Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Japan Cheats at the Olympics and I Give Up on the Olympics, Again

Japanese Gymanastic official bribing and/or appealing a score to the judges, japan bribe olympics gymnastics
That's the most memorable image from NBC's telecast of the olympics last night. The Japanese Gymnastics Delegation bribing appealing to the judges that their scores be raised so that they can win silver medals. Do you see that pile of yens that the coach is giving the judges?  Don't worry, NBC assured us that this standard operating procedure when bribing appealing to a gymnastic judge.

Kohei Uchimura almost breaking his neck during a dismount suring his silver medal winning perfomance
That's Kohei Uchimura completing a beautiful "Flair to a Handstand to an Almost Break Your Neck" dismount from the pommel horse.  The photo doesn't capture the grace and strength that Kohei-san brought into our living rooms -- seriously, Mr. Bean could have done a better dismount. And if Rowan Atkinson was on the Japanese Gymnastics team, the pile of yen may have been bigger but the medals would still have been silver.

Kohei Uchimura, the cutest cheater, ever to steal a medal at the olympics

That's the cutest cheater in Olympic history,  Kohei Uchimura, relishing the rewards of an appeal well done. Cut to Bob Costas thanking us for joining him.

Why didn't the British team appeal their scores?  Why didn't the Ukrainians appeal their scores? Why doesn't every gymnast that has ever fallen off an apparatus appeal his or her scores?  Let's ask Bob Costas. Oh, wait, he's cut to another commercial.

It's not only the obvious, amateurish (not in a good way) bullshit of changing scores after the fact so that a favorite team can win medals that has forced me to turn off the olympics for good, again.

It's also NBC.

Bob Costas might as well be hosting The Bachelorette.  Every second last night was carefully manipulated by the network. Remember, it all happened five hours early.  NBC producers carefully cut tape, changed sequencing and added drama before every commercial break. 

The adorable, freckled-faced Ukranian gynmast that cries when he finds out that the Japanese have stolen his medal? Let's cut away from the hapless Americans for 30 seconds so that we can show him not fucking up a routine around 9:30 PM.  The bushy haired cutie pie cheater from Japan?  Give him some time earlier in the hour so that we can really, really hate him when it counts.

Why don't I like the olympics?  For the same reason I don't like Say Yes to the Dress, The Bachelorette or Whose Sleeping with a Kardashian.

Why do the olympics get such great ratings? Same reason Say Yes to the Dress, The Bachelorette, and Whose Sleeping with a Kardashian make a ton of money for their respective networks.

But Bob, it ain't sports. And this sports fan is going back to baseball.

6 comments:

  1. That's enough Japan! Stop the BS cheating.

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  2. In the World Baseball Classic in 2013 in the Finals when Japan faces China's baseball team all of the Japanese baseball players will be jacked up and the Chinese players will look like average Joes.

    That means a WBC Final between China and Japan you'll see Ichiro having bigger muscle than China's top baseball player !

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  3. In order for a country to appeal, they have to pay the judges for the appeal to be considered. It's a rule to stop bogus appeals and keep the number of appeals down. If the appeal is accepted, the money is returned. If the appeal is rejected, the money is lost. Korea tried to appeal for fencing, but they didn't pay and the appeal was thrown out. Seems iffy, but it's just how they operate.

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  4. American only affordable 100 dollars to bribing. pool Amreica.

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  5. i think it is not yen, its looks like $ US.
    And in Japanese culture they can not give money direct. Usually they put in envelope..

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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