OT - Olympic Disappointment

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Maybe surprise is a better word. I am not one who thinks the US should rack up all the medals, and I am proud of all our athletes' performances. I know there are sports that we do not traditionally compete in or do well, and that's fine. But, I am surprised by the following showings:

Boxing - 1 gold in 13 events (it was a woman) and only 2 of 52 medals awarded!
Canoe / Kayak - zilch, also nothing in Sailing or Equestrian. 32 events, 96 medals.
Fencing - 1 bronze in 10 events, although this may be an upset situation, I suppose
Rowing - 1 gold in 14 events, and 3 total medals
Wrestling - 2 gold and 2 bronze in 18 events, 72 medals awarded
Judo and Taekwondo were also sports in which we did poorly, and neither is Asia dominated.

While none of these are my favorites, I thought we had a tradition of at least some (or better) success in these sports. Am I crazy, or did we used to be more competitive here?

 

[EricLA]

Boxing for sure. I read that the US Boxing federation was supremely disappointed and has set up some kind of plan to ensure they never have a crap performance like we did again. For the other sports, I know in fencing 4 years ago, we had 2 women get the gold and silver. but i'm not sure we have any kind of tradition there. But i think for sure these are areas the US wants to improve on...

 

[speedoo]

USA was once close to dominant in sailing, obviously not any more. As someone who once knew some of our Olympic sailors years ago, I am very disappointed and also mystified.

 

[Kibitzer]

Drive up to Montreal and ask one of les habitants how their hockey team is doing lately.

Then duck.

 

[iri10]

Yeah, boxing is the big disappointment - that's long been a strong sport for the US. We have always sucked at canoe/kayak, we pulled a "par" in rowing by recent standards, we took a step back in fencing (but don't have a history of success there anyway), were mostly par in wrestling, and actually exceeded expectations in judo (our first gold medal EVER). Sailing used to be pretty good, but not for quite a while, unfortunately.

Canoe/kayak and sailing are definitely medal-rich areas. China targeted these, among others, for their "Project 119" for increasing their medal count. (the 119 refers to the available medals in those sports, plus swimming and track and field). Other than swimming, their results have been mixed so far.

Unfortunately, we're unlikely to make much ground in this area either without more grassroots interest in the sports. Our Olympic committee is a strange thing that doesn't get federal funding (unlike almost every other major sports country out there, liberal or authoritarian). It's actually cool that we've achieved as much as we have without a federal sports agency. But as a result there's not really much oomph to be achieved from any edicts on high.

 

[Wonkster]

.
Boxing in the US now has a privately funded effort to convert football players into boxers, while upgrading the old, seedy-looking gyms into modern facilities. For years, interest had been waning among athletes to invest themselves in a sport that appeared to be passe.

Good luck.

 

[Bestiarius]

I think the decline in boxing is in part caused by the decline in its popularity. The concern about concussions. Muhammad Ali's very public mental decline. No new "Rocky" films to inspire youth. No Friday Night Fights on TV. Many would like to see boxing banned as a sport.

 

[ThisJustIn]

I think the decline in boxing is in part caused by the decline in its popularity. The concern about concussions. Muhammad Ali's very public mental decline. No new "Rocky" films to inspire youth. No Friday Night Fights on TV. Many would like to see boxing banned as a sport.

I think the "rise" of the homo-erotic blood sport known as MMA speaks to where the fan base has gone.

Also, if you read this guy, it's the fault of the women.

 

[Icebear]

I think the "rise" of the homo-erotic blood sport known as MMA speaks to where the fan base has gone.

Also, if you read this guy, it's the fault of the women.

I think you are spot on TJI,

 

[UcMiami]

Martial arts was never a strength in the US - in fact our Gold was the first ever I think. Wrestling I think was about average.

I think the USA is strongest in the 'college sports' where at least through college you get scholarships and great training - in fact I would be curious to see how many of the rest of the world medals came from USA trained athletes.
The boating and equestrian sports require a lot of money to start and continue - tend to be self financed throughout a career and do not have much scholastic support.

 

[Icebear]

I think the USA is strongest in the 'college sports' where at least through college you get scholarships and great training - in fact I would be curious to see how many of the rest of the world medals came from USA trained athletes.

Besides the fact you just broke Charlie's (cf) heart with the comment about martial arts I have long said I would love to see the stats from the Olympics for athletes trained in the US by nation.

 

[Bestiarius]

I think the "rise" of the homo-erotic blood sport known as MMA speaks to where the fan base has gone.

Also, if you read this guy, it's the fault of the women.

I recall reading that boxing would be safer if they boxed bare fisted. There would be more cuts and blood, but apparently the added mass of the gloves increases trauma to the head.

Regarding sailing, it's difficult to win because of the number of competitors combined with the luck factor, i.e. detrimental wind shifts, being fouled by another competitor.

 

[uconnfan68]

Maybe surprise is a better word. I am not one who thinks the US should rack up all the medals, and I am proud of all our athletes' performances. I know there are sports that we do not traditionally compete in or do well, and that's fine. But, I am surprised by the following showings:

Boxing - 1 gold in 13 events (it was a woman) and only 2 of 52 medals awarded!
Canoe / Kayak - zilch, also nothing in Sailing or Equestrian. 32 events, 96 medals.
Fencing - 1 bronze in 10 events, although this may be an upset situation, I suppose
Rowing - 1 gold in 14 events, and 3 total medals
Wrestling - 2 gold and 2 bronze in 18 events, 72 medals awarded
Judo and Taekwondo were also sports in which we did poorly, and neither is Asia dominated.

While none of these are my favorites, I thought we had a tradition of at least some (or better) success in these sports. Am I crazy, or did we used to be more competitive here?

The truth is we are still very much amateurs in those sports.

 

[Phil]

I once watched a fair amount of boxing, but then I saw a documentary showing what happens to a brain inside the head during a boxing match, and I haven't watched it since. I'm not in favor of banning it, but I suspect I'm not alone in finding other things to care about.