Beautiful gold, so-so silver and shameful bronze: The running Olympics thread

Re: Beautiful gold, so-so silver and shameful bronze: The running Olympics threa

How popular is Phelps? Lindsay Lohan wants him ...

http://www.accesshollywood.com/article/10878/?__source=rss%7Clatest_news

 

Here is the day by day schedule in EDT and Beijing time:

http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/beijing-games/schedule.html?date=2008-08-19

 

Thanks, but that only has finals and doesn't show anything about the decathlon.

 

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, but I can tell you that China is 12 hours ahead of East Coast time. Thursday and Friday during the day in China are Wednesday and Thursday nights and early mornings here.

 

Re: Beautiful gold, so-so silver and shameful bronze: The running Olympics threa

From what I've seen from interviews Phelps might not have "it." Here's part of an AP article on Phelps and his marketing potential. He's already nixed a deal for Wheaties because he's signed up with Kellogs. I'm not knocking Phelps, he'll make a ton early, but two years from now?

"But the uniqueness of his feat will only carry him so far, Sweeney said. The American people will need more than his achievements if he's going to prove a staying force in advertising. That would include having a personality that draws people in and qualities that make people care, he said.

Mark Spitz didn't have it, he said. Spitz earned a living off his wins, but didn't quite make it on Madison Avenue, Sweeney said.

But Mary Lou Retton? She has it. The gymnast turned a one-time gold medal in the 1984 Olympics into a career of speaking engagements, television appearances and commentaries that's still going to this day, Sweeney said.

Phelps has earned this shot at what Sweeney calls a very elite tryout. And now we'll sit back and watch.

"We'll see in the interviews," Sweeney said. "Is he funny? Is he warm? Is he interesting? Does he say things that make you want to listen more or is he the great athlete who is pleased to be here and he's done? It's going to be interesting."

 

August 21, 2008

9:20 100m
10:30 Long Jump
12:20pm Shot Put
7:10 High Jump
9:55 400m

August 22, 2008

9:00 110m Hurdles
10:05 Discus Throw (A)
11:25 Discus Throw (B)
12:55pm Pole Vault
7:00 Javelin Throw (A)
8:15 Javelin Throw (B)
9:40 1500m

Beijing Times

 

Holy crap, that is just a brutal schedule. World's greatest athlete, indeed.

 

Thank you very much.

That gives us the answers we needed.

 

As those who have been reading this thread know, I'm disappointed that the IOC and IGF haven't stood up to China and their use of under-age athletes in the gymnastics comeptitions. I'm in the camp that thinks an investigation needs to be done based on the evidence that is currently out there, and that China should be ashamed of this willful deception.

That said, I think this is ridiculous.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/The-REAL-Olympic-medal-count?urn=oly,101537

 

A thought occurs:

Summer Sanders + Michael Phelps' accomplishments = EPIC COMMERCIAL WIN

As you were.

 

I see what you're saying about staying power and there's no question Mary Lou Retton's personality gave her that, but her accomplishment had a lot to do with it, too. She needed consecutive 10s to win that gold by .05 points. That kind of performance is legendary. Is anyone going to remember Liukin scored 15.525 on the floor to win gold 20 years from now? I had to look it up and it happened a few days ago.

Neither Liukin nor Torres is close to Mary Lou in personality or popularity. I'd even venture to say Retton's still more popular for what she did 24 years ago than they are right this minute.

Torres is done as a competitor and, let's be honest, she's barely a blip among the big stories from these games. Liukin could possibly have another Olympics in her, but at 22, will she really be close to what she is now? Doubtful. And she doesn't strike me as having the personality Retton did -- that "it" factor you talked about -- that would give her the staying power you think she'll have.

Liukin and Torres will be out of the public consciousness well before Phelps is.

After all, he'll still be a force at the next Olympics and that will be enough to make him worth more than the other two combined.

I just think you're crazy if you'd rather be their agent than Phelps'.

 

I don't think you can make the "per capita" medal argument, though, because the number of entrants is fixed and isn't proportional to population. There might an event where the U.S., or the Chinese or whoever, has athletes who could qualify in eight of the top 10 spots. But the number of entrants and spots is fixed.

If the U.S. had 10 people competing for every Canadian in each event, then you could perhaps make a correlation. But I don't think statistically there's a correlation to be made.