I used to love watching boxing. I grew up during the Ali years. It was a sport, a spectacle, something interesting to see. Olympic boxing did me in. There have been so many controversial decisions in Olympic boxing that you can't help but think "the fix" was in. Either they only use the most incompetent refs around or something else is going on.
The 1988 Olympics were the end of my desire to watch any Olympic level boxing. It just seemed that Olympic after Olympic boxing officiating kept showing itself to be either inept or corrupt and nothing was done to fix it.
Move forward to the 2 Olympic boxing matches I watched today. All I had really wanted to see was the Custio Clayton, a local man, fight a British boxer. The first Olympic boxing I have watched since the 88 Olympics. Unfortunately I got to watch the farce that took place before it. The first match saw a French boxer for some unknown reason lose.
Then came Clayton's match. He lost the first round 7-2. I can't say I agree with that but fine 7-2 it is. He dominated the next 2 rounds. In fact, the referee had to warn Evan's, the British boxer, THREE times about pushing Clayton's head down. Now, in the real world, warning someone 3 times in a boxing match means an AUTOMATIC loss of points to the offenders. The ref decided to ignore that reality and push on.
The match ended in a tie. Which considering the aforementioned rule about warnings is ... strange. The match was given to the British boxer.
Canada appealed and that was quickly rejected. Even though the British boxer was warned 3 times with no penalty for that. Mind you that isn't Evan's fault and I hope he does well. It doesn't say a lot about Olympic boxing though. Which is no big surprise.
I am going to go back to ignoring Olympic boxing. Too many fucktards are involved in running and officiating it.
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The officiating and judging at the Olympic level is as mysterious to me as the ways of women...
ReplyDeletestrange and mercurial.
A sorry spectacle where logic fears to tread.
Well said.
ReplyDeleteA radio commentator opinioned after Clayton's loss today that Fencing is able to use modern tech to judge contact properly and get rid of the "middle man". The guy he was talking to complained that it would take the human element out of judging. If the human element is that fucked up and opens the door to corruption charges should it really be there?
It's a hell of a shame, but sports are big business and account for a big part or the world's economy. But just like most of those businesses out there, those who play by the rules rarely finish in first place.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, it's hard to teach kids right from wrong when they see so much of the spoils going to the spoiled.
But, at least now, you know why I could care less about professional sports and the joke that is the Olympic Games.
I had hoped things would have changed by now and am disappointed to see they haven't.
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on about teaching kids right and wrong. It is hard to tell them to play by the rules when shit like this happens.
I have to credit Clayton. He is handling it well and showing true sportsmanship.