I am really not much of a sports watcher ( or do-er for that matter) I did watch the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. I found them awesome and creepy all at the same time. This evening we were watching a bit of NBC's tape delay broadcast of the women's gymnastic qualifying. They flashed a shot of 1976's gymnastic superstar Nadia Comaneci. The female commentator for NBC was maligning the current state of Romanian gymnastics. Saying how slack they are now, and how they barely manage to qualify for anything and how sad it is that little girls no longer grow up wanting to be Nadia. Then she said," it's too bad really, they used to work all the time, checking their routines. Now I see them standing around the chalk box chatting." Excuse me? You mean they were actually talking to each other, like people? or gods forbid, teenage girls? Her stellar observations continued with this winner when a coach half hugged a Romanian gymnast who had slipped off the balance beam, " well, you sure wouldn't have seen any hugging on the former Romanian team." I guess this team isn't being starved by communist leaders, their families are not being threatened, their liberty is not severely curtailed, they are not held hostage by their own governments, the livelihoods and well being of their families do not rest on their strong but very young shoulders. Too bad really, those frightened, drugged girls from the old team were so much better at gymnastics. In 1989 Nadia defected from Romania, overland through Hungary. Her coaches had defected eight years before that. Communist Romania may have produced stellar gymnasts but it failed at producing healthy people. I wonder if that matters to NBC at all.
7 comments:
Ouch!
I've always thought that gymnastics at that level was a creepy and unhealthy thing to do to young girls.
As always, brilliant insights from Hippy Goodwife. For myself, I am trying my best to avoid the Olympics all together. Three cheers for chatting at the chalk box!
Did you happen to hear Bela Karolyi's (former coach of Romanian team who defected and subsequently coached team USA)commentary during the gymnastics portion of the event last night? He was out of his mind. It's his wife, Marta, who is coaching Team USA this year. I think he was banned.
I find it horribly upsetting, too, that the opening ceremonies cost something in the neighborhood of $1 billion - and that there are as many people in China living below the severe poverty level.
Really, did we need all of that?
Watching the Opening Ceremony I kept thinking, that all those fireworks could not be helping the already horrible air quality.
I forgot about Bela, the conspiracy theory was pretty painful to listen to.
Sports commentators say the stupidest things! I hate the pressure those poor little girls are put under. I hate gymnastics for that! But I love gymnastics too....but I HATE it...it really destroys your joints. I always cringe on behalf of all the mothers when those girls do something that looks crazy dangerous! NO gymnastics for my little girl!
I am right there with ya and apparently a lot of other people are too! Those comments are all the water cooler talk - not that I go to an office or have a water cooler. I suspect that NBC's inboxes were full over that commentary. Not that they listen, read them or care...
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