Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

This fight is for everything.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Everybody saw this coming.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Joe Lieberman disappointingly reemerged to remind us that he’s still alive.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Consistently wrong since 2002

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Late Night Tokyo 2020 Open Thread: Maybe A Change for the Better

Late Night Tokyo 2020 Open Thread: Maybe A Change for the Better

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Nothing is “normal” any more, but for a lot of people “normal” was always a sham at best. If the IOC has lost control of its cherished Perfect performers willingly giving their all fantasy-narrative, I for one find it an improvement:

A surfer jumping in to translate for the rival who’d just beaten him. High-jumping friends agreeing to share a gold medal rather than move to a tiebreaker. Two runners falling in a tangle of legs, then helping each other to the finish line…

Kanoa Igarashi of Japan was disappointed when he lost to Brazilian Italo Ferreira in their sport’s Olympic debut.

Not only did he blow his shot at gold on the beach he grew up surfing, he was also being taunted online by racist Brazilian trolls.

The Japanese-American surfer could have stewed in silence, but he instead deployed his knowledge of Portuguese, helping to translate a press conference question for Ferreira on the world stage.

The crowd giggled hearing the cross-rival translation and an official thanked the silver medalist for the assist.

“Yes, thank you, Kanoa,” said a beaming Ferreira, who is learning English…

Earlier, on the same track, runners Isaiah Jewett of the U.S. and Nijel Amos of Botswana got tangled and fell during the 800-meter semifinals. Rather than get angry, they helped each other to their feet, put their arms around each other and finished together.

Many top athletes come to know each other personally from their time on the road, which can feel long, concentrated, and intense — marked by career moments that may be the best or worst of their lives.

Those feelings have often been amplified at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games, where there is an unmistakable yearning for normalcy and, perhaps, a newfound appreciation for seeing familiar faces.

Restrictions designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have meant Olympians can’t mingle the way they normally do…

After the punishing women’s triathlon last week in Tokyo, Norwegian Lotte Miller, who placed 24th, took a moment to give a pep talk to Belgium’s Claire Michel, who was inconsolable and slumped on the ground, sobbing.

Michel had come in last, 15 minutes behind winner Flora Duffy of Bermuda — but at least she finished. Fifty-four athletes started the race but 20 were either lapped or dropped out.

“You’re a (expletive) fighter,” Miller told Michel. “This is Olympic spirit, and you’ve got it 100%.”

I suspect such acts of simple human decency have always been the rule, but the authorities’ attempts to hide them from the media narrative has changed — permanently, I hope.


Reader Interactions

27Comments

  2. 2.

    Brachiator

    I suspect such acts of simple human decency have always been the rule, but the authorities’ attempts to hide them from the media narrative has changed — permanently, I hope.

    This has always been part of the Olympics. It has been showcased in every documentary about the Games. No one has tried to hide it. And network executives love this stuff.

    The excited Italian sport broadcaster covering the event where the winner decided to share the medal was endearing and funny. We learned that sometimes they really say “Mamma mia!”

  3. 3.

    jl

    A lot about the Olympics, especially this Olympics, is problematic. Mostly due to money and bigshots. Nice to see many of the athletes redeeming it.

    Hope some of the fans who view them as medal machines, and sports instruments of ‘war by other means’ (as the Swiss characterize, or I hope used to characterize, their international business ethics)  can learn something.

  4. 4.

    Kent

    As a former track athlete (high school) the most impressive performances I have seen so far have been both the men’s and women’s 400 meter hurdles. Just astonishing world record performances in both races in which both second place finishers also broke the former world record. In both cases not just breaking the world record, shattering it.  Athletes at their absolute peak pushing each other past what no humans have ever done in history.  I felt privileged just to witness it.

    And damn are the US women track athletes gorgeous in this Olympics.

  6. 6.

    James E Powell

    Tonight one of my twitter buddies asked why there’s a running medal count by country. I think it’s a vestige of the Cold War era Olympics when the games were one of the surrogates for war: more medals meant our system was better than theirs. And I remember that it was US v USSR plus the other Soviet Bloc nations, notably East Germany. Red China wasn’t part of it because for years they weren’t allowed in the games. And then after they were, it was like they were the good commies.

    But why do we have the medal counts by country now? It’s not like ISIS or the terrorists sent a team.

  7. 7.

    NotMax

    @Kent

    what no humans have ever done in history

    You should’a seen Mogg take off when that smilodon was chasing him. Greased lightning.

    We’ll miss Mogg.

    ;)

  9. 9.

    HumboldtBlue

    @James E Powell:

    Because we keep score.

    It’s the essence of competition.

    It’s why there are only three competitors recognized, as opposed to four or five.

    We keep score.

  11. 11.

    trollhattan

    Doesn’t get much better than giggly 12 and 13 YO girls nailing their skateboard routines–really nailing them–and winning medals. Hugs all around among all the competitors.

    They probably make fun of their moms’ Justin Bieber CD collections, too.

  13. 13.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    Not for nothing, but the Aussie soccer team is fun and incredibly sexy (photo)​

  14. 14.

    James E Powell

    @HumboldtBlue:

    But why count medals by country? The comparison with three medals for each event is not apt.

    USA has the most competitors, 657. China has 431. Several countries send only a few competitors for a few events. How can these be compared on the same scoreboard?

  15. 15.

    Brachiator

    @James E Powell:

    But why count medals by country? The comparison with three medals for each event is not apt.

    Yes, in the old days when it was an existential battle between America and the Soviet Union, the medal count was still meaningless but had a little political frisson.

    I suppose that people who get excited over possible conflict between China and the US watch the medal count.

    I ignore this stuff. I don’t particularly care whether Team USA wins a lot of medals. I think it cool when some nation wins its first medal, but otherwise I just enjoy to competition and displays of excellence.

  17. 17.

    HumboldtBlue

    @James E Powell:

    I’m not sure how to explain this other than we keep stats.

    We keep records and while there is no competition for overall medal count there is our record keeping.

    Who won what when and where or how. That’s all.

    It provides context and reference to the competition.

  18. 18.

    Tony Jay

    @James E Powell:

    Because all of those competitors (other than the Russians, who are only there as ‘guests’ of the Russian Olympic Committee) are there representing their countries. It says so on their… uniforms? Kits? Costumes? In fact, I could well be wrong about this, but don’t you specifically have to be picked for the team by your national federation of whicheversport?

    I get what you mean. “Why is the medal table ranked by nation when they’re won by individuals?” but that’s just the easiest way of showing how your ‘team’ has done, with everything that means for popularisation of sporting achievement and the funding that attracts. What’s the other option? Arrange the table by individual names?

  19. 19.

    Tony Jay

    I was particularly gutted for Katrina Johnson-Thompson in the Heptathlon. Not just because she’s a fellow Liverpudlian, though that helps, but because if the Olympics had been held last year as planned she’d have been at the absolute peak of her long-term training plan, and would have almost certainly added the Olympic Gold to the World Heptathlon title to make all the sacrifices she’s made over the last few years worthwhile.

    But they were delayed for a year, she damaged her achilles in December, and the injury flared up to put her out of the competition. Gutted.

    Little Trivia factoid, her best friend going back to their school days is Jodie Corner, who plays Villanelle in Killing Eve.

  20. 20.

    James E Powell

    @Tony Jay:

    Arrange by categories & events. Like the Oscars

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Context & reference comes from stats within the sport, not the home nation of the competitors. World record. Wins & losses. Championships.

  21. 21.

    Mary G

    @James E Powell: Because if they stopped doing it, Republicans who cling to the myth of “American exceptionalism” would scream bloody murder about the librul media and who needs that headache?

    If the US ever falls out of the top 5 or so countries, the medal tally will disappear (ETA from American media) without a trace.

  23. 23.

    James E Powell

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    The analogy to the team would be the company that produced the movie. People in the business – and by the business I mean the industry – care & keep track. But there is no chart on the front page and the general public doesn’t care.

    Anyway, it’s not a huge thing, it’s just, like, my opinion, man.

  25. 25.

    YY_Sima Qian

    These acts of camaraderie & fellowship, along w/ fierce competition & incredible feats, are what keep me interested in the Olympics. I used to watch it religiously, from Barcelona, to Atlanta, to Sydney & Athens, culminating in Beijing, where I watched 30+ events from the stands. The most memorable moments I witnessed were Usain Bolt beating the WR during the 200 m sprint finals in the Bird’s Nest, & a Chinese female archer taking down 1 North Korean & 3 South Korean competitors in succession to win an improbable gold, in a downpour. South Korea is as dominant in archery as China is in table tennis & diving, they usually sweep the medal stand.

    From London to Rio, though, the Olympics has lost much of it draw for me. I have not watched a single Tokyo event live on TV or streaming, just some highlights. Holding the Games in a raging pandemic, for transparently financial reasons, is too much. However, it has been source of distraction for the millions people under lock down & quarantine in China…

  26. 26.

    Tony Jay

    @sanjeevs:

    You know, I’ve never seen the series? It’s one of the ones I’m definitely going to get around to one of these days, but it’s a hell of a long list.

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