Espn and The Euros

[zippy85]

On the one hand, I like that the Olympics are a platform for sports that usually don't get that much attention. On the other hand, especially the individial sports like track and field, cycling or swimming are only a matter of who's taking the best steroids.

If I'll watch anything, it's going to be handball, possibly hockey. But I just don't care anymore for the rest. I have a soft spot for the Winter Olympics though. Downhill skiing is awesome.
Athletics is not the same but its still fun to watch the sprints(even with cheating), jumping and javelin.

Never heard of handball..

[MNAFETSC]

On the other hand, especially the individial sports like track and field, cycling or swimming are only a matter of who's taking the best steroids.



When did swimming becomes part of the steroids era?

[benztown]

Never heard of handball..

You should give it a try then. It's one of those sports that usually doesn't get the exposition it deserves.

When did swimming becomes part of the steroids era?

I thought the Ian Thorpe case was pretty clear, even though he wasn't officially proven to cheat. As for the others, I just can't believe that they break record after record without the help of their medical department. Why should it stop at swimming? If the recent Tour de France and athletics scandals proved anything, it was the fact that the WADA is always several years behind the pharmaceutical industry. Mind you, none of those cheaters were actually caught cheating. They found files that proved their involvement and bags of blood and all that. If you ask me, they're all cheating.

[Amsteldam]

If you ask me, they're all cheating.
To be fair, if everyone is doing it is it still cheating???

How's an athlete supposed to compete clean when everyone else is juiced
(and getting away with it)

[benztown]

To be fair, if everyone is doing it is it still cheating???
Well, it puts the whole thing on another level. As I said, it turns into a matter of who's got the best juice or which body best responds to it.

I don't like that.
How's an athlete supposed to compete clean when everyone else is juiced
(and getting away with it)

That's the problem. Of course there are clean athletes, but they're not at the Olympics. And as long as there's so much money being poured into this, it won't change. So I do what I can by not paying attention to it anymore.

[Amsteldam]

Good points benztown, I been in and out of gyms all my life, I and I know that you cannot take a regular person and turn him/her into a world class athlete by taking steroids. It doesnt work that way.

All an athlete does by taking it is raise their level slightly higher, but that level is still miles above an everyday person.

Example: McGwire could probably hit 30 to 40 homers without juice, but on it he hits 70. Is that cheating?? Of course it is. But you cannot take any person off the street, pump him full of steroids and turn him into a pro ballplayer, it doesnt work that way.

So you still have to cut the pro athlete some slack, thats all I'm saying

[Rainer24]

You should give it a try then. It's one of those sports that usually doesn't get the exposition it deserves.





We do have a sport called handball, but it is not the same as that played in the rest of the world. As far as I know, that game isn't played here at all.

[benztown]

We do have a sport called handball, but it is not the same as that played in the rest of the world. As far as I know, that game isn't played here at all.

That's what I'm talking about:
TSIhhJ5krNg

I bet Americans would like this sport. High paced, high scoring, very physical.

[benztown]

So you still have to cut the pro athlete some slack, thats all I'm saying

Of course they are still the elite. But it's not the kind of competition I wanna see.

For example, many experts have said that Jan Ulrich was actually the more gifted racing cyclist than Lance Armstrong but that Lance had the better drugs and/or responded better to them.

Of course we'll never know. But that's exactly why I don't care for cycling or athletics anymore. We don't know who's actually the best, but who responds best to the drugs. Olympic athletes are all among the very best, but could any given Gold Medalist win without the use of steroids? We'll never know.

[MNAFETSC]

I bet Americans would like this sport. High paced, high scoring, very physical.

My gym class did in 7th grade did. It was tons of funs.

[zippy85]

Gym class sounds so much better than what what we call it...P.E.:(

[JeremyEritrea]

Overall the Olympics aren't a single tournament. More like a bunch of tournaments. I'd say it is falling hard and fast though. Nobody cares about that crap anymore. Being in China will only make them less meaningful. Also the Americans are going to pull an Epic Fail because it is half way around the world. China and probably Russian athletes are going to dominate the competitions.

Wrong. The Olympics are awesome. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean nobody likes them.

[Rainer24]

Gym class sounds so much better than what what we call it...P.E.:(



It is also alternately called P.E. in the U.S.

[MNAFETSC]

It is also alternately called P.E. in the U.S.

Yah I just used gym class because I really didn't know if P.E. was a universal term or not.

[johndaly]

This guys commentary truelly takes away from the game. He is positively aweful. I've thoroughly enjoyed Adrian Healy, Andy Gray and Derek Rae, but Smyth is a disaster. You can almost hear the disdain in Derek Rae's silence in response to some of the absolute buffoonery coming from Smyth. Drop Smyth and let him take Foudy with him.

If anyone has any doubt that Smyth is absolutely clueless, consider this:- When the referee changed his mind about the sending off in the Russia Holland game, numbskull Smyth says that the referee went over to the linesman to ask him if he saw a foul! That underlines this clown's stupidity. The referee obviously went to ask if the ball had gone out of play just before the tackle. Of course, Mr. Smyth would figure that the referee would think the linesman had a better view of the "foul" from all of seventy five yards away when the referee was about twenty yards away.

Please, ESPN, get rid of this clown!!!!!!

Just by the by, Russia completely dominated the game and thoroughly deserved their win.

[johndaly]

Is there anyone in the ESPN organization who actually knows something about the game of soccer? If there is, they should get rid of Smyth right away. He really is absolutely clueless! Just the fact that he thought the referee went over to the linesman to ask if he saw anything in the "foul" underlines the fact that he has not got a clue! The Dutch defender had attempted to keep the ball from going over the end line, a decision that the linesman would have made, not the referee.

However, Mr Numbskull Smyth says that he consulted the linesman about the "foul" when the linesman was seventy odd yards away and he was twenty! Once again, Mr Smyth has shown that he has so little idea about what is going on. He should be stuffed upside down in his auld onion bag and have Andy Gray shoot some balls at him!

[MNAFETSC]

Is there anyone in the ESPN organization who actually knows something about the game of soccer? If there is, they should get rid of Smyth right away. He really is absolutely clueless! Just the fact that he thought the referee went over to the linesman to ask if he saw anything in the "foul" underlines the fact that he has not got a clue! The Dutch defender had attempted to keep the ball from going over the end line, a decision that the linesman would have made, not the referee.

However, Mr Numbskull Smyth says that he consulted the linesman about the "foul" when the linesman was seventy odd yards away and he was twenty! Once again, Mr Smyth has shown that he has so little idea about what is going on. He should be stuffed upside down in his auld onion bag and have Andy Gray shoot some balls at him!

How do you know what the ref was asking ? From what I saw he gave the second yellow, talked to the linesman, then receded the yellow card. So I'm going to conclude that he asked the linesman what he saw.

[Nicodemus145]

I don't mind Smyth so much, but I'd like him a lot more if he could just shut up for a little while. For some reason he feels the need to add something to Every Single Thing that Rae has to say, like Rae is really there to set him up so he can blather. Just on and on he goes sometimes. Someone needs to remind him that he's just 'the other guy' in the booth.

[timotheus]

When the referee changed his mind about the sending off in the Russia Holland game, numbskull Smyth says that the referee went over to the linesman to ask him if he saw a foul! That underlines this clown's stupidity. The referee obviously went to ask if the ball had gone out of play just before the tackle."


Thank you, BS member with ESP ability.

I personally do NOT know whether the ref asked if the ball went out of play, or whether, when he realized that it was a 2nd yellow on a REALLY stupid nothing happening, perhaps he went to ask IF THERE WAS A FOUL COMMITTED WORTHY OF A 2ND YELLOW.

Or perhaps the ref, realizing it was a 2nd yellow, looked for a way out, and decided that "the ball was out" was the best way out of this situation.

Enough with Smyth hating.

Enough with ESPN hating.

They are doing a bang up, super job on this - and thank you for the national anthems slotted in.

PS
I like Maxie Bretos and most of the FSC crew too. :D

[usasoccerhooligan]

Thank you, BS member with ESP ability.



wait, you didn't know that we all do. you'll have to give it a try.