What sports teams do you support?

[Мастер]

Seems I'm hooked up with the Welshies to watch them play Ireland Saturday.

[Lianachan]

I don’t have a team to support in it, but the Winter Olympics are on day 2 already. Seen bits of it, looking forward to it really getting going.

[Heid the Ba]

We were fucking awful last night. That’s all that needs be said on the subject.

Played 122, won 50, drawn 24, lost 48.

[Arneb]

I'll boycott the winter "olympics" as far as I can.

[Lianachan]

We were fucking awful last night. That’s all that needs be said on the subject.

Played 122, won 50, drawn 24, lost 48.

I did a double-take when I saw the half-time score.

I'll boycott the winter "olympics" as far as I can.

Is that because of the hosts or due to a lack of interest?

[Arneb]

Lack of interest wouldn't bring me to boycott it, just to not watch a lot. But it's true: I have no strong intrest in winter sports, although, as with any sport, I have great respect towards any athlete who commits to working tirelessly enough to compete at this level.

No, it is in large part the host. I perceive China as a rising threat to everything I hold dear, and not only a conceptual, intellectual threat (negation of human rights, individual freedoms, etc.) but a physical one, as in war, destruction, famine, and death. For millions and millions of people (like Uygurs, but basically to anyone not agreeing with the CP on pretty much anything) it is not only a threat, but a physical realitiy of war, destruction, famine, and death. Throw in concentration camps. If the Olympics were going to Tel Aviv, we'd have thousands in the streets of wealthy Western nations raging against the Jewish evil in this world bringing forth just criticisism of particular political decisions and actions by the political leadership of the State of Israel. But China suppressing whole populations, threatening its neighbours with territorial war, erecting a literal Orwell state within? See you at the opening ceremony. I find it obscene to have myself a great sports party in such a country. Of course, you can cite any number of events taking place in countries with shody human rights reputation (Russia, Quatar, Saudi-Arabia, you name them), but I try to avoid those as well.

More generally, and this is probably a scandalous thing to say, I am at odds with the official Olympic movement. You know, it's great to hear "The Youth of the World Is Meeting to Peacefully Measure Themselves With Their Peers In Festive and Joyful Competition" blablabla. In the beginning, that was always the white and well-off male youth, and in the nationalistic 20th century, there wasn't a lot of peaceful there either. More like stick it to them like we did in the war (whichever war). It hals always intrigued me how the Olympic movement gravitated to anti-humanist ideologies, how confortable everyone seemed to be with the Fascist or Communist flavours different hosts gave the Games. The Berlin light-dome, Red Army soldiers marching along the track in Prussian goose-step, the unabashed glorification of brutal dictatorships in Sotchi and Beijing, complete with horrible sports facilities plastered into a raped environment, destined to rot once the party is over after two weeks (five, if you include the Paralympics).

Lately, money has completely taken over, and we aren't even taking about excessive anthletes' incomes. We are only taking about the IOC leadership, their sponsors and the scum dictators they kiss up to in order to maimise profit. It certainly started in L.A. in '84, it was sickening for the first time in Atlanta (yeah, they gave Centennary Games to Coca-Cola), it enjoyed a few brief moment in the sun, maybe in Barcelona, Sydney, Lillehammer. For Beijing 2022 with all the Covid shit to boot, it has terminally descended into brutal, unabashed, criminal racketeering. I cannot tell you how much loathing and contempt I have for a sycophant like Thomas Bach.

In the end, those that are at the receiving end of all this crap, the athletes, are still the ones to applaud, and maybe to watch, too. If there is any value in the Olympic ideal, it's in their largely unmcommercialized events. So maybe I'll happily watch (and probably doze off over) the female Sweden vs. Canada curling event, the Nordic combination 10 km race, that kind of thing. I was briefly entuhsiastic when last time, when the German ice hocky team beat Canada and the U.S. to meet Russia in the final, and even led them for a third or so. Otherwise, Fuck. Those. Games.

[Arneb]

In other news, Hertha BCBCBB agaom fail to provide good news with a bloodless ona-all against tough relegation contender, VfL Bochum.


Played 123, won 50, drawn 25, lost 48.

[Heid the Ba]

It’s a six pointer in Dundee as well.

[Heid the Ba]

It’s Elephant Snake Bucket trophy Day again. Fuck.

[Lianachan]

Lack of interest wouldn't bring me to boycott it, just to not watch a lot. But it's true: I have no strong intrest in winter sports, although, as with any sport, I have great respect towards any athlete who commits to working tirelessly enough to compete at this level.

No, it is in large part the host. I perceive China as a rising threat to everything I hold dear, and not only a conceptual, intellectual threat (negation of human rights, individual freedoms, etc.) but a physical one, as in war, destruction, famine, and death. For millions and millions of people (like Uygurs, but basically to anyone not agreeing with the CP on pretty much anything) it is not only a threat, but a physical realitiy of war, destruction, famine, and death. Throw in concentration camps. If the Olympics were going to Tel Aviv, we'd have thousands in the streets of wealthy Western nations raging against the Jewish evil in this world bringing forth just criticisism of particular political decisions and actions by the political leadership of the State of Israel. But China suppressing whole populations, threatening its neighbours with territorial war, erecting a literal Orwell state within? See you at the opening ceremony. I find it obscene to have myself a great sports party in such a country. Of course, you can cite any number of events taking place in countries with shody human rights reputation (Russia, Quatar, Saudi-Arabia, you name them), but I try to avoid those as well.

More generally, and this is probably a scandalous thing to say, I am at odds with the official Olympic movement. You know, it's great to hear "The Youth of the World Is Meeting to Peacefully Measure Themselves With Their Peers In Festive and Joyful Competition" blablabla. In the beginning, that was always the white and well-off male youth, and in the nationalistic 20th century, there wasn't a lot of peaceful there either. More like stick it to them like we did in the war (whichever war). It hals always intrigued me how the Olympic movement gravitated to anti-humanist ideologies, how confortable everyone seemed to be with the Fascist or Communist flavours different hosts gave the Games. The Berlin light-dome, Red Army soldiers marching along the track in Prussian goose-step, the unabashed glorification of brutal dictatorships in Sotchi and Beijing, complete with horrible sports facilities plastered into a raped environment, destined to rot once the party is over after two weeks (five, if you include the Paralympics).

Lately, money has completely taken over, and we aren't even taking about excessive anthletes' incomes. We are only taking about the IOC leadership, their sponsors and the scum dictators they kiss up to in order to maimise profit. It certainly started in L.A. in '84, it was sickening for the first time in Atlanta (yeah, they gave Centennary Games to Coca-Cola), it enjoyed a few brief moment in the sun, maybe in Barcelona, Sydney, Lillehammer. For Beijing 2022 with all the Covid shit to boot, it has terminally descended into brutal, unabashed, criminal racketeering. I cannot tell you how much loathing and contempt I have for a sycophant like Thomas Bach.

In the end, those that are at the receiving end of all this crap, the athletes, are still the ones to applaud, and maybe to watch, too. If there is any value in the Olympic ideal, it's in their largely unmcommercialized events. So maybe I'll happily watch (and probably doze off over) the female Sweden vs. Canada curling event, the Nordic combination 10 km race, that kind of thing. I was briefly entuhsiastic when last time, when the German ice hocky team beat Canada and the U.S. to meet Russia in the final, and even led them for a third or so. Otherwise, Fuck. Those. Games.

I totally understand and almost entirely agree with all of that. The Olympics have changed, and should never have been awarded to China (they’ve not long had a summer Olympics, in addition to your points about what they get up to). But I love the Winter Olympics, and always have, so it’s always a powerful draw for me.

[Lianachan]

In other news, “6 points” back up the A9.

Dundee 1 - 2 Ross County

Played 124, won 51, drawn 25, lost 48.

[Arneb]

RCC! Big point.

[Arneb]

Fürth falling behind after 5 min... Oh dear.

[Heid the Ba]

Rangers 5 - 0 Car hire company

Played 125, won 52, drawn 25, lost 48.

[Arneb]

1-4 in the end. Yeah, what the hell.

Played 126, won 52, drawn 25, lost 49

[Heid the Ba]

Rangers 2 - 0 The Dodgers of Soap from Leith

Played 127, won 53, drawn 25, lost 49

[Lianachan]

Ross County 1 - 1 The Living Stone

Played 128, won 53, drawn 26, lost 49.

[Arneb]

Breaking!!

A historic second Bundesliga (over two seasons, mind you) home victory by Greuther Fürth, 2 - 1 over ... Well you know who.


Played 130, won 54, drawn 26, lost 50.

Greuther still in last place, only nine points below the relegation spot. Hertha one above, but in freefall, as it seems...

[Arneb]

BTW, if anyone wants to know why I sometimes hate modern sports: Here is one reason. I mean, they poison a child, and all they think is, can we get away with it. Fuck them, fuck them with a big, big fucky thing (not that they are the only ones, but still fuck them).

[Heid the Ba]

Indeed, well put Arneb.

Meanwhile our new Polish signing seems like a decent player. From Lebork, which I believe is a noble city noted for its fine citizens.

[Heid the Ba]

Three nil up at half time against Athletico Annan in the cup. Should be straightforward from here.

[Arneb]

Meanwhile our new Polish signing seems like a decent player. From Lebork, which I believe is a noble city noted for its fine citizens.

Indeed. Some of the finest people I've known came from Lębork (The little squiggle introduces a kind of short "m" sound between the e and the b, so the first syllable is pronounced a bit like "Lam", with a wide open "a". Thus the pronounciation becames very similar to the German "Lauenburg", which is shortend to "Laumburg" in casual speech. Polish is nifty.)

[Heid the Ba]

No goals in the second half.

Played 131, won 55, drawn 26, lost 50.

[Richard A]

The Polish squiggle is interesting. Before hard consonants, it does insert a sort of "m", but on its own, or before softer consonants - e.g. in Nowy Sacz (at which point I discover my Mac doesn't do that character!) it's a kind of nasal sound, a bit like a final m in Portuguese or a final n in French. So Lebork was Lauenburg - Lemburg is of course now Lviv (or Lvov or Lwów, depending on who's talking).

[Richard A]

Meanwhile, back to the actual theme of this thread, it was pleasing to see England do so well against Italy. When Italy first turned the Five Nations into Six, they were generally crap, but they've come a long way since then, so a win against them is respectable.

I followed that by watching the grand slalom - I take Arneb's general points on the Winter Olympics except one: I do enjoy watching skiing. And to see those guys do a course at that speed in what most of us would call fog was impressive. Curling followed - I think it was the first time I've ever watched a sport which I didn't understand at all! Glad to hear from Arneb that Germany did well in it, but I still have no clue!