orangeman

Great effort post. It's nice to see only one day without any realistic medal chances. Remember the dark days of 2000-2012 (even 2016). It helps to have a good swimming and athletics team!

I think the top players from Canada will play because there is some prestige there. It was getting them to play in the qualifications that was the problem. Canada has amazing up front talent, but not the depth. It's sort of like our women's swimming relays; our team is a medal contender, but we can't afford to remove many pieces to get to those finals.

It reminds me of when Europeans complain about baseball's inclusion because only certain countries bother with it. Yes, and fencing, show jumping and rhythmic gymnastics is practiced on the streets of every major metropolitan center outside your continent.... The Subcontinent has so few sporting bones to pick at, cricket is the least the IOC can provide. There's enough competition to justify a tournament and it will get millions of eyeballs. Now let's get back to mocking the truly ridiculous, like breaking and flag football.

I actually think it's a great idea. First, it encourages countries to host a bit more since they can include sports that are locally popular and will win them some extra medals. It also (should) ensure the host has the proper infrastructure to have these sports instead of placing more burden on them to create white elephants. Third, it adds a bit of cultural flair for each host city - Karate in Japan, Breaking (sigh) in Paris, Baseball in the USA. And then to your point about encouraging participation, it allows smaller sports that aren't ready to be permanent additions to get the attention that might help them grow enough to become permanent in the future. When I've talked to casual sports/Olympic fans about this they tend to really like the idea. As long as the core sports stay I think they're happy. My issue is when really niche or...questionable sports like breaking are included. There are so many other worthy sports that have been trying forever to get in, it just feels like an old man trying to be hip. Edit: I forgot my last point, which was the host city is the one investing the money and the one who needs to recoup it. By hosting locally popular sports using existing infrastructure, they can potentially sell more tickets and get more interest which helps their bottom line. Again, this encourages future bids.

All these sports look good, and make sense in an American context (they have the infrastructure already to host a baseball/softball tournament, along with the other sports). But flag football is pretty silly to me. Maybe I'm an old stuffy man, but I've embraced the introduction of other new sports. Breaking and now flag football just reduce the prestige of the Olympics to me. Skateboarding and surfing also weird, but I see what they're doing. Anyway, happy for cricket, squash and lacrosse of this works out.

Not me, I knew this would work out. Aaaaaaanyway, time for bed.

Yay! Going to Paris! Never in doubt.

Hard to complain about being up 2-0, but here I go! That was not a great second half of set 2. Yikes. But just one more!

I wasn't going to stay up for the Mexico game, but now I want to. I guess I'll watch a movie while waiting. Been meaning to watch Barbie, the whole rest of the world has.

If they win 3-0/1 yes for sure. Weird thing is if they win 3-2 they'd be ahead in wins but behind on points. I still think Ws come first, though.

Bulgaria has defeated Belgium!!!

VIVA BULGARIA!

OMG!!!

Bulgaria back in control...

Bulgaria gives up a good lead...

Mexico hasn't even won a set yet. But the way Canada played Belgium, who knows. Man, if Canada could have just taken one more set from Belgium they'd pretty much clinch with a win over Mexico now.

Go Bulgaria!

It wasn't that bad, it was worse.

Exactly. This was, "You all need psychological counselling because something is going on there" level.

I need to let it go, but I just can't imagine (mostly because it never has happened to me, and will never happen to me) having a ticket to the Olympics sitting in front of me and then giving that performance. If you didn't watch the game, it wasn't just a loss. It wasn't just a high seeded team defeating a low seeded team (Canada is ranked significantly higher than Belgium regardless). It was a slaughter. The first set was humiliating to watch, like watching a sex scene with your parents when you expected a nice PG 13 movie. You can't just get up, you can't say anything. You just have to watch it and hope it ends soon. The second set was fine, not great. The third set started off with the characters taking their clothes off again in front on your parents, but somehow Canada battled back. This was the only time they looked competent. They had many, many, opportunities to win the set but instead they gave a blowjob in front of you and your mother. The fourth set was simply not professional from the Canadians. It was an embarrassment. Your parents stopped watching the sex scene with you and started doing it themselves in front of you. It was that level of embarrassment and disrespect. Like I said, I can't imagine ever doing it, or why anyone ever would do it. But yet I sat through it. And now I'm scarred.

I mean...it's over. Clear your schedule.

Sorry to harp on it, but seriously. Before tournament: Just beat ARG and NDL, it'll be hard to do but if you do that you're good. If you take Poland to 5 sets you're basically in! OMG! Now: What the actual fuck? It's like finishing in the top-2 of the first 5 apparatus of the all round in gymnastics and then setting the 6th on fire, pissing on the camera and slapping the mothers of all the judges. Not taking away anything from Belgium, you were awesome! But, I'd say you expected more of a fight, too.

They got dominated. Like Poland dominating Mexico dominated. It was sad. Just wanted a little win, or at least a bit of a fight, after the Blue Jays went down. If it's top 3, Canada will get fourth. If it's top 2, Canada will get 3rd. It's tradition, don't know why I expect different.

Honestly wish they would have just lost to ARG or NDL and got it over with then. This was the most pathetic showing of a Canadian team in any sport in a long time. That sounds harsh, but seriously. Lose, that's fine. Lose 3-2, that totally fine. Lose 3-1 but put up a fight, that's fine. Sets 1 and 4 were embarrassing. Set 3 was terrible most of the time besides a nice run, then they gave it away. Whatever, it's not like they were going to medal in Paris. I just enjoy volleyball and would have liked to see them there, but obviously they don't deserve it. I just wanted a tight game this Friday night, been looking forward to it. Oh well.

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD SERVE A FUCKING BALL