Zika, drugs, and medals: The Rio Olympics thread

[Valmy]

And Grumbler made a good point in the other thread or earlier in this one about the oddity of us taking pride in someone else's individual achievement.

It is irrational but there is nothing odd about it.

Is it that irrational though? I'd think it as irrational or rational as anything involving national pride.

Actually I don't know if it is irrational or not. I kind of feels irrational. But I enjoy doing it anyway

[Sheilbh]

I'm enjoying the fact that the UK is doing well in the medal table, but also feel slightly embarrassed by my enjoyment, it feels a bit reductive, perhaps even unsporting 

It's less fun when we're this far ahead of the Australians

We need a new Olympics nemesis. China seems ambitious. Maybe Russia?

Is it that irrational though? I'd think it as irrational or rational as anything involving national pride.

Or, as Gups says, supporting a football team. I'd say supporting anyone or any team in a sporting event. It doesn't make it less enjoyable.

I suppose that a nation's sporting prowess is a proxy for its economic, educational and cultural success - to which we all contribute as law-abiding citizens and taxpayers 

A lot of that depends on if you play the lottery

[grumbler]

It's no different to you celebrating Chelsea winning the champions league.

is that really true, though?  Many people throughout the UK celebrate Chelsea winning the champions league, because Chelsea is the team they have chosen to cheer for.  How many non-Brits celebrate a "British" gold medal win, though?

You support your national team not because that's the team you have chosen to support, but because there is a massive media barrage telling you that that's the only team you should support.  it's entirely different than which football club or college basketball team or city hockey team you cerebrate.

[Sheilbh]

That's true to an extent. But lots of sports are fairly deeply grounded in local communities. You support them because they're your local team, whether it's the GAA county teams, county cricket or, say, friends of mine who support York who have now been relegated out of the Football League or who supported Southampton from Premier League to down two tiers and back. It's not a media barrage it's just who they are and where they're from.

I think generally there's only choice in terms of your sporting teams until you're about 12 - when the media barrage does matter (Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool etc).

And on the point of celebrating actual athletes' achievements it's exactly the same. I've never heard a football fan refer to their team as 'they' rather than 'we'.

[Valmy]

Speaking of which I did cheer when that Texas Longhorn beat your Michigan man grumbler in the 100m butterfly. Even if it was national treason

[garbon]

You support your national team not because that's the team you have chosen to support, but because there is a massive media barrage telling you that that's the only team you should support.

So there is no free will? FWIW, I've yet to be barraged by media telling me to support the US this year.

[Berkut]

It's no different to you celebrating Chelsea winning the champions league.

is that really true, though?  Many people throughout the UK celebrate Chelsea winning the champions league, because Chelsea is the team they have chosen to cheer for.  How many non-Brits celebrate a "British" gold medal win, though?

You support your national team not because that's the team you have chosen to support, but because there is a massive media barrage telling you that that's the only team you should support.  it's entirely different than which football club or college basketball team or city hockey team you cerebrate.

I don't think it is really different at all.

We support teams because we have some connection to them. This is often somewhat "fake", but it doesn't really matter as long as you convince yourself enough that it feels real.

I support Arizona Wildcats because I went to school there. Is that meaningful? Not really. I don't actually have any connection to any of those athletes, but sports are more fun to follow when there is a rooting interest.

I support US athletes in the Olympics because I am an American in the same fashion - if anything, it is MORE 'valid' in that it isn't something I chose. Or less valid. It is all kind of arbitrary, but all that really matters is that it works for you.

I definitely know it works for me anyway, I really want the Americans to win 99% of the time I am watching Olympic sports, and I enjoy watching it more when there is someone I can root for.

I don't really think this is because the media tells me I should though. I think the media in the US gives preferential coverage to Americans because most of their audience wants them to...

[Gups]

It's no different to you celebrating Chelsea winning the champions league.

is that really true, though?  Many people throughout the UK celebrate Chelsea winning the champions league, because Chelsea is the team they have chosen to cheer for.  How many non-Brits celebrate a "British" gold medal win, though?

I've no idea, but plenty of Brits celebrate non-Brit medal wins. Usain Bolt is a hero in the UK - him winning the gold was the lead Olympic story when I listened to the news this morning, above the five golds won by British competitors.  Phelps and Biles get a lot of love as well.

Most people don't choose their football teams either (although there is a significant minority who do choose one of the big teams). They are born into them - they support their local team or their dad's team. I sure as hell wouldn't have chosen my bunch of no-hopers if I'd had a real choice.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah. I've no issue with home team bias. And likewise I want Team GB to do as well as possible. Only way I want someone else to win is if they're particularly charming (the O'Donovans, Bolt), they're just incredible (Bolt, Biles) or there's some sort of really impressive backstory

[Valmy]

Usain Bolt is a hero in the UK - him winning the gold was the lead Olympic story when I listened to the news this morning, above the five golds won by British competitors.

Everybody loves Bolt. The guy is a legend. And being a Jamaican means there is nothing really political bout it either.

[Berkut]

Yeah. I've no issue with home team bias. And likewise I want Team GB to do as well as possible. Only way I want someone else to win is if they're particularly charming (the O'Donovans, Bolt), they're just incredible (Bolt, Biles) or there's some sort of really impressive backstory

Indeed - there has to be something to catch your interest, and absent that something, they come from my country is a great substitute.

That is one thing that is really cool about the Olympics though - it is mostly individual, so you can get some really great individual stories.

[Berkut]

I kind of assume that anyone not American by default roots against the US?

[Valmy]

Yeah. I've no issue with home team bias. And likewise I want Team GB to do as well as possible. Only way I want someone else to win is if they're particularly charming (the O'Donovans, Bolt), they're just incredible (Bolt, Biles) or there's some sort of really impressive backstory

There are lots of teams I cheer for besides the US. I want to see Mexico, Canada, Great Britain, and France all do well. If the US cannot win it then I want one of them to do so.

But obviously a fellow alumni of UT Austin supercedes all of that.

[Sheilbh]

I kind of assume that anyone not American by default roots against the US?

Maybe but not particularly. And as you say only if there's not something special about them, so for example Phelps, Biles and the Williams sisters are all pretty popular.

[Gups]

I kind of assume that anyone not American by default roots against the US?

I root against Russia and China, but other than that I don't care that much. I'll root for small countries that hardly get any medals.