[QUOTE=spotted mustang;3492079]
why does it always have to be the Gold medalists? How boring. Why not invite all the last place finishers from each competition? Now THAT’s a show I would want to watch.[/QUOTE]
The U.S. won 36 gold medals and 8 of those were from Michael Phelps and she’s inviting 175 olympians…pretty sure it’s all medal winners:D Total medals for the U.S. was 110…so 175 makes sense…That would stink if it was only gold medal winners.
Elitist much?
Look I don’t watch and haven’t ever watched Oprah. My beginning and end of my Oprahness is to appreciate the fine job she did in the Color Purple.
So that said, I couldn’t begin to scribble out a post saying the Olympians deserve better. Because if not Oprah then who? You? Do YOU have one of the largest mass audience appeal and coverage out there? I’m inclined to think what the vast majority of olympians who are struggling to make a living AND excel in a sport that does NOT provide them with sponsor appeal a la Michael Phelps need is some recognition from just about anybody with any degree of clout. I doubt they are so picky as to quibble about your concerns for what they might need, and if that were the case, that’s the beuty of Oprah. Nobody is forcing them to show up.
Aint that the truth. All athletes (barring the few that are already at the top) need finanial help to get them where they need to go and the value of the publicity a show like Oprah can give them is incalculable.
[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;3492355]
Aint that the truth. All athletes (barring the few that are already at the top) need finanial help to get them where they need to go and the value of the publicity a show like Oprah can give them is incalculable.[/QUOTE]
I beg to differ because the Oprah show will likely just contain them all in one room to say Congrats for our medalists, which is fine, but to elude to thinking it could propel equestrian events or any other into a larger fan base is a bit far fetched. (It’s got nothing to do with elitism or jealousy or whatever unless you want to call me a realist).
In one show- if the equestrian team medalists were there with everyone else- how much time dedication do you honestly think it (equestrian) would get?
Taking it for what it could be at most- a yippee party- again which is fine if that’s what you expect of it.
[QUOTE=ridgeback;3491959]
Maybe change your negative attitude you might see the secret/ the law of the universe works:)[/QUOTE]
OMG…you believe everything you read. Both those books your touting are crap.
[QUOTE=spotted mustang;3492091]
oooh - someone else likes badminton. How cool. The fastest game with a racket. Wicked conditioning. Footwork, yay! And those cute, lithe Chinese guys…
:):):)[/QUOTE]
Yup. And every Olympics since 1996, at least one of the people I trained with when I was in high school represented the US. This year it was Howard Bach. He was about 12 or 13 when I was a senior in high school. It’s pretty cool to see him on TV etc. since badminton is such a small sport here. I have the opportunity to coach for the Chicago Park District program that they are starting here to prove to the USOC that Chicago can draw all kinds of sporting events, so I am pretty pumped up and excited! 
Cheers!
after not having read in decades… what’s wrong with that, taking a pointer, EVEN from Oprah. I mean YOU don’t have to read it. I know unless it was coincidence I haven’t…but then again, I could live at BAM and B&N
[QUOTE=Xhltsalute;3492574]
OMG…you believe everything you read. Both those books your touting are crap.[/QUOTE]
OMG…so all the ancient religions who have said this for thousands of years are crap??? I was only responding about one book called The Secret which is a great title since Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Krisna all talked about this. It really doesn’t matter if people believe in it or not it’s kinda like Karma it’s there regardless if you believe it;)
Please keep the discussion horse/Olympics-related vs. a thread about Oprah.
Thanks!
Mod 1
Maybe. Probably. But you just never know do you? Sometimes it is that one person’s personal interest story that propels a sport along with it. Not always, and indeed rarely. But it does happen and it helps everyone in that sport. It may happen here or it may not and it’s no more (or less) likely to happen with equestrian than any other lesser watched sport, now is it? However the odds are higher than if they NEVER get any media recognition, right?
I dunno, saying an Oprah appearance is a waste of their time seems so at odds with the ever present complaining about how we never get any decent media coverage of our sport. Honestly, who else wants that serving of cake to have and eat to?
It is being filmed this morning a block or so from my office … Tribune lists the ‘guest list’
Equestrian (Men’s)
Will Simpson
Equestrian (Women’s)
Laura Kraut, Gina Miles
The commercials are touting over 100 Medalists. I think it is cool that she is showcasing many medalists not just gold winners. Plus how often do we forget these athletes after the Olympics are over. So I say Bravo Oprah.
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;3492928]
It is being filmed this morning a block or so from my office … Tribune lists the ‘guest list’[/QUOTE]
You beat me to it! On the radio this morning they said they arrived on 4 double decker buses…
sort of like Will won his on a different team than Laura? 
There’s your story right there. How many gold medalists compete on equal footing?
Anyone who promotes literacy is OK by me. I do not depend on Oprah or any other celebrity to advance which books are on my nightstand but I am always interested in finding new authors who’s books I might find interesting.
I am however happy to see that someone who has the ability to reach an audience of otherwise uninformed TV watchers introduce the sport of equestrian show jumping, eventing, dressage. It is an uphill battle to make our sport understandable and shed the elitist connotation. If there is a television celebrity that is personally interested then I give them a whole hearted approval for their effort. We recieve so little publicity- aknowledgement as it is that I know more than a few people that asked me not to mention the outcome of the events because they had not yet watched the rides and they had no idea of the outcome because the olympic commentators had not reported the winners. :no:
Let’s just say it cannot hurt - one would be an idiot to assume it would all of a sudden morphe into extra funding for an Olympian, and to have such expectations is not what people are saying. But publicity is always a good thing. The Olympics is such a short lived moment, I’m glad she’s even giving them airtime since it is past news. One will have to wait for the show to decide if it gives anyone any quality airtime.
I happen to think that Olympians are an inspiration and present wonderful role models for a lot of people that Oprah might reach.
I can’t understand how anyone can dislike a person who runs a talk show among other things because she recommends some books to read.
I’m pretty sure it’s not JUST about the books she recommends. It’s about much more.
Nothing mentioned is even remotely worthy of even the briefest indignation, I’m more interested in dressage related subjects.
…so if Oprah had dressage riders on, you would watch, nothing else? Haw, haw.
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