Over rated sporting ppl

[Peter Falconia]

in your opinion maybe...

No Jimmy, it's someone elses opinion.

I apologise to anyone that is upset that my opinion of swimmers, runners and tennis players is different to theirs.

But I will continue.

Running fast - Not much skill involved.

Running fast while bouncing an odd shaped ball, then kicking it 50 mts through a norrow gap - Plenty of skill

Hitting a green soft furry ball back and forth 50 times to win a point - Not that hard

Hitting a hard red ball hurtling towards your face at 150km/h, 80mts over a fence - Skill and courage

As for swimming, you only swim for two reasons. To keep cool, and to survive.

[Peter Falconia]

60 Australain swimmers, went to the C'wealth games, only 6-12 of them can make a living out of it the rest get Naff all apart from expenses being covered by the AIS and state based institutes of sport......

Swimmers and runners are rewarded in line with how much entertainment they give i.e. Bugger all.

Well given that commercial endorsements in sport depend on how well you are: rated by the public / exposed, that statement sort of flies in the face of your first unsubstantiated sweeping generalisation....

Out of 60 AFL footballers, none are relying on Government handouts.

Would you like to retract any of your statements?

[heater31]

in your opinion maybe...

No Jimmy, it's someone elses opinion.

I apologise to anyone that is upset that my opinion of swimmers, runners and tennis players is different to theirs.

But I will continue.

Running fast - Not much skill involved.

Running fast while bouncing an odd shaped ball, then kicking it 50 mts through a norrow gap - Plenty of skill

Hitting a green soft furry ball back and forth 50 times to win a point - Not that hard

Hitting a hard red ball hurtling towards your face at 150km/h, 80mts over a fence - Skill and courage

As for swimming, you only swim for two reasons. To keep cool, and to survive.

If running fast wasnt that hard then why aint we all in the friggin Olympics. skill needed reaction time, technique

Tennis, speed, control, reaction time.... hell id win wimbledon if i had these

Swimming, same reasons as running

[rod_rooster]

Not necessarily true Wedgie. Despite poor scripts and storylines Kurt Angle actually made John Cena look good a couple of times and that is no mean feat. Managed to put on a couple of pretty good matches despite everything from storyline and a crap opponent making it extremely difficult. That's just one example.

Cena's actually not as bad as you think, Rod. Did you see him when he first came along in 2002? He was good. Like a lot of wrestlers he doesn't do as much now, partly because of the storylines and gimmicks you mentioned. That's probably what you're seeing.

Mind you, Angle is the sort of wrestler that could make ANYONE look good. What a shame we'll never see Kurt Angle v Bret Hart.

Agree with you re:Angle but we'll have to agree to disagree on Cena. Any half decent match he's been involved in he has been carried by his opponent IMHO. And yes i did see him when he first came along.

[am Bays]

60 Australain swimmers, went to the C'wealth games, only 6-12 of them can make a living out of it the rest get Naff all apart from expenses being covered by the AIS and state based institutes of sport......

Swimmers and runners are rewarded in line with how much entertainment they give i.e. Bugger all.

Well given that commercial endorsements in sport depend on how well you are: rated by the public / exposed, that statement sort of flies in the face of your first unsubstantiated sweeping generalisation....

Out of 60 AFL footballers, none are relying on Government handouts.

Would you like to retract any of your statements?

Nup and I can name several AFL Footballers who have in the past relied on Government handouts and support to get the opportunity to be in a position to be drafted......

Basically any kid in the last five years from Tasmania, ACT, NSW, QLD and the NT who has been drafted have had government indirect support at the U/18 level, and some have had direct financial support.......

FYI the Queensland Academy of Sport aka governemnt gives some of the elite NRL QLDers scholarships for playing SOO....

And do you want me to mention any of the test cricketers that have had government support........from both the State academies and institute of sports and the AIS??????

Mind you, I wil conceed, there are some athletes/tennis/swimmers that arguably get too much publicity compared to others in their chosen sports of equal/better ability, but to say everyone is overrated

As heater said if it was so friggin easy we'd all be doing it......

[TroyGFC]

Every Aussie swimmer. Every Aussie track athlete.

Obviously you haven't been on too many pool decks at 5:00 am in the morning for 2 hours, followed up by afternoon sessions for 2-3 hours five and a half days a week for 46 weeks of the year for 10 years to get a shot at Australian selection let alone a shot an international glory...

Same with the track athletes, especially the middle distance runners, Just think of the training Mottram has to do to run 1. 5 km in 3:30 you and I'd be flat out doing 750 m in 3:30

60 Australain swimmers, went to the C'wealth games, only 6-12 of them can make a living out of it the rest get Naff all apart from expenses being covered by the AIS and state based institutes of sport......

The work that Olympic athletes have to put in for the reward they get back, the vast majority not the elite 5% with the endorsements, they are grossly under rated.....

I may be a smart arse to you bringing up my past experiences but at least my past allows me to make posts with a modicum of judgement and reasoning, not unsubstantiated sweeping generalisations that make you look like a boorish Australian follower of sport who shows a passing in interest in our sporting history and achievements when it suits, but goes back to lounge chair and remote control with out the foggiest idea of what that person wearing the green and gold has gone through to earn the shot of qualifying for Australian Championships in swimming and athletics let alone making the team......

Well said Tassie!!
The best peice of sportmanship I have seen for a longtime was when Stevens allowed Thorpe to take his 400m freestyle position as the last Oly games, after that Stevens went up in my honourship stakes. Australian swimmers are still more under-rated than the USA counterparts with the exception of Thorpe who is in a league of his own.

[mighty_tiger_79]

some of these people have fallen into this category because of their girlfriends/wives.

look at Hewitt now

the SCUd

manou

[MightyEagles]

some of these people have fallen into this category because of their girlfriends/wives.

look at Hewitt now

the SCUd

manou

Gold .

[FlyingHigh]

Definitely Phillipousis.

Rafter was great, but like Tony Modra, didn't sustain it for long enough to be an absolute champion.

The top level of AFL footballers aren't overrated, but below that many are. Many get the publicity just they play a few AFL games, and then fade away, don't even have the ability/gumption to play many SANFL games as opposed to blokes like Brett James, Troy Clements, Colville who play 200+ and get bugger all recognition for it. Classic would be when Confidential in the Advertiser recently described Dion Myles as a "former Sydney Swan" (10+ years ago when they were crap) rather than from Westies, to whom he gave great service.

Dare I say the winner of the Melbourne Cup? Moreso that horses who win the other major spring events aren't held in as high regard by the public, even though those races are more classical/pure horse racing

[Punk Rooster]

Dare I say the winner of the Melbourne Cup? Moreso that horses who win the other major spring events aren't held in as high regard by the public, even though those races are more classical/pure horse racing

The Defense presents Exhibit A: Makybe Diva....
Besides MD, I tend to agree...