Disc Golf in the Olympics

[Schvanz42]

The people who are into equestrian competitions could tell the difference between one horse's gait and another's, but yeah, for people who aren't into it, dressage isn't a good spectator sport. The jumping is probably more interesting, since you at least have the suspense of watching the horses try to make a clean run through the series of fences.

And in my opinion, if the Olympics has competitions for equine athletes, why not some events for dogs? Because face it, the equestrian rider is basically just there to give instructions, like a coach, and the only difference between the rider on a horse and a dog handler is that you can't (and don't have to) ride on a dog's back.

But I disagree about men's gymnastics. To me gymnastics is one of the best spectator sports in the Olympics. If you're not impressed by what the men can do on the rings, especially that amazing Chinese gymnast who holds every position an extra second just because he can, I don't know what to say.

I am beginning to worry that the Olympics errs on the side of including more sports than it should. The purist in me would like to see all of the "ball sports" eliminated from the Olympics, and reduce the events to the more elementary tests of strength, speed, balance, and endurance that you see in athletics, swimming, gymnastics, weightlifting, and the like. Seriously, why do we need soccer in the Olympics when we already have the extremely popular World Cup? And why do we need basketball in the Olympics when we already have the NBA Playoffs? And tennis has four majors every year, so why add another one every fifth year? Baseball has both the World Series and the World Baseball Classic. Maybe the Olympics enhance the profile of ball sports that aren't as hugely popular on a global scale, such as badminton, table tennis, and volleyball, but I'd bet the people (and countries) who are really into those sports follow the world championship equivalent events in their sports more closely than the Olympics.

I'm sure they do follow them quite closely, and kudos to them. The fact is some..."activities"...are completely rooted in arbitrary judging and point systems with no definite outcome as to who was the true winner. Horse trotting or what ever the heck it's called would be one of these "activities". I, personally, fail to see how this activity is relevant in so much as asking, "Who is the athlete? The horse or the rider?" I guess I fail to see a feat of human athletic prowess associated with this event.

I will grant you the fact that gymnasts, male or female, show incredible bouts of human strength. However, the fact remains that there can be no solid winner because the scoring system is based on opinion, not fact. I do understand its inclusion as an olympic sport as it is practiced by many people around the world. It stands to reason then on this criteria that golf, baseball, bowling etc. would also garner enough world wide participation to be accepted as an olympic sport. We also know that one would be wrong upon making this assumption as mass participation in ones selected field is not necessarily indicative of its inclusion in the games. Therefore making the selection process more convoluted than previously thought.

So, I will ask in more direct way - If a sport such as equine walking is included in the olympic games, why not disc golf?

The mere fact that the motion would be laughed off the floor makes most of the events in the olympics a joke. If there was a solid reason to include or disclude certain sports based on a hard set of rules set forth and agreed upon by the participating countries I guess I could live with it. But that doesn't seem to be the case. My guess is that not too many people world wide would complain if equine walking was suddenly ousted from the olympics.

 

[sloppydisc]

The ultra-rich people that buy a ton of expensive tickets, hotels and meals might miss those events. The Olympics is as much about money as College Football is. Don't under estimate politics and cash. How many disc golfers are going to travel to London, pay for a nice hotel, and eat at top notch restaurants? And pay for hugely expensive tickets too to go see the events? We complain about a few extra dollars for a disc.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

The ultra-rich people that buy a ton of expensive tickets, hotels and meals might miss those events. The Olympics is as much about money as College Football is. Don't under estimate politics and cash. How many disc golfers are going to travel to London, pay for a nice hotel, and eat at top notch restaurants? And pay for hugely expensive tickets too to go see the events? We complain about a few extra dollars for a disc.

This and I'm not sure some of the better courses are really non-DG enthusiat "fan frendly."


Not to mention there's that whole drug use thing.. oops! Did I just imply that some disc golfers might not pass a banned substance test? But then again, I bet some of those snow boarders, (...and other atheletes) aren't exactly saints either. Maybe that's not an issue after all. :\

 

[aajpity]

U.S., Canada, Sweden, & UK are the ones that would have a shot. Germany possible.. It would be fun. I would say no until at least the 2020 Olympics.

 

[cc0049]

Ultimate would make the Olympics before disc golf does.

That would be much more fun to watch than a lot of these ridiculous events that are actually in the Olympics.

 

[Star Shark]

There are several countries where DG is popular outside the US but not many have throwers who can hang with the top guns from the US. You could almost count them on one hand. Kallstrom, Lundmark, Meresmaa, Paju and perhaps Kajiyama.

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

Grant random on sirius xm octane just announced on air that its a shame that Frisbee isn'tan Olympic sport, a sin that disc golf isn't included.

 

[KenTyburski]

There are several countries where DG is popular outside the US but not many have throwers who can hang with the top guns from the US. You could almost count them on one hand. Kallstrom, Lundmark, Meresmaa, Paju and perhaps Kajiyama.

This is true, but if disc golf was ever announced as an Olympic sport, you could put money on countries that would invest in the sport so as to have a chance to compete. China, North and South Korea, Russia, and other countries would have competitors crawling out of the woodwork within the 4-6 years leading up to the Games. The Chinese made it a point to take over the Olympics when Beijing was announced back in about 2002, and they have dominated the Games since in several sports where they weren't even close before.

 

[KenTyburski]

Grant random on sirius xm octane just announced on air that its a shame that Frisbee isn'tan Olympic sport, a sin that disc golf isn't included.

:thmbup: :clap:

 

[DeadEye]

This is true, but if disc golf was ever announced as an Olympic sport, you could put money on countries that would invest in the sport so as to have a chance to compete. China, North and South Korea, Russia, and other countries would have competitors crawling out of the woodwork within the 4-6 years leading up to the Games. The Chinese made it a point to take over the Olympics when Beijing was announced back in about 2002, and they have dominated the Games since in several sports where they weren't even close before.

That... And all the dope the Chinese make their athletes take.

 

[bradharris]

The people who are into equestrian competitions could tell the difference between one horse's gait and another's, but yeah, for people who aren't into it, dressage isn't a good spectator sport. The jumping is probably more interesting, since you at least have the suspense of watching the horses try to make a clean run through the series of fences.

And in my opinion, if the Olympics has competitions for equine athletes, why not some events for dogs? Because face it, the equestrian rider is basically just there to give instructions, like a coach, and the only difference between the rider on a horse and a dog handler is that you can't (and don't have to) ride on a dog's back.

My wife is an equestrian rider, so I've heard all the arguments. She's actually in London now covering the equestrian events.

Dressage is as much about training as skill. To train a horse to dance to music is incredibly difficult. Then to get in the saddle and maintain complete control over the animal to execute a routine to perfection takes an amazing amount of skill. Show jumping is all about clearing the fences and beating the clock. It actually can be very exciting to watch.

Also important to note, Equestrian sports are wildly popular elsewhere in the world.

Anyone that says disc golf should be in because some other seemingly ridiculous sport is in is making an incredibly weak argument. If disc golf was in, how many other sports would say "disc golf is an olympic sport, why isn't competitive basket weaving??" The fact is, disc golf is nowhere near as popular or established as it would need to be to get into the olympics. As it is, the olympics are packed with more deserving sports and there is very little room for additions. When additions are made, there are many, many more deserving sports.

None of us will live long enough to see olympic disc golf competition.

 

[sloppydisc]

Shazam!

You just made a bunch of people cry. The big boot of bradharris just stomped all over their dreams.

 

[grodney]

I'm just saying that I find it hard to believe more people play handball than disc golf.

You know, the world is a big place.

"
By now, handball is being played in 183 countries and the number of teams amounts to approximately 800,000.
"

cite: http://www.ihf.info/TheIHF/Profile/tabid/74/Default.aspx

 

[DavidSauls]

You know, the world is a big place.

Perspective.

 

[prerube]

There are several countries where DG is popular outside the US but not many have throwers who can hang with the top guns from the US. You could almost count them on one hand. Kallstrom, Lundmark, Meresmaa, Paju and perhaps Kajiyama.

several is not enough. it has to be a recognized sport in 50 countries.

 

[prerube]

That... And all the dope the Chinese make their athletes take.

The Chinese are the most heavily tested athletes due to the previous gymnastics scandals. I doubt you will see a single Chinese athlete test positive for anything.

The US has had several athletes test positive for illegal substances, Marion Jones being a massive scandal, so other countries could say the same about us.

 

[bikinjack]

The Chinese are the most heavily tested athletes due to the previous gymnastics scandals. I doubt you will see a single Chinese athlete test positive for anything.

The US has had several athletes test positive for illegal substances, Marion Jones being a massive scandal, so other countries could say the same about us.

There's a difference in testing positive or not and doping or not.

 

[Tfire25]

When disc golf gets into the Olympics it will not be the disc golf we know and love today. Eventually it's going to garner enough recognition that it will be seen as a way to make money. That's when our sport starts to evolve into ball golf and all the fun is sucked right out of it. I love telling people about this awesome sport we play but enlarging it will only bring expensive pay to play courses, 50$ discs, and it just might take away the integrity of the sport. I like going out on a Saturday with my family and enjoying a round of disc golf just the way it is. I don't know why we have to feel validated to do something that we enjoy. I'm not trying to patronize I can just see the future. I'm a genie.

 

[412Disc]

Too hard to follow

 

[JeremyKShort]

The more likely Chinese cheat is the age of some of their athletes. There were several on the gymnastics team 4 years ago that seemed too young, a previous records for them show that may be the case. Doping is too heavily tested to get away with.

A lot of the sports are much more popular in other countries. Handball and badminton are really popular elsewhere, but not so much here. The IOC will be very hesitant to add a US dominant sport, like beach volleyball, women's softball, or snowboarding (in the winter olympics). It would need to get very popular in a lot of other countries. And, as many have pointed out, ball golf is just returning to the olympics (will be in 2016 in Rio), so DG is still a ways off.