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Jon Wiggett

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #125 on: August 26, 2016, 03:55:07 AM »
Quote from: Kalen Braley on August 25, 2016, 11:26:15 PM
Jeff,


When it comes to basketball?  Yes!

Hell most NBA D-league teams could have won the Olympics!

And yes I'd much rather watch the Lakers and C's play in the NBA finals...two teams I despise.  ;)


P.S  And yes, the Players chammpionship is the best full field event year in and year out...it should be  a major!


But Kalen,


outside the US basketball is a fringe sport at best so no wonder the rest of the world is not as good.
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Mike Sweeney

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #126 on: August 26, 2016, 07:23:51 AM »
Quote from: Jon Wiggett on August 26, 2016, 03:55:07 AM

outside the US basketball is a fringe sport at best so no wonder the rest of the world is not as good.


I have a former coach Tom McCarthy that has been in China for over twenty years now and if he comes back- it will be with a big pile of money:
http://bcm.bc.edu/issues/spring_2009/works/trifecta.html


I have seen estimates that 300 million people actively play basketball in China:


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1271992-basketball-in-china-part-ii-the-evolution


Basketball is one example of the power of The Olympics- it used to be a fringe sport outside the USA.
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"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us."

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Jon Wiggett

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #127 on: August 26, 2016, 05:38:10 PM »
Mike,


I think you should not believe all the hype in the press. I would take 300 million Chinese playing basketball with a big pinch of salt. You might argue Serbia is a country where it has taken off but it is still not a mainstream sport there, only football (soccer) is. Basketball is still definitely a fringe sport for most countries.
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George Pazin

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #128 on: August 26, 2016, 06:13:59 PM »
That's interesting. I've read and heard in many places that basketball has surpassed soccer worldwide in terms of participants. It was on the internet, it must be true! :) Maybe they didn't count people who responded they played football...
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Mike Sweeney

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #129 on: August 26, 2016, 08:14:03 PM »
Quote from: George Pazin on August 26, 2016, 06:13:59 PM
That's interesting. I've read and heard in many places that basketball has surpassed soccer worldwide in terms of participants. It was on the internet, it must be true! :) Maybe they didn't count people who responded they played football...


Well I doubt that soccer/football is not #1 but I doubt that basketball is NOT the #2 or #3 team sport world wide depending on which Google search you use for Cricket - http://www.totalsportek.com/most-popular-sports/

Rugby and baseball don't have much of a following in China and Jon can cut that 300 million estimate that play basketball in China 3 or 4 times and it is still a HUGE number! China is 20% of the world population and I have no doubt that they will win a Gold medal in basketball in my lifetime. And yes it counts if Stephon Marbury's son plays for China!!

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"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us."

Dr. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Kalen Braley

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #130 on: August 26, 2016, 10:39:59 PM »
Quote from: Jon Wiggett on August 26, 2016, 03:55:07 AM
Quote from: Kalen Braley on August 25, 2016, 11:26:15 PM
Jeff,


When it comes to basketball?  Yes!

Hell most NBA D-league teams could have won the Olympics!

And yes I'd much rather watch the Lakers and C's play in the NBA finals...two teams I despise.  ;)


P.S  And yes, the Players chammpionship is the best full field event year in and year out...it should be  a major!


But Kalen,


outside the US basketball is a fringe sport at best so no wonder the rest of the world is not as good.


Its actually not, but thats really not the point here.
The point is, the Olympics is not the best of the best.  In most Olympic sports its a handful of good atheletes from prominent countries going up against woefully undermatched opponents.



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Jon Wiggett

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #131 on: August 27, 2016, 06:30:16 AM »
Mike,


interesting survey. I was surprised that of the eight countries with a professional league Serbia was not among them as they were one of only three countries to win a medal. I think the fact that Formula One is the seventh most popular sport puts it into context as I cannot imagine very many people actually participate in it. The fact that it is so high up has to do with the money and TV viewing figures but to suggest it is a major sport is stretching it a bit. That Basketball is at 2/3 is perhaps partly to do with this though it is certainly a sport that is cheap to play at a street level like football, cricket.


Who's the guy in the photo? and who is Stephon Marbury?

Jon
« Last Edit: August 28, 2016, 07:56:50 AM by Jon Wiggett »
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Mike Sweeney

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #132 on: August 27, 2016, 07:26:04 AM »
Quote from: Jon Wiggett on August 27, 2016, 06:30:16 AM

Who's the guy in the photo? and who is Stephon Marbury?



1) Stephon Marbury and his son;


2) SM is the greatest export in the history of the USA in ANYTHING (arguably) to China. He literally had a museum built for him-


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/world/asia/stephon-marbury-china-basketball.html?_r=0


Very few would know about Tom McCarthy and China but Stephon Marbury's path to re-glory in China is a well known story in basketball.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2016, 07:31:28 AM by Mike Sweeney »
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"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us."

Dr. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Mike Sweeney

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #133 on: August 27, 2016, 07:37:16 AM »
Quote from: Kalen Braley on August 26, 2016, 10:39:59 PM
In most Olympic sports its a handful of good atheletes from prominent countries going up against woefully undermatched opponents.


That may be true in the BIG revenue sports like basketball/golf/tennis, but it simply not true of the "traditional" Olympic sports like badminton/track/swimming/wrestling/judo.
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"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us."

Dr. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Kalen Braley

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #134 on: August 27, 2016, 12:42:40 PM »
Quote from: Mike Sweeney on August 27, 2016, 07:37:16 AM
Quote from: Kalen Braley on August 26, 2016, 10:39:59 PM
In most Olympic sports its a handful of good atheletes from prominent countries going up against woefully undermatched opponents.


That may be true in the BIG revenue sports like basketball/golf/tennis, but it simply not true of the "traditional" Olympic sports like badminton/track/swimming/wrestling/judo.


Mike thats actually not the case,


Go look at the times for each swimming stroke in the US trials and compare that to finishing times in the Olympics.


If the best swimmers were allowed to attend based purely on finishing times, and not just the top 3 from each country, I'd bet over half of the swimmers in the Olympics would be from the US.


And its not just the US, if all the best Ping Pongers were allowed to play, the Olympic competition would be almost exclusively Chinese players.  It just is what it is...
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Kalen Braley

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #135 on: August 27, 2016, 12:48:34 PM »
For example Mike, I randomly picked the Mens 400 IM in swimming.


Based on the finals at the US trial, and the finals at the Oylpmics if the best times were allowed.


6...yes 6 of 8 swimmers would have qualified from the US to swim in the 400 IM finals at the Olympics


« Last Edit: August 27, 2016, 12:50:37 PM by Kalen Braley »
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Mike Sweeney

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #136 on: August 27, 2016, 04:50:30 PM »
Quote from: Kalen Braley on August 27, 2016, 12:48:34 PM
For example Mike, I randomly picked the Mens 400 IM in swimming.


Based on the finals at the US trial, and the finals at the Oylpmics if the best times were allowed.


6...yes 6 of 8 swimmers would have qualified from the US to swim in the 400 IM finals at the Olympics


The history and legacy of the Olympics is international competition between countries. The USA gets one basketball team same as everyone else. If you want to field multiple teams from the USA in basketball- run for President break up the country and field more teams. The former USSR is now multiple countries so it is not an unreasonable statement in terms of the Olympics

In addition the qualifying times of Olympians can't be compared against one another unless they were in the same qualifying race. Besides speed of the pool- lane assignments and altitude adjustments- the USA qualifiers had the advantage of competing against Michael Phelps in the USA. He is always going to bring out the best in performers.

There is not one international competition in the world- to my knowledge- that does not make some sort of concessions to the less than qualified. Yes- even the mighty US Open in golf has multiple exemptions:

http://www.usopen.com/en_US/news/qualifying/exemptions.html


Please show me the one PURE international sporting competition before you tell me more about the Olympics??!!
« Last Edit: August 27, 2016, 08:51:27 PM by Mike Sweeney »
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"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us."

Dr. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Terry Lavin

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #137 on: August 27, 2016, 05:24:49 PM »
size=87% threadjack size=100% threadeuthanasia
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jeffwarne

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #138 on: August 27, 2016, 08:24:58 PM »
Quote from: Terry Lavin on August 27, 2016, 05:24:49 PM
size=87% threadjack size=100% threadeuthanasia


Possible post of the year


(emoticon 78% omitted)
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Mike Sweeney

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #139 on: August 27, 2016, 08:50:51 PM »
Quote from: Terry Lavin on August 27, 2016, 05:24:49 PM
size=87% threadjack size=100% threadeuthanasia

I was posting from an NSA Computer in the Federal Republic of Vermont. I have received clearance from President Bernie Sanders and have now updated!

PS - The New GCAcom does not love the Safari browser and there are Doak 7's in Vermont!!
« Last Edit: August 27, 2016, 08:53:38 PM by Mike Sweeney »
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"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us."

Dr. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Jon Wiggett

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Re: Do Jason, Jordan, Adam et al regret not playing the Olympics?
« Reply #140 on: August 28, 2016, 07:58:09 AM »
Quote from: Mike Sweeney on August 27, 2016, 07:26:04 AM
Quote from: Jon Wiggett on August 27, 2016, 06:30:16 AM

Who's the guy in the photo? and who is Stephon Marbury?



1) Stephon Marbury and his son;


2) SM is the greatest export in the history of the USA in ANYTHING (arguably) to China. He literally had a museum built for him-


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/world/asia/stephon-marbury-china-basketball.html?_r=0


Very few would know about Tom McCarthy and China but Stephon Marbury's path to re-glory in China is a well known story in basketball.


Thanks for the reply Mike. I had never heard of him.
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