The Olympics

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

So I like Clark, but looking at who made the list, especially the guards, I don't know who you drop to add her. I could maybe understand an argument for taking Clark over Ionescu but it's a basically a coinflip between those two, and right now Ionescu is the better fit from an experience perspective. Everyone who's on the team right now has earned their spot, and Clark could do with the month's rest after having gone from the NCAA tournament final straight into WNBA season (which is another factor as well; Clark's probably exhausted from having played basketball pretty much straight through since early-fall, whereas Ionescu doesn't play for an international team and outside of the competition against Steph Curry at the NBA All Star Game is fairly well rested).

People can look at stats from a handful of games to argue that Clark should have Taurasi's spot, but that's lunacy. You don't leave a five time gold medalist off the roster based on a ten game sample size.

The bigger snub is Arike Ogunbowale, quite frankly.

Edited June 9, 2024 by Stefanie Sparkleface

[Dolfan in NYC]

Moved the CC stuff here, because it has to do directly with Paris. 

And Stef... the answer to your question based on the channels you'll find on in every doctor's/mechanic's/bar's television in the world is, of course, Britney Griner because... well, you know. 

[hammerva]

Yeah people who says that Griner is a charity case because she was arrested in Russia and released recently are showing they didn't watch the product 4 or 5 months ago.  Griner has a ton of international and Olympic experience.   Also she is the one thing that Clark so far isn't and that is someone will give as much as she gets in terms of physicality. 

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

5 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

Moved the CC stuff here, because it has to do directly with Paris. 

And Stef... the answer to your question based on the channels you'll find on in every doctor's/mechanic's/bar's television in the world is, of course, Britney Griner because... well, you know. 

Which of course shows how much the folks on those channels actually watch the sport (read: Monica McNutt was right!) because Brittney Griner is a center and Caitlin Clark is a guard and oh god my head

[odessasteps]

Boy, did Second Captains go hard today on all the Irish gold medals won at the European Track Championships. 

[Dolfan in NYC]

Boy, have I got some news for the Parisian olympic committee...

[Raziel]

My first question is what makes a bed anti-sex?

Second, is "are they people in charge dumb?"

[BobbyWhioux]

The Olympic Village always becomes a fuck fest, and why wouldn't it? You've got a bunch of young people in fantastic shape by definition, who've led sequestered lives in strenuous training for a high-pressure, high anxiety goal, and the moment they fulfill that goal (successfully or not) they retire to an isolated community full of other people as young as them, in as great shape as them, as ready to blow off steam as them, and who had the same weird cloistered upbringing in common with them, oh and they all have sexy foreign accents too.

There's a reason this happens every time.  Even though the organizers always for whatever reason wage this futile bullshit battle battle every time and it never fucking (ho ho ho) works.

The Olympics has two great traditions:  Night 1 Lighting of the Torch and Night 4 Refilling of the Condom Dispensers.

And this time not only that but it's in PARIS FRANCE to boot.  Seriously.

By the way if they seriously think lack of a comfortable bed, hell lack of a bed period, is the way to stop late teens early/20s folks from having sex then they don't know any late teens/early 20s people and they have forgotten what being that age is like themselves.  It's especially not going to be a deterrent to people who've spent their whole lives developing superior endurance/conditioning, often in much harsher sleeping conditions than that stupid bed.

 

[Brian Fowler]

Yeah there was an article years ago, maybe SI that said something like "it's the high school cafeteria, except every single person is hot with a rock hard body" before talking about the number of condoms that get ordered for the village.

[clintthecrippler]

All these Olympic festivities that have budget shortfalls could be made profitable by just biting the bullet and selling a condom sponsor for the Village.

[John E. Dynamite]

Just make it a sport already.

[odessasteps]

3 hours ago, clintthecrippler said:

All these Olympic festivities that have budget shortfalls could be made profitable by just biting the bullet and selling a condom sponsor for the Village.

Better than just have them (and World Cups) a lot of them in autocratic countries. 

[RIPPA]

Just because Paris hasn't happened yet doesn't mean we can't think about LA in 2028... which is turning into USA 2028

The IOC has announced that Softball and Canoe Slalom will be played in Oklahoma City

Basically - neither sport has the appropriate facilities in the entire Western part of the US while OKC has venues for both that meet the IOC's standards (For example - the largest softball venue SoCal seats less than 2K)

[Cobra Commander]

I guess Oklahoma City is a little farther away from LA than when the Atlanta Olympics had Soccer at RFK Stadium and the Orange Bowl. But the Soccer being in other places is nothing new, the 1984 Olympics had soccer games at Harvard and Annapolis.

Meanwhile Olympic Softball was in Columbus, Georgia in 1996.

Leaving aside that there'll be Olympic events in Tahiti this year, there's quite a few other 2024 events that are a ways from Paris (sailing, rowing, handball)

[odessasteps]

Perhaps a dumb question, but can you not play softball in a scaled down minor league park, since you aren’t likely to play either softball or baseball in Dodger Stadium? 

[Cobra Commander]

they ran both Baseball and Softball at Yokohama Stadium in 2021 but I guess they'd prefer an actual softball field if they could get one instead of just running it on baseball fields over and over

Edited June 21, 2024 by Cobra Commander

[odessasteps]

Would Manfred shut down the season for 3 weeks to let MLB players compete? I can’t imagine that happening. 

[Cobra Commander]

the Athletic polled the players on the question and the results were 53-47 No

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5529966/2024/06/10/mlb-player-poll-overrated-underrated-worst-organization/

Edited June 21, 2024 by Cobra Commander

[RIPPA]

I wouldn't put too much faith in that Athletic poll because when the LA Olympics were announced a lot of high profile players expressed the desire to play in the Olympics (I remember both Mike Trout and Bryce Harper expressing interest) and that was just the American born players. (Also not to mention that over half the players polled probably wouldn't be asked to play)

It would fall around the All Star Break anyway so I am sure they could fit an extra week off into the schedule

[Cobra Commander]

Every Olympic baseball tournament has been about 10 days from start to finish, so it's a little longer than just the All-Star Break

[RIPPA]

3 minutes ago, Cobra Commander said:

Every Olympic baseball tournament has been about 10 days from start to finish, so it's a little longer than just the All-Star Break

Yeah - what I meant was 2 weeks total

1 week is basically a normal ASB so they really would only need to find an additional week off

[odessasteps]

I bet a player poll would be very positive, especially with the Latin American players. 

[Cobra Commander]

the other problem with a longer break for the Olympics is either they have to add the games back in October at the end, try to split it and start earlier/end later, or kick over a rock and have to be told "we're playing all 162 because if we don't, we get paid less"

[odessasteps]

Or, you know, actually play F’ing doubleheaders. 

[Dolfan in NYC]