Mantas, its about time that the UK government took sports investment seriously, not for the good of winning a couple of poxy medals at the Olympics, but to try and halt the ballooning waistlines of the UK populace, specifically kids. Bearing in mind that the Newspaper that funded this recent advert was the Sun, I wouldn't start thinking that everyone in the UK is running around waving banners cos we got more golds than Oz. As Scouser says, even although people were happy to see Team GB get such a large haul, within a month it'll be forgotton as it simply isn't as important to us as football.

they're smart, this TeamGB people. All medalists on the same flight. If anything happened, they'd would've needed to spend the 600mil quickly.

hahaha. That would've been funny...well not for the athletes and their families....you know what I mean!!

football is JUST another sport! It is there, basically most people do not care enough to do anything about it. I care enough to turn the TV off if sport is the only option (or to watch something I have recorded for just such an occasion).

We have upwards of 24 hours of recorded stuff to watch when there's nothing useful on the current program.

Non-ratings periods allow me to catch up a bit on the backlog.

I wouldn't be so sure TB. Loads of articles, blogs, comments on forums ect. It's all good fun, I doubt there's any real malice in it.
I agree about the whole expanding waste line/sport thing. This is great for the U.K..
The whole medal tally thing is a crock of shite anyway. The reason the IOC doesn't have an official medal tally formula is, as someone pointed out, it goes against the olympic spirit.

Really?? I've not seen any, but this may just be another highlight of the splinter in the UK. As far as I can see the Scottish press don't seem to be bothered about it, so it may be that the English press is whipping up the storm, I guess its really England you guys have a rivalry with anyway.

Either way, if that means an injection of 600 mill for sports development etc then all the better!!

Re: Beijing Opening Ceremony:

I had to drive during the evening through most of it, so listened to abc am radio call of it.

But I recorded it and only last night watched (the bulk of) it..

One word: OUTSTANDING.

The radio call, whilst ok, could hardly do justice to the spectacle that was that event. So glad I recorded it and watched the TV broadcast. Very, very impressive!

Except for Channel 7's bloody advertising through much of it of course.

There has been much public discussion for and against funding for elite athletes, Olympic campaigns, Olympic ceremonies & fireworks in them etc.

The Olympic Games is THE BEST truly global event in the world.
The core values it represents such as friendship, peace & sportsmanship alone warrant the resources used to make it the huge production it is.

Arguments such as "oh, most of the olympic games budget should be spent on healthcare & education instead" are such ridiculous modern-day-economist/political views - people who truly believe that should take a step back, see the big picture, and if they simply must ride the economist horse then they should looks at Defence budgets and other more appropriate sources from which to reallocate funds.

That opening ceremony was fantastic.
An excellent application of so many facets in a wonderful way - including art, dance, culture, history, technology, pyrotechnics, choreography, acrobatics & multimedia experience.
I have never seen anything quite like it.

An absolute pinnacle of human achievement - we should all count ourselves glad & lucky to be living in this era where we can make such events into what they are.

Bring on the next, and the next, and the next Olympic games and let's see more!

--------------------
Go Sea Eagles | Mmm.. Beer.

Scandalous comment.

Football is not 'JUST a sport'.
Football is a way of life, a religion....

To compare it to any other sports is frankly just very very silly.

couldn't have said it any clearer myself!!

No, to believe that football (of whatever code) is like a religion is foolish in the extreme!

It is a matter of getting a grip on the realities of life. There are but a few NEEDS - they being food, shelter, nurture and love. All the rest is bonus. Sport is JUSt a way to enjoy some spare time, nothing more. When the "sport" becomes a business, it loses its appeal. So, there are very few so-called sports with much appeal left.

To ignore it being as such is surely the mark of the foolish!



Yes there are basic needs - those being food, shelter, nurture, love and of course Liverpool Football Club.



Yes, I agree. Rubbish aren't they, most of them? Having said that, I can always sit down with some moments to spare to watch some sport. Not like footie though.

Praying in the church of Anfield.

You have got to be having a lend of us, aren't you? "of course Liverpool Football Club" as a basic need? where is livverpuddle?? what?

and soccer was one of the very first "sports" to abandon the joy of playing for the joy of payment.

Having a lend = pulling your leg??

No, I am truly not.



If you don't know, it doesn't really matter, does it.
I'm not trying to convert you, JA.

Sorry, Not even you can seriously suggest that soccer is played purely for the enjoyment of the game! Or can you?

Even the England team (and the Oz team too) are made up of players who've gone elsewhere to get more pay!

Regardless of what I think about the money aspect of the game, in the big picture it does not matter.

I don't really care about the England team, but - to correct your most basic of mistakes - most (perhaps all?) of the England team play in the Premier League in England and not overseas.

JA- You'll never win that one mate.

Having shared some flats with a Pomm or two, I have learnt that football IS a way of life for some. It's just the way of things. A famous pomm ( insert name here) once said
"people think that football is a matter of life or death in this country, when in actual fact it's much more serious than that"

rofl.

Well, yer kinda right, comparing it to other "real" sports is silly.



And this is a nice compilation, showing the true extent of frustration in the Gaygame:

Well now you have really proved a lot there ssar. Having seen those videos and leant that it is 'the Gaygame' (though I am not exactly sure if you are referring to hooliganism - which is idiots fighting, not a game; or football - which is a game) I feel the urge to repent, tear up my Chelsea season ticket and see the light.



In actual fact, all you showed was your ignorance and hinted at your strong dislike.

Perhaps this should just get back on topic now.

2Pints, I'm sure it's only a small minority causing the problems and the vast majority of football fans are sensible and well behaved, BUT it's always football leading the way with crowd violence. Unfortunately football and hooligans are well and truly linked and to suggest otherwise would be a case of denial.

It's a bit hard to comprehend really. The game itself is very mild with very little physical contact. Rugby league and union are way more physical yet the crowd violence is almost nonexistent.

It's sometimes called the world game. It's also called thug ball here after OUR football team was booed, jeered and SPAT on when they arrived at the airport in Paraguay for the world cup qualifying match!

We have sent many many teams abroad from many different sporting codes and never NEVER have we received a reception like that.