Favourite sport in the Olympics?

Personally....I love the athletics. I find it to be the crux of the games, where it all began you know.

you guys?

Track and Field and Basketball, because I can (somewhat) relate.

Boxing

As a red blooded American, it feels strange to say: soccer. I usually hate soccer, but these matches have been fascinating and brutal.

Dressage.

Curling. Nothing in the summer olympics interests me. Winter olympics has curling, snow board cross, ski cross, hockey, biathlon and bobsleigh. The winter olympics kick ass.

Skiing, mainly slalom and shit. Summer sports are painfully dull to me. Pfft, the summer is for relaxing, not athleticism.

I haven't really watched any of it, but from what I have caught here and there the Archery seems really cool. If not just for all the cool shit they have attached to the bow and there hands.

Archery

@gamerpigeon said:

Archery

same. YEAR OF THE BOW CONTINUES!

Tennis and floor gymnastics.

100M race is always the most exciting, beach volleyball is the most watchable over long periods.

Judo.

100M race is always the most exciting, beach volleyball is the most watchable over long periods.

Gymnastics normally, but this year it's been volleyball (indoor variety). When I get up in the morning to go to work, I switch on the Olympic channel (NBCSports) and most days they seem to be playing volleyball. This morning however, I watched some field hockey. USA was getting trounced 4-zip when I left.

The one "sport" I can't figure out is handball. Did anyone see this thing? It's an indoor court where 6 on 6 plus a goalie toss a softball sized ball into a net about twice the size of a lacrosse net. It's a game of catch mostly until someone whiffs it into the opponent's net. I can't figure out how this got to be a medal sport.

As I write this, USA vs Canada in women's soccer are in double overtime.

So far the Olympics have made me wish there was a wider variety of sports coverage on American TV. We basically get 4 team sports, golf, tennis and NASCAR. I know ESPNU (college sports network) has a bit more, but still American football takes up the lion's share of airtime. I don't remember the last time I saw a diving competition on TV outside of the Olympics. No badminton, no judo, no short-track cycling; honestly, our normal coverage is rather bland. I know that's where the money is, but still...we really do need a "The Ocho".

@PenguinDust said:

Gymnastics normally, but this year it's been volleyball (indoor variety). When I get up in the morning to go to work, I switch on the Olympic channel (NBCSports) and most days they seem to be playing volleyball. This morning however, I watched some field hockey. USA was getting trounced 4-zip when I left.

The one "sport" I can't figure out is handball. Did anyone see this thing? It's an indoor court where 6 on 6 plus a goalie toss a softball sized ball into a net about twice the size of a lacrosse net. It's a game of catch mostly until someone whiffs it into the opponent's net. I can't figure out how this got to be a medal sport.

Dude, have you watched handball? That sport is brutal. They are beating the hell out of each other out there.

Also, USA vs. Japan for women's soccer final? Cool.

I love basketball, so it's a lot of fun to see the best other countries can put together. I don't know if that counts though, since I can catch basketball games all the time. The whitewater kayaking is pretty cool, and pretty all the track and field stuff is entertaining. I wish I was a runner...

Been watching the women's soccer. The match today was brutal and the officiating was off but other than that it was one of the best games I've ever seen. Desiree Scott having her knee bent backwards and then refusing the stretcher and walking off on her own power only to hop back into the game was my high point. That is one tough woman. Sad that Canada lost but at least they fought tooth and nail the entire way.

Other than that I was loving the shotput. When the Polish guy with his lucky headband won gold he ran across the track while a race was being run to grab a Poland flag from the crowd. He then ran back across the track dodging the runners and draped the flag across his shoulders while laughing a booming Polish laugh. I wish I taped it.

@PenguinDust said:

Gymnastics normally, but this year it's been volleyball (indoor variety). When I get up in the morning to go to work, I switch on the Olympic channel (NBCSports) and most days they seem to be playing volleyball. This morning however, I watched some field hockey. USA was getting trounced 4-zip when I left.

The one "sport" I can't figure out is handball. Did anyone see this thing? It's an indoor court where 6 on 6 plus a goalie toss a softball sized ball into a net about twice the size of a lacrosse net. It's a game of catch mostly until someone whiffs it into the opponent's net. I can't figure out how this got to be a medal sport.

As I write this, USA vs Canada in women's soccer are in double overtime.

So far the Olympics have made me wish there was a wider variety of sports coverage on American TV. We basically get 4 team sports, golf, tennis and NASCAR. I know ESPNU (college sports network) has a bit more, but still American football takes up the lion's share of airtime. I don't remember the last time I saw a diving competition on TV outside of the Olympics. No badminton, no judo, no short-track cycling; honestly, our normal coverage is rather bland. I know that's where the money is, but still...we really do need a "The Ocho".

My understanding is that to be an olympic medal sport there needs to be a governing body over the sport (like the International Ice Hockey Federation or the International Basketball Federation), there needs to be at least 4 world championships awarded by the governing body and there also needs to be enough world class competitors from different nations. It also can't have a motorized component and there is an artificial limitation to keep the number of events from getting too large. I believe handball is a popular sport in parts of Europe. If a sport loses popularity it can be removed (like Tug of War or Baseball).

@mtcantor: I did see it several times which is why I mentioned it. The volleyball, field hockey and soccer I saw seemed "brutal" to me, while handball; not so much. They'd pass the ball around the perimeter then someone would hurl it into the net. Then the same thing happened at the opposing net.

@mosespippy: Thanks for the info, that made the process clearer.

Athletics, its so exhilarating to see people try and break records, competing against every human ever! I love all of it though, my favorites are 100, 200, 400 and 800, in that order. Though the 400 was kind of chaotic this year, no idea who the winner was, merrit got injured, and Wariner messed up :(.

I generally love athletics because there is a notion of absolute measure while other sports only have relative measures, of performance.

Badminton and football, but I haven't watched a single football match so far.

Diving, gymnastics, figure skating, snowboarding, skiing, etc.

Track and Field, or swimming.

What are athletics? Is that just another name for sports and your saying they are all your favourite?

Womans Hockey

Swimming is the stuff I mostly enjoyed, Cycling, Track and Field along with Badminton are great as well, the networks here have shown a lot of Handball since we have a history of doing great in that event, but it is not really for me.

womens powerlifting. Nothing inspires me to hit the weights as much as watching a 5 2 female power clean more than i ever have or prob ever will and im 5 11, 190 lbs

normally soccer, has far as something I watch normally throughout the year. However during the olympics as someone else said I love crazy stuff like curling, can never get enough curling. This year I've watched a few handball and field hockey games. Handball looks kind of like a game my friends and I would have played when we were little. Field hockey is kind of crazy, I have no idea what most of the rules are, but there are corner plays and the girls put masks on for protection. there are also some good looking women on the field hockey teams too, that always helps.

Table Tennis.

That shit gets CRAZY.

Handboll, So exiting!

@Skytylz said:

What are athletics? Is that just another name for sports and your saying they are all your favourite?

I believe athletics is all the track and field stuff that involves running, jumping, throwing or walking. All the javelin, high jump, 100m sprint sort of events are considered athletics.