics I support are the Special Olympics:
`https://donate.specialolympics.org/secure/make-gift-change-life?cha=13&ms=evergreenEMG

When I was in basic training, we got a day off from training to go to a Special Olympics event to cheer on all of the Athletes.
It really made a difference in the way I think about life, and I was glad to have been there to cheer on those folks.
One of the most inspiring events in my life. I recommend going to an event to anyone who wants to get a glimpse of some real heroes.
Whenever I think I have it tough, I think of those people, and their ability to rise above their adversity, and I know to never, ever pity myself.

The current "Olympics" don't offer anything for me in the way of personal enrichment, and I got rid of my television set anyhow, one of the other better things I've done for myself lately.
My lathe occupies that space now.
 
I've watched exactly none of the Olympics so far and I expect to maintain that record. Mostly the same with pro sports; just find it dull.

As for these guys/women being the luckiest SOBs I disagree. 1 in 6 NFL players files for bankruptcy. The average career in the NFL is only about three years. Not much time to make a lot of money even when you get half a million a year or whatever the minimum salary is. Many NFL players have serious health problems from the nature of the game. Other sport are probably better than the NFL, but it is still a tough, tough job. And as DavidMcCann says, if you don't like it don't pay and don't watch. Your choice.

I never played sports in high school and I think that was one of the smartest things I ever did. I know people who have bad knees and other issues from playing high school football. At 57 my knees aren't what they were 30 years ago, but I only have minor aches and pains once in a while.
 
I faintly remember the '76 Olympics here in Montreal. Corruption & greased palms in the construction of the stadium & support buildings were the beginning of it's demise. The stadium was never finished due to labour disputes, and was only finished years later (and at 3-5 times the quoted cost). We call it 'The Big Owe'. The stadium was home to the Baseball team until it left, and is currently barely used due to a dated design, a faulty roof (it's a fabric roof that tears with snow) and has terrible acoustics. So it's empty most of the time. But it's considered a bit of a heritage /historic site, so it cannot' be torn down. (and the expected cost to tear it down is in excess of 800 million apparently)

So, while we gave Nadia Komanichi a perfect 10, the stadium here is a big fat waste of dollars & concrete that gets used about 90 days a year. And we pay for a board to oversee the upkeep & maintenance of it..
 
I'm not against the Olympic Games or participating in them. I'm against being suckered into HOSTING them (or building taxpayer funded sports stadiums of any kind). Olympic participation is a low cost way to augment national pride, although the moments I'm by far the most proud of and which I always make sure to watch live no matter what time of day they occur are things related to national technical prowess, like Mars rover landings. I literally hoot and holler when we nail those, but don't give a damn about what some major sports figure or team does.

This was recently broadcast on PBS and was very interesting. This event is what took the game from a modest sporting event to a national pride/propaganda show:

The Nazi Games - Berlin 1936 | Full Episode

https://www.pbs.org/video/2365811402/

Video duration: 52:28
Aired: 08/02/16
On-line Video Viewing Expires: 09/01/16

"The film chronicles the story of how the Nazis and the IOC turned, to their mutual benefit, a small sports event into the modern Olympics. The grand themes and controversial issues from the 1936 Games have continued to this day: Monumentality, budget overruns, collusion with authoritarian regimes, corruption and sometimes even bribery."
 
It is also an interesting notion, that the host country can add a new event; a 'demonstration sport'. In this year's case, the return of golf. But, there have been other interesting sports introduced, or 'showcased'.. Mountain Bike racing, BMX racing. And, on that note, I read or heard somewhere that the Berlin games introduced 'gliding'. Interesting 'introductory sport' for a country that was pretty much banned form having an active air force at the time..
 
The United States should have passed a constitutional amendment about 60 years ago which would utterly ban the use of tax money -- even one penny -- for the construction or maintenance of sports stadiums in any way.

But that horse has long long since left the barn.

I think due to virulent anti Americanism around the world and among IOC members, it is very safe to assume there will never be another Olympics in the U.S. in many decades. Which is more than fine with me.
 
[video=youtube;XFjYkrq5JU4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFjYkrq5JU4[/video]
 
There is no such thing as an equal competition.

The way it is supposed to be.:)

Life might be tough, but we all have Freedom to choose our fate. We die eventually anyhow, so how much may we allow ourselves to witness?
I'm loving even the tough parts, as others have it way tougher than me.
 
Totally agree that we shouldn't use a dime of tax payer money to support sports.

Also agree that college level sports does nothing but diminish the value of all the degree's issued by institutions that are "all about the sports."

But as a parent of a child who was a competitive swimmer who loved swimming without false aspirations of college/Olympics/etc., I will say it was good for her.
Swimming 25 hours a week taught great time management skills....but we as parents insisted school came first and if the grades slipped (A average) swimming would be over.
She was and still is in fantastic physical condition.

Although we know many of the swimmers in the current and past Olympics as her former teammates....there is no envy as many have sacrificed too much for the sport and have zero future.

Given the right balance, competitive sports can be very good....my daughter is the perfect example.
Just too many parents view it as a "free ride" to and through college....and forget about the education.
 
I was sitting up with my baby son watching the Olympics thinking this thread was a bunch of hooey.
At 3am, I switched HBO which happened to be playing "Real Sports" with Bryant Gumbel. Totally opened my eyes to the totality of the disgusting underbelly of the Olympics. I mean every aspect except the players themselves. I don't want to believe it, but... Heck, watch the show. The whole thing is so much worse than I thought.
https://www.hbo.com/real-sports-wit...s/july-on-real-sports-with-bryant-gumbel.html
 
I have ZERO interest in WATCHING any sport.
Me too.All are filled with medication, drugs and doping. The difference between them is that the best use doping you can not find, but such fools who found.To its level in modern sports also need medication and system to overload the body with exercise.
Soon will be invented robot that will run, swim and even be able to fly with a rocket engine in the ass faster than everyone.
 
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Winston, I agree with you about the Olympics. It is a sham, and no country/city in their right mind would host it.

I have to ask a question though- I see you posting all sorts of stuff, and most of it has nothing to do with rockets. Do you actually fly?
 
I as well don't follow any sports. Don't care for them..

But I do watch Cycling & sailing when I can. (And that's practically never!!) and I watch for the technology, not the people.. Bicycles made by Lotus with one fork blade & 2oz of carbon fiber thru-out the whole frame.. Boats made to ride 2' above the waves, and again, made from 3oz of carbon fiber for each of the 22' catamaran hulls and employing a split / semi rigid sail, er, airfoil..
 
I have built many a rocket while watching the Orioles, and my wife and I bond while watching the Ravens. So I'll take my sports!

Is it all corporate hogwash, etc? Well, here's a better question -- what isn't?
 
Is it all corporate hogwash, etc? Well, here's a better question -- what isn't?

Good point... Rocketry. Rocketry isn't. I have yet to see a vendor make it rich in this niche industry. Maybe that's part of why i like it.
 
I always thought it funny, that major sports were typically sponsored by major tobacco...

Baseball players of old being the only ones that seemed to 'use' the product of their sponsors, no other sports had their players "smoking" on field..
 
I always thought it funny, that major sports were typically sponsored by major tobacco...

Baseball players of old being the only ones that seemed to 'use' the product of their sponsors, no other sports had their players "smoking" on field..

Ah, you're just grumpy because you lost the Expos.

Just kidding!
 
Good point... Rocketry. Rocketry isn't. I have yet to see a vendor make it rich in this niche industry. Maybe that's part of why i like it.

Right, but likewise, if the ATF ever moves in and shuts us down, there will be ZERO public outcry.
 
Ah, you're just grumpy because you lost the Expos.

Just kidding!

Frankly, don't really care!! :D :D They were the only tenants of our 'Big Owe' (Olympic stadium).. and yes, they're long gone. (our Allouettes play at Molson Stadium; McGill's sports stadium, and our soccer team play at Saputo Stadium. And the Roger's cup of tennis play at Jarry Park. the original; baseball & tennis venue!) Our current mayor is making a big push to have major league baseball return to Montreal. And that means a new stadium, closer to the downtown core.. So, as we see it, another reason NOT to keep that 'giant toilet bowl' of a stadium...

(A few years ago, the city put out a questionnaire, as to what to do with the stadium. And they express said that 'tearing it down' is not an option... haven't heard anything yet from it.. Personally, with it's inclined tower, it could make for a perfect bungee jumping attraction.. that's about it. Turn the stadium part into a garbage pit...)
 
Winston, I agree with you about the Olympics. It is a sham, and no country/city in their right mind would host it.

I have to ask a question though- I see you posting all sorts of stuff, and most of it has nothing to do with rockets. Do you actually fly?
These days, only when I have some experiment to do. Just launching rockets or even seeing L3 launches really began to bore me starting about a year ago. I've been to so many launches over the years including LDRS that I am no longer impressed with the just pyro appeal of rockets. DIY electronics and aerodynamics related stuff still interest me. Just rockets for rockets, nope. I have to be accomplishing something much more interesting than just burning propellant.

Same with R/C aircraft these days. If I could do autonomous beyond visual range drone flights I'd be interested in that, but that's no longer allowed by the FAA. Just flying no longer interests me.

BTW, someone else asked the same question a while back and I posted a bunch of links to my rocketry related posts outside of this thread. It's around somewhere.
 
Cool Winston. I really was not asking the question to be a wise ass- was sincerely curious.
 
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