Quote:
Originally Posted by Purrybonker
I'm a US/Canada citizen with heavy family ties to a few European nations.
Lately I've been thinking about why I feel a visceral need to support this group or that group in watching the Olympics.
Why do we do this?
Why do we cheer for our "team"?
How does such behavior possibly advance the human condition?
Seems like there are more downsides possible here than upsides.
Just askin...
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Why you ask these questions and why no one had the answers just shows how far we are from the point of the 'Olympics' and why what we have now is not even close to the concept of the Olympics that it should be called some thing else.
The Olympic competitions were to help discourage war, to personalize your enemy on a battle field where you can show your military prowess with out killing each other and then have a beer after wards and laugh, talk discuss the days events with the enemy, as equals and maybe friends.
All modern Olympic sports originally were military skills that could be measured, no judges and skills that were used in battle. Shooting, fencing, running, wrestling, spear chucking, etc.
Now we have synchronized swimming, Diving, skate board dancing and bicycle dancing (not a measured race, but judged on style like dancing and unlikely used by soldiers on a battle field) beach volley ball, where the women have to were bikini bottoms or they get fined
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018768633/a-womens-beach-handball-team-is-fined-for-not-wanting-to-wear-bikini-bottoms because it is more of a sex show than a competition.
Calling what we have now the 'Olympics' is a bad joke and so far removed from the original concept that it makes me not want to support it or want to watch it or participate in it in any way.