Olympics

Opening ceremonies for Olympics tonight.  A few soccer and rugby games already happening, possibly other.  I am excited for a few weeks.
 
Some pretty obscure sports in the Olympics this year that are worth at least 15-20 minute watch...  I can only take so much of the gymnastics and diving that the main station coverages seem to love.  Just like winter Olympics and the figure skating.  All of those are incredible athletes, but it seems just too much in the hands of the judges.  That and most of their routines look about the same to me.  I am more into the defined winner/loser type sports.  You cross a goal line or finish line, you put a ball in a goal, your team lets the ball hit the ground, etc.  Sure, the refs always seem to get things wrong, but it isn't 99% up to them to decide things.
 
Still, some of the best few weeks of sports with all of the other rarely televised sports.  Right there with March Madness, NCAA Bowl season and NFL playoffs for me.  The other pro sports, I would be just fine swapping them for every 4 years for half of the Olympics.  Just something about representing the countries that makes them a bit more interesting.  I guess also, USA being so strong in so many sports, is like rooting for the Yankees and almost expecting to win.  
 
I'm not a fan of paying for these streaming services to go on top of already paying way too much for cable (although I cut the cord and on my second streaming service, but still too much).  That said, the Peacock streaming app seems to be covering just about every sport.  I'm not sure if you can subscribe monthly and cancel or free for a month type of deal?  We already have it along with 5-6 others.  Complete scam of how so many things are monthly subscriptions now days.  

Anyone see that dude from Turkey, Yusuf Dikec that does the shooting? Everyone else uses some technical glasses that look like something out of the Matrix. My man with none of that, hand in his pocket, wins silver. Might be the coolest dude of Olympics award.

What are those black things on the dominant eye? If no advantage, why are most of the others using? Just asking, not trying argue. I don’t know crap about it. Like most Olympic sports, I only see most of these for maybe an hour every 4 years…. The guy just sort of sticks out in style. Looks like he is from some local gun club that is beating the crap out of the best in the world. I’d imagine there are probably some of those guys out there that are just that good of shot, but can’t give up their careers to do Olympic shooting. I can’t imagine even top shooter with endorsement money likely making enough to quit your job.

Porktown
 I can’t imagine even top shooter with endorsement money likely making enough to quit your job.

  
 

This guy was using air pellets, so assume much less expensive for training.  Not sure how much I believe about his story.  Supposedly he is a small garage mechanic that was going through a divorce.  During the divorce to get split custody, he decided to take up shooting with one of his kids as a way of spending more time and showing the court they were involved on a team together or something like that.  So, he has only been doing it for a relatively short time.  Just happens to have some good natural aim and nerves of steel to do it on the world stage.  Got to be honest, I saw him on the Pat McAfee Show and on the internet, before going back and watching it.  But once I tuned in, it was actually rather entertaining to watch.  Especially being tied until the final shots.  I can't imagine how nerve wracking it was for them on that big of a stage.
 
I'd have to imagine the rifle sharp shooting, like you said is mostly military or LEO that have the ammo paid for and possibly pay for the other expenses of competition.  Like any sport, I'd imagine once you are recognized as a top talent in the country on a competitive circuit, you can either draw college scholarship interest (with free ammo/range time/travel expenses/entry fees) along with tuition or gain corporate sponsorship for those expenses on the "pro" level.  Again, like most Olympic sports, the "pro" level is not paying them much and usually not enough to quit their day jobs.  Unless you happen to be the absolute best and helps to be photogenic (especially on the female side), then endorsements can pay very well.  Usually for a small window of time for a very select few, Olympics are every 4 years and only a fraction of the audience follows the sports the other 3 years until the next.  If you are really good, but ranked #5 and an average Joe looking dude, the media endorsement deals likely aren't happening and mostly living off of prize money at smaller events, with endorsement deals that basically pay for the noted expenses.  Live the dream of possibly one day making the Olympics and maybe a media endorsement deal.  Get lucky like this guy and be an internet star and possibly land some sort of commercial deal.  Who knows, this dude may help propel shooting like the Winter Olympics a few back propelled curling.  Not that it is on a huge level, but it is something that I can tune into and watch for longer than most sports.  Corn hole and bowling too...  Enough that the top competitors in each of those sports are likely making at least a nice side gig to go on top of their careers, or maybe enough to be completely pro?
 
I could see some of the Olympic sports getting larger, but would likely involve gambling.  Track and Field is getting larger in Europe, but I believe are basically like our horse racing here, with the betting odds, etc. and a cut of it ends up paying the top few spots of races.  If that caught on more and promoted Olympics like they promote "March Madness" or "Fantasy Football" or other sporting events that half are watching purely out of gambling, I could see them getting a bit more money to the athletes.  They Olympics likely aren't going to promote it like that, but each individual sport may at some point.  I'm sure you can find somewhere in Vegas or other that you can bet on just about all of these already, but not the scale that these athletes would likely see a penny from it.

I say his shots count for your score!

I hope those on the sniper teams are better than 20% accurate.

No doubt on the time practicing to be at that level. I wish the US Olympic Teams had the funds to pay their team athletes a decent wage and all expenses, so these athletes could do it as full time. I know many of the track athletes are doing similar hours of training and still need to work full time to make ends meet. I’d assume the case with most of these sports. For how much money NBC is raking in from advertisements and other, it would be nice for a sizable chunk of this to go to the athletes. I think a lot to do with every 4 years. If every year or two years, would have a lot more money to pay out. But likely not the interest that it gets being every 4?

That dude took 2nd on purpose.
Absolute legend.