a “must-see” event. Aside from the Track & Field sprinting events (I’m a former sprinter in high school/college), I like to watch some of the stuff usually not seen on TV such as:
Judo & Taekwondo
Fencing
Canoe/Kayak (usually held in scenic locations good for TV)
Equestrian

Of course, diving is fun to watch, and seeing what Michael Phelps can do this year will be interesting.

I love the Olympics!!

I might watch if I’m not busy doing something else. It’s not appointment TV for me.

Baseball and softball will probably be my main interest; but really, except for fencing and equestrian I enjoy them all. Also, these games will be the first to be produced and broadcast entirely in high definition television, so that will be cool too.

I like to stay up until 3 am to watch it live on NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, NBC.com, NBC 2, Telemundo, NBC Italia, NBC Mobile….

though if nothing else is on the tube, I may find myself watching for an hour or so here & there. My anticipation of these games is only heightened by the possibility of seeing athletes wearing masks up until the moment of their event due to the horrible pollution in Beijing. The Chi-Coms have made some claim that they will try to make it rain and get some of that smog out of there, but I’m really not sure how that’s possible…

We’ll be watching some of it, though the Opening Ceremony should be interesting as everyone tries to top what the previous host city did. As for events, the swimming stuff with Michael Phelps should be good, as well as Dara Torres. Diving is cool sometimes and track and field though I actually like the non-track portions. Stuff like the Decathalon and high-jump, pole-vault. Indoor cycling can be fun sometimes too.

Track and field, basketball, possibly swimming. Otherwise, not really exciting.

The politics of the games with China may be interesting, however i.e. how much freedom to broadcast if there are protests.

being able to read about the events well before i see them kills some of the excitement. though if i hear about world records being broken or phelps having the chance to break mark spitz’s single-olympics medal record, i’ll make sure to watch.

That I will likely watch.

As with professional sports the Olympics and the best amateur athletes in the U.S. have been mega-marketed to death. Plus, most of the world is sick and tired of Bob Costas and his colleagues at NBC Sports blathering on and on and on in wordy poetic terms as opposed to showing more of the games and events.

The world cares about the Olympics WAY MORE than the general populace of the U.S.

I used to like it when I was a kid, but I stopped watching as I got older. What drove me the craziest were all the lame human interest stories – can it be the “Last Chance” for EVERYONE at the olympics? The story gets watered down when you play the same tale once per hour. The phrase “last chance” has become a running joke in my family for years. Also, note to Olympics announcers: medal is a noun, not a verb.

Also, much like college sports, the mass marketing and undercurrents of nationalism in an event that is supposed to uphold the “purity of athletic competition” really rubs me the wrong way. No thanks. Everything just feels way too prepackaged.

Aside from the opening ceremonies, I’ve had very little interest in the Olympics for years. That’s even less after reading Game of Shadows earlier this summer. I just can’t believe, no matter how stringent the testing, that a majority of these athletes are chemical free. It’s too bad really, but that’s the world we live in now.

Only because I’m interested in how the host country does in hosting . . . I’m not going to do here what I did in the postgame thread, but obviously I have some interest in what happens in China.

I love the summer Olympics. As a runner, I love the track and field events, although we really dont get to see all of the longer, more interesting races. I like basketball- can’t ever forget that ‘92 Dream Team. Beyond that, I like a few odds and ends including cycling and somewhat diving.

However, I have mixed feelings because it is a shame for all of mankind that Beijing was awarded the Olympics. I might have considered a US boycott, but with friends who competed in the Olympic trials in track and the marathon, I couldnt tell those guys that they dont get to perform on their dream stage. But, geez, between the health risks and the horrible government there, I will be uncomfortable watching enthusiastically.

I have always loved watching the Olympic tourney. Sometimes I think I’m the only one left, but I won’t miss a USA game.

If Phelps gets some early medals I will watch him.

...but only because it comes along once every four years. Rather, if swim meets or a steeplechase were broadcast on network TV every weekend, I’d get bored real quickly. But to see that event once every four years, when it’s seemingly new to me, when the athletes themselves know that the next minute or two will shape the rest of their lives…that’s pretty compelling.

Last time they came around I was in line for a spot on the US Paralympic Swimming Team but I blew out my shoulder a few weeks before my last trial. I had career ending surgery on my left shoulder after about 3 months of trying rehab. I couldn’t watch the 04 games… it was too close.

I’m going to try to watch these. Phelps’ stroke is perfect… other than his fly… he’s missing a downbeat on his follow through… I don’t know how’s hes so fast!

Medal ceremonies are always great too. The reactions to the anthems from different countries is good theater.

most of those guys will probably make it to the majors someday. take a look at some of the past USA teams.

I’ve been to the last three Summer Games, but I won’t be in Beijing this year. After hearing about all that’s going on there, I’m glad I’m going to be here instead.

I like everything about it—from track and field to kayaking and canoeing to rifle shooting to judo to team handball. The cultural aspects also are very cool.

I’m not sure it’s as compelling as it was back in the Cold War days, but it’s still a lot of fun—like a 24-hour sports pageant for two weeks. I’ll watch as much of it as I can.

I might watch some of the gymnastics, diving, pole vault and high jump, and some baseball. But if I miss some or all of it, I won’t lose sleep. The opening ceremony is pretty cool, but usually a little too long. I do agree that the parade of countries is cool. I wonder what kind of reception some of them will get…..

probably women’s softball, swimming and gymnastics. The other stuff is fine…if it’s on and I’m not doing anything I’ll probably watch. I get tired of all the Costas sob stories too…..they should have some fun, quirky, oddball stories too to mix things up.

I’ll watch baseball and basketball. Before I was born in 1972, the awful terrorist incident in Munich took away from the magic of the Olympics. In a far, far, far less important event, the US was robbed of a gold medal in basketball by Olympics officials that year. The US boycott of the 1980 Moscow games and the 1984 boycott by the Soviet bloc nations of the LA games further took steam out of the Olympics.

of the swimming as possible. I was a competitive swimmer for 18 years, so I enjoy the swimming events. Especially with Phelps gunning for Spitz again this year.

Other than the swimming, I don’t care for the summer games too much. I like the winter games better.

I’ve got a big interest in the 100 hurdles b/c I went to High School with Lolo Jones so I’m really pulling for her besides being an Iowan. Looking forward to watching Shawn Johnson although gymnastics kinda bore me so i’ll mainly watch her and call it good. I enjoy watching the summer olympics so i’ll for sure put my time in.

I’m not sure whether this makes me (more of) an oddball around here or not, but I’m pretty much a baseball-only guy. I can’t seem to muster much, if any, interest in other sports or sporting events like the Olympics. All the media hype and press coverage starts to drive me nuts pretty quickly as well. If Mayor Daley wins his bid to bring the Olympics here to Chi-Town, I may have to take a sabbatical to Tibet or something. I do hope Team USA does well, though.

...But beyond that, it sort of sickens me that the games are in Beijing. It’s very hard for me to think of rewarding them with my attention after decades of human rights abuses and limited personal freedom. (Then again, I’m not that important, so they probably won’t miss me.) I wish we could have waited a few dozen more years for before giving them the games. I’m sorry for bringing this up in this thread, which was supposed to be honoring those who participate in the Games, but it’s on my mind and had to be said.

As a Des Moines native, it’s cool to see Shawn Johnson and LoLo Jones in the mix. I’ll watch these two compete.

As far as sports go for me, it’s pretty much the Cubs or nothing.