…and so much for my underdog pick. Despite playing their 3rd-string goalie, the neighboring Czechs beat the Slovakian team, 3-1. What now makes this medal round very intriguing is that there’s the strong possibility that neither the U.S., Canada or Russia will even medal. That would be the first time that’s ever happened in Winter Olympics history, this being the 20th Winter Olympic games. That’s right, the only thing standing in the way of an all-European podium is Russia and, in my opinion, they have a good chance of losing to Finland in the semis and the loser of the Czech/Sweden game in the bronze-medal game.
Tag Archive for 'olympics'
With the USA hockey team going home, i’m now left with a quandry: who do i pull for now?
My initial reaction is to support North America and root for Canada, but i’ve never had any particular love for our neighbors to the north when it comes to hockey.
It’s hard to cheer for Finland since they just sent the Americans home although they do have a very strong team that are all playing well at the right time. And while i’ve never minded Teemu Selanne, i hate Jarkko Ruutu. But then, who doesn’t?
Sweden just advanced to the semis, but i absolutely loathe Peter Forsberg.
Facing Canada in the quarters is Russia, but i just could never bring myself to cheer for Russia. I don’t know… it just seems wrong.
In the late game today, we have the Czech Republic v. Slovakia, definitely the two teams i’m most indifferent to. And while Minnesota Wild defenseman Filip Kuba does play for the Czechs, so does Jaromir Jagr. And i still haven’t forgiven him from the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs
That finally brings me to Slovakia. Despite their impressive 5-0 record, they’re still an underdog in my mind, which i like. And of course, their star center just happens to be Minnesota Wild standout Marian Gaborik.
So obviously in the Canada v. Russia matchup, i’ll be pulling for Canada. I’d most likely even pull for them against Finland in the semis. But in what i’m predicting to be the eventual matchup against Slovakia in the gold medal game, i’d probably have to go with the young underdog Slovakian team.
With the Winter Olympics in full swing, i can’t help but wonder why on earth “events”, not sports, like ice dancing are in the Olympics (isn’t it just pair figure skating without the tricks?). Or why NBC would broadcast hour after mindless hour of cross-country skiing which is about as riveting as their start-to-finish coverage of the marathon at the Summer Olympics. Then it occurs to me that the Olympics are all about niche sports. With a few exceptions, it’s basically a two-week exhibition of bizarre competitions that comes along every four years.
That point was further driven home by the illustrious IOC’s decision back on July 8, 2005, to drop baseball and softball from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Why was this, you ask? Well, while the exact reasons for this aren’t clear since the IOC never feels the need to justify their actions and does everything with secret ballots, there are several plausible theories.
Many have accused the IOC of being predominantly European-centric; even anti-America at times. While baseball is still very popular in North America and Asia, it’s popularity in Europe is minimal at best.
Another theory is that the field isn’t competitive enough. Cuba has won 3 out of 4 baseball gold medals (the U.S. won the other in 2000 over Cuba). The U.S. has won 3 of 3 softball gold medals, outscoring their opponents 51-1 at the 2004 games in Sydney. But anyone who saw 1992′s basketball Dream Team dominate compared to 2004′s U.S. team limp to a weak bronze medal finish knows that it’s only a matter of time before these things balance out. And going back to the previous argument, with basketball’s fast growing popularity in Europe, i doubt you’ll see it get dropped anytime soon.
And speaking of competitive fields, how many Winter Olympic events fall into the “which Scandanavian country is going to win today” category? Or which Russian skater is going to win?
Another popular target for finger-pointing is Major League Baseball and their constant refusal to allow their meal tickets, er, players to compete. Their ignorant, short-sighted response to the IOC was essentially that baseball doesn’t need the Olympics and it won’t affect them one bit. Nevermind other sports (like basketball) that have used the games as a platform to increase the popularity of their sports.
And speaking of niche sports, i’m off to watch the US curling team in action. And while both the men’s and women’s U.S. teams are from my home state of Minnesota, i had no idea how the sport was played until i looked up the rules online (thank you, internet) just a few days ago. And heck, the only reason i started watching in the first place is because i think Cassie and Jamie Johnson are cute. 
