Food for thought, or maybe not, depending.

Obviously it's the Guardian etc etc so there's no need to get involved if you've already decided that you know all the answers, but still food for thought.

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Mrs APB and I were watching the Olympic coverage just the other day and we said almost exactly the same things. The BBC has behaved very similarly to a state broadcaster since London 2012 and the hiring of former "heroes" (a term I don't like much either but will let pass as I assume it's being used figuratively) who fill the screens either with ego (Redgrave with his hugging) or interminable time-filling interviews and occasionally perceptive interpretation (Hoy was good) hasn't helped. I believe they're doing this because the government has forced them by threatening the whole charter but that doesn't make it right. I love watching the Olympics, don't get me wrong, and I've clocked up some serious hours over the last couple of weeks. There are some bugbears: the switching between channels has been really annoying - why couldn't they have put the whole thing on BBC2 and thereby not interfered with the news (which is quite important)?

That's for the BBC. As for the point about funding, I do remember the Soviet era and we did indeed regard their athletes as professionals and cheats back then, and we moaned about a less than level playing field. And on a slightly unrelated issue, I'm not sure when the flag wearing after "medalling" started, likewise the need to be seen singing the national anthem. Back in the day it was enough to stand looking proud and solemn during the ceremony, maybe slightly emotional if you wanted. Serb Coe's display of petulance when he didn't win in either Moscow or LA would not be tolerated these days. And who is he now?

Regarding his comment about the British press calling out the dopers, I thought it was the German media (a TV programme?) which revealed the Russian state-funded doping programme. I could be wrong on that and I'm not fact checking right now.

Anyway, like I said, food for thought. I'm aware I'm a bit of a pinko and there's a few on WOTB who are the opposite - I'm neither looking for argument nor support. I love sport, competitive sport, and I think the whole system is unbalanced and our way of consuming it has likewise got out of whack. Add to that the public displays of nationalism which seem to be compulsory in the eyes of many and we've got a return to some darker days happening right in front of us. The French pole vaulter may have had a point.

Too many words, I know.

Posted By: APB on August 18th 2016 at 09:04:19

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