After the Olympics football seems dull

[Rock The Boat 1,332]

The greatest sporting spectacle in our lifetime. More than a sports event, the Olyimpics were a celebration of the human spirit. Commitment, perseverence, acheivement, the pain of defeat, the joy of competing and the glory of victory.I was a schoolboy when we won the World Cup in 1966 and the national mood at that time was similar to what we experienced over the past two weeks. And yet the Olympics overshadowed our last major sporting win in every way imaginable. Not only could we cheer our own sportsmen and women to the winners tape but their was tremendous support to altheletes from other countries, too. Pride in the acheivements of Team GB didn''t diminish the feeling that you were witnessing something very special when Usain Bolt smashed the World sprint records. For me the Olympics was humanity at its very best.

And now it''s all over and with the Premier League kicking off in less than a week, I can''t help compare the emotional feeling generated by the Olympics with the prospect of getting behind the lads for the big Off.

Yes, the Olympians are not the amateurs of yesteryear. There are huge amounts of state funding that now goes into Olympic sports. Running is a full-time profession for our best atheletes. Yet compared to our selfish, ego-driven, give-me-a-better-contract-or-else professional footballers, our Olmpians seem saintly in comparison. 

I don''t think we''ll see many stories of Bradley Wiggins throwing his toys out of the pram for the sake of a salary hike. I doubt a single TeamGB athelete will be threatening to change nationality in order to get out of an existing contract deal as a result of winning a gold medal at the London Games. But as sure as day follows night the overpaid prima donna footballers will be filling the back pages of the newspapers with their whiney demands for our attention.

I think the Olympics has shown us how sport should be played. Right now there are anonymous 18-and 19-year old athletes already training in preparation for Rio in four years time. They''ll be out pounding the pavements day in, day out in all weathers, without a camera or journalist in sight. While on the Premier football pitches some precocious 18-year old talent will be the centre of media attention, along with the attendant bar fights, wags, hangers on and days in court.

So the Olympics has really done it for me. I really can''t get the enthusiasm up for the coming season after the historic events of the past two weeks. Football seems shallow and insignificant when compared to the Olympic games. I suppose give it a month or so and the meory of the Games will fade somewhat and the excitement of the season ahead will return, but at the moment I feel emotionally drained and the football seems dull and unimportant. Anyone else feel the same?   

[im spartacus canary 0]

Spot on mate , an excellent post.. i wasn''t bothered by the olympics at all right up until the opening ceromony and then it was like a lightbulb moment and i was spending every available moment watching the tv soaking up anything they could show me... i went to the ajax friendly wishing i was watching womans football on the tv instead... before the olympics i''d nevr heard of laura trott now i  think i love her x i''ve got no enthusiasm for football at all right now i''ve got no wish to sing the names of overpaid prima donnas..i think football as a whole might suffer a well deserved backlash... and i don''t care if it does ....

[In Dubious Battle 0]

Or it was a massive waste of tax payers money. All we have to look forward to now are crumbling stadiums and fading memories of sports that 99% of the time we could not care less about!

Bring on the football!!!!! (A real sport as opposed to the proffesional exercisers we saw at the olympics)

[Ozbarclay 0]

I think you really only get into the Olympics when it''s where you live (I was born in the UK ) but took little interest in it this time

[lake district canary 0]

Good thread.   To me its like comparing chalk and cheese, it can''t be done.    The Olympics was something special without a doubt, pulling the nation together in spirit and a recognition of athletes giving everything they''ve got - and more - like those two rowers who got a silver medal, practically unable to stand after their effort to get gold........

 

 

Where the spill over into football can happen is the fans and players recognising what is important - ie. the effort put in.     The 100% commitment.  Ideally, it shouldn''t matter if Norwich are at the top of the premiership or playing at the bottom of League 2.    As log as the players are putting in 100% in the cause - we would get behind them.    Football is a story of ups and downs.  No team stays the same for very long (unless you''r Stoke - and who would want to watch them play every week ? [:S]) .    So if the club is being properly run - and the players are giving everything in their attempts to play for the club - the fans should be happy - as we were watching the olympic athletes give their all.  

 

 

As Mo Farrah said - its all about hard work and graft.  If you put in enough effort and keep working hard - the success will come.   It is easy to say, but harder to achieve.   You have to work hard - but you also need the right mental attitude -focusing your hard work so that you are not wasting your energy.    You sometimes get the feeling that footballers are not focusing their energy - that they are wasting their talent by getting caught up in the playboy lifestyle.   However, its not all gloom and doom on that front. We have examples at Norwich of players that have a great attitude.  In fact at Norwich,  McNally and co have a policy of not going down that "money for nothing" route - and so far it is working.    We are lucky - alot of clubs have sold out and are suffering - either the money has upped and left, or the players that they overpay don''t  give value for the money spent.

 

 

The memory of the Olympics will fade and come next Saturday will be largely forgotten.   But the long term legacy will filter through as everybody recognises the value of what happened at the olympics - and that more players will copy what they have seen and learned from watching.   Ask Andy Murray what he has learned from the Olympics - he learned how to compete for a better reason other than just for himself - and in the process demolished Djokowic and  Federer for gold.    Footballers should take note.  

 

 

[Downloads 35]

A great assessment.

 

These Olympians are proper sports people for the most part, with an attitude that the footballers should pay attention to and aspire to.

[SwindonCanary 455]

The good only Beeb have come to your rescue  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19242453To add to that, one match at Fulham should get you back in the swing of things.

[pete_norw 0]

[quote user="Rock The Boat"]

The greatest sporting spectacle in our lifetime. More than a sports event, the Olyimpics were a celebration of the human spirit. Commitment, perseverence, acheivement, the pain of defeat, the joy of competing and the glory of victory.
I was a schoolboy when we won the World Cup in 1966 and the national mood at that time was similar to what we experienced over the past two weeks. And yet the Olympics overshadowed our last major sporting win in every way imaginable. Not only could we cheer our own sportsmen and women to the winners tape but their was tremendous support to altheletes from other countries, too. Pride in the acheivements of Team GB didn''t diminish the feeling that you were witnessing something very special when Usain Bolt smashed the World sprint records. For me the Olympics was humanity at its very best.

And now it''s all over and with the Premier League kicking off in less than a week, I can''t help compare the emotional feeling generated by the Olympics with the prospect of getting behind the lads for the big Off.

Yes, the Olympians are not the amateurs of yesteryear. There are huge amounts of state funding that now goes into Olympic sports. Running is a full-time profession for our best atheletes. Yet compared to our selfish, ego-driven, give-me-a-better-contract-or-else professional footballers, our Olmpians seem saintly in comparison. 

I don''t think we''ll see many stories of Bradley Wiggins throwing his toys out of the pram for the sake of a salary hike. I doubt a single TeamGB athelete will be threatening to change nationality in order to get out of an existing contract deal as a result of winning a gold medal at the London Games. But as sure as day follows night the overpaid prima donna footballers will be filling the back pages of the newspapers with their whiney demands for our attention.

I think the Olympics has shown us how sport should be played. Right now there are anonymous 18-and 19-year old athletes already training in preparation for Rio in four years time. They''ll be out pounding the pavements day in, day out in all weathers, without a camera or journalist in sight. While on the Premier football pitches some precocious 18-year old talent will be the centre of media attention, along with the attendant bar fights, wags, hangers on and days in court.

So the Olympics has really done it for me. I really can''t get the enthusiasm up for the coming season after the historic events of the past two weeks. Football seems shallow and insignificant when compared to the Olympic games. I suppose give it a month or so and the meory of the Games will fade somewhat and the excitement of the season ahead will return, but at the moment I feel emotionally drained and the football seems dull and unimportant. Anyone else feel the same?   

[/quote]

Couldn''t be bothered to read all that, As it was  like the olympics, went on and on and on.

[Albyella 0]

Excellent post, and I share your sentiments. I note there was a certain Charity Shield match on Sunday, I didn''t even realise it was on, and reading the reports later about the sending off etc, with a crowd of 30k ish I just felt a bit flat about the whole event. When comparing the raw emotion of winning or losing, the Olympians showed what passion is really like - compared to the stroppy, swearing, immature footballers who intimidate the officials and throw personal abuse at their opposition....then get in their Porche''s to drive to their "leafy-lane" houses while desperately trying to get comfortable sitting on their bulging wallets.

I love football and all things NCFC, always have and always will, but I agree with the OP - I think a lot of people will look at football, the outrageous wages and the way professional players conduct themselves, and think hard about how this sport has evolved.

I will be at Fulham this Saturday, cheering the lads on as usual, but I wonder if in the back of my mind there will be a bit of cynicism about the whole "beautiful game". I think football as a whole can learn lessons from the spirit of the Olympics - I had a "take it or leave it" attitude before the games started, but once they began I caught up in the experience. I was lucky enough to get some basketball tickets, and the atmosphere between the fans and the players was phenomenal - no prima-donna''s there, and the losers (GB as it happens) while disappointed, were obviously in awe of the fact that so many people had bothered tro come and pay to watch them perform. I dont expect footballers to be in awe, but a bit of realisation now and again of who subsidises their lifestyle wouldnt go amiss....

[Yobocop 1,099]

I was with you every step of the way until you started slagging off football. These men are athlete''s that have to perform at the top of their game for 9 months of the year week in week out, not ''Olympians'' who appear in events maybe once a month if that.

 

I firmly believe people who start these threads have major issues with how much footballers get paid, jealously maybe? I don''t know.

 

If you can''t get up for the new football season then I don''t know why you''re bothering on here.

[It's Character Forming 1,161]

I''ve enjoyed the Olympics for the variety and having it on our doorstep was great -  it hasn''t hurt that GB put in its best performance ever (really).   But it also made me realise how limited many of the sports are, compared to football.

There''s a reason why most Olympic sports get very little attention outside of the Olympics.

 

We''ve had 3 years of amazing success and finally we have got to the Prem and stayed up for a second season.  I can''t wait for the trip to Fulham to see if we can sustain it for another year, and incidentally improve on a disappointing performance last season.

 

 

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,558]

Will be interesting to see how long the media let the Olympians enjoy their success before they start going through their bins, or offering their exs large amounts of money to do some kiss and tell stories. Michael Phelps saw a backlash in America after Beijing 2008 as he struggled to cope with his new found star status.

 

In the whole the media were very kind to Olympians and footballers certainly don''t get the same amount of support or protection. If Becky Addlington or Mo Farah were subject to the same amount of vitriol then everyone might think a little different about them.

 

Young gifted footballers have to work incredibly hard to make it to professional status, with only about 1 in 100 young players making it from academies to the football league (an even smaller % if you only look at the Premier League) - to say that doesn''t take grit, determination and hard work is an insult to them.

[Mr Brownstone 0]

Share the sentiments of the OP to a point. I wouldn''t say footballers don''t work hard, maybe not as hard as the likes of our Olympic cyclists and rowers, but hard nonetheless.

 

What the Olympics has highlighted for me is Intergrity. In no sport at the Olympics that I watched did I see players falling about on the floor attempting to con the officials, there was even a story of 1 American athlete finishing a race on a broken leg so he didn''t let his team mates down. There was the instance of the Badminton players that attempted to throw a game for a favourable draw in the next round, but they were rightly chucked out of the competition. I have to admit that I felt a little ashamed of football watching it at the Olympics.

 

If football can learn one thing from the Olympics, it''s Integrity. The authorities must start to hand out retrospective punishments for cheats or the game will suffer in the long term.

 

 

[Matt Morriss 69]

Er, most definitely no. Your obviously not as big as a football fan as you thought you were.

I prescribe this YouTube video, to be taken immediately and a further 3 times a day. If your symptoms persist then I can''t help you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDM88n9ZHk0&sns=em

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,558]

[quote user="Mr Brownstone"]

Share the sentiments of the OP to a point. I wouldn''t say footballers don''t work hard, maybe not as hard as the likes of our Olympic cyclists and rowers, but hard nonetheless.

 

What the Olympics has highlighted for me is Intergrity. In no sport at the Olympics that I watched did I see players falling about on the floor attempting to con the officials, there was even a story of 1 American athlete finishing a race on a broken leg so he didn''t let his team mates down. There was the instance of the Badminton players that attempted to throw a game for a favourable draw in the next round, but they were rightly chucked out of the competition. I have to admit that I felt a little ashamed of football watching it at the Olympics.

 

If football can learn one thing from the Olympics, it''s Integrity. The authorities must start to hand out retrospective punishments for cheats or the game will suffer in the long term.

[/quote]

How about the British cyclist who literally threw himself to the ground to get a restart?

 

With many Olympic sports being much more basic (not an insult to the athletes or the sports) there is less oppurtunity for gamesmanship - although if there was players would still grasp for it. Plenty of tactical fouls in hockey, attempting to claim points in fencing even when knowing they hadn''t hit, boxers holding on too long to run down the clock, the list goes on and on.

[Beauseant 0]

The Olympics were uplifting, entertaining and captivating, but football is the heartbeat of my life and always has been.

[First Wizard 0]

Mo Farrah''s 5000 win was spine tingling, left me feeling so proud of him and team GB.

 

I''m not ashamed to say a tad weepy too, it was exhilerating.

 

Not since our promotion win at Charlton have I felt that way.

[Lets be aving you! 0]

Just as interesting as the question of whether football has anything to learn from the Olympics is whether the Olympians will go the same way as the footballers, in the sense of becoming increasingly professionalised.

 

Team GB seems already to be embarked on that process. I suspect that the prospect of holding the 2012 Olympics focussed the minds of the GB athletics fraternity like never before, and our athletes were more "professional" than ever before. On all the tiniest aspects of preparation, like diet, aerodynamics, etc.  intended to give the smallest edge.

 

This is meant as no denigration of our cyclists'' fantastic achievements, but some in the media have already commented that it was no fluke that Bradley Wiggins and his team-mate did so well in the Tour de France, with this competition still having some vestiges of an "amateurish" (i.e. non-professionalised) feel to it. I wonder whether the French spent so much time on biomechanics and aerodynamics as we clearly have.

 

It was interesting to read a previous poster saying that Norwich City players were wearing all kinds of sensors in some of their pre-season training. As football and tennis have gone, surely this is the way that all sport will go, including all the Olympics sports.

 

It does seem ironic to me at any rate that, with our soaring obesity in this country, we have somehow managed such an outstanding medals haul.

[nutty nigel 7,535]

[quote user="lake district canary"]

Good thread.   To me its like comparing chalk and cheese, it can''t be done.    [/quote]

 

That''s what I think too. The olympics were fantastic and we can be proud of our country, our people, our athletes and yes all the other athletes. Football is different. Football comes first for me. Or more specifically Norwich City do. Football is and has always been tribal. I enjoy watching football who ever is playing but nothing comes close to the emotions you get following your own team. And TBH I reckon I enjoyed watching Usain Bolt win gold more than I enjoyed watching Chelsea beat Liverpool in the FA Cup Final. But I enjoy watching Norwich beat anyone more than I enjoyed seeing Mo winning gold for us. Hope that makes sense..

 

 

[Orford65 0]

The Olympics are like Xmas - once its over, then its forgotten about until the next one.Apart from the well-known faces like Farah, Adlington, Wiggo etc. the rest of the competitors are just part of the background. Without looking them up I could''nt name one of the rowing gold-medallists, but I''m sure somebody who follows that particular sport would have no problem. Who won the long-jump? I can''t remember his name.Footballers are rightly castigated for their wayward behaviour at times, but they don''t award themselves all that money. Blame the rich owners and organisations like Sky that are ruining the game we love.

[Nexus_Canary 1,016]

[quote user="im spartacus"]

Spot on mate , an excellent post.. i wasn''t bothered by the olympics at all right up until the opening ceromony and then it was like a lightbulb moment and i was spending every available moment watching the tv soaking up anything they could show me... i went to the ajax friendly wishing i was watching womans football on the tv instead... before the olympics i''d nevr heard of laura trott now i  think i love her x i''ve got no enthusiasm for football at all right now i''ve got no wish to sing the names of overpaid prima donnas..i think football as a whole might suffer a well deserved backlash... and i don''t care if it does ....

[/quote]shocking..... agree with you totally though. I have now become a massive fan of road cycling. Have dropped all my running training at the gym and now doing bike distance and sprints instead.

[Nuff Said 5,141]

[quote user="Lets be aving you"]

Just as interesting as the question of whether football has anything to learn from the Olympics is whether the Olympians will go the same way as the footballers, in the sense of becoming increasingly professionalised.

 

Team GB seems already to be embarked on that process. I suspect that the prospect of holding the 2012 Olympics focussed the minds of the GB athletics fraternity like never before, and our athletes were more "professional" than ever before. On all the tiniest aspects of preparation, like diet, aerodynamics, etc.  intended to give the smallest edge.

 

This is meant as no denigration of our cyclists'' fantastic achievements, but some in the media have already commented that it was no fluke that Bradley Wiggins and his team-mate did so well in the Tour de France, with this competition still having some vestiges of an "amateurish" (i.e. non-professionalised) feel to it. I wonder whether the French spent so much time on biomechanics and aerodynamics as we clearly have.

 

It was interesting to read a previous poster saying that Norwich City players were wearing all kinds of sensors in some of their pre-season training. As football and tennis have gone, surely this is the way that all sport will go, including all the Olympics sports.

 

It does seem ironic to me at any rate that, with our soaring obesity in this country, we have somehow managed such an outstanding medals haul.

[/quote]You missed one of my (many, many) favourite Olympic moments - Dave Brailsford responding to French insinuations that we were cheating by saying we had "specially round" wheels. And then Chris Hoy''s comment: "Well you''ve got to upset someone. It may as well be the French."Good thread too. For me though, the sport aspect of football is secondary, being a fan is the number one aspect. I''m proud when we win well, play skillfully or don''t commit cynical fouls - but I think I''d take a win over everything else.

[Nuff Said 5,141]

Something else just occurred to me - if you feel that way now Rock the Boat, what will the Paralympics do to you?

[CanaryNath 30]

I have been steadily losing interest in football for the past two or three years. Last year, despite Norwich having been promoted, I cancelled my sky sports subscription as I had no interest in watching any other teams play live, other than Norwich. Those matches, I went to the pub to watch, or to Carrow Road.

The Olympics has further convinced me that the vast majority of professional footballers do not work hard enough, do not get near to fulfilling their potential, and are not the sort of people that I can be bothered to pay money to go and watch ''perform'' anymore. Of course, I still support Norwich, I will always will, but the determination, work ethic and attitude of many of the athletes at the Olympic games impresses me far more.

I follow road cycling, have done for many years. Somebody earlier has commented that the Tour de France is still a bit ''amateurish''. To that poster, I say that you clearly have no understanding of the sport, no understanding of the training requirements, and absolutely no idea of any tactics, or equipment that is required to win a grand tour. I highly recommend you start watching La Vuelta, which is the tour of Spain, which starts this Saturday.

I am looking forward to the start of the new season, just not as much as I used to. I am more excited about the start of the Paralympics. Bring on the Pistorius versus Singleton showdown in the men''s 100m!

[Bill 1,788]

"In no sport at the Olympics that I watched did I see players falling about on the floor attempting to con the officials"

 

You could not have been watching the bit I saw, when there was there''s two birds in pyjamas having a right old go pulling each over on the floor - I''m surprised there wasn''t any hair pulling as well.

 

Otherwise I think the comments about football relate mainly to the Premier League, the further down you go the better it gets in regard to the ''sporting ethos''. As to whether it is right or wrong tell me how many of our fans at Carrow Road have booed and complained when one of our players has been " falling about on the floor attempting to con the official " ?

 

We get what we deserve

 

 

[jammis 0]

Firstly, the term ''gamesmanship''. I hate it, it''s just trying to put a nice spin on an awful attribute to football, (and any sport). It''s cheating, so call it cheating.

Secondly I don''t think one sport is better than another, but as professional athletes footballers could learn a lot from how the majority of sports men and women conducted themselves at the Olympics.

The cynicism in football is unbelievable, from the Premier League all the way down. I watched a Sunday league game at the weekend and the foul language, abuse and general idiocy of those taking part riled me.

Some label it passion, but like gamesmanship, it''s just another term to whitewash over a disgusting cultural trait of the game. Call a spade a spade.

And it isn''t only on the pitch. The fans in the stand can be just as bad. At QPR last season, teenagers chanting John Terry''s name every time Ferdinand was on the ball. You wouldn''t do it in the street so why do it at a football stadium?

The Olympics, (not the IOC which is as bad, if not worse than FIFA), shows a different way. Where you can be passionate without being aggressive, where you can be a winner without being a conceited prima dona.

It isn''t every professional footballer. It isn''t every football fan. But the sport has a tarnished image and has a lot of work to do to rectify it.

[Gingerpele 0]

''the vast majority of footballers do not work hard enough''

That is complete bull.

I really really am not liking this sudden attitude that Olympic athletes are all wonderful and most of the footballers aren''t. For a start, do you realise how many footballers there are? If the majority didn''t try, the majority wouldn''t actually be able to make a living.

Yes of course there are a few who seem more interested in being celebrities, cheat on the pitch, act ''immorally'' off the pitch. Are there no Olympic athletes like that? None of them have been banned for drug use? Usain Bolt doesn''t jump on every advertising campaign? There weren''t people trying to lose on purpose?

Please stop thinking all footballers are the same, there not. Take Holt as an example, some peoples opinion on him will have gone down vastly because of his contract demands. All that happened there was an ageing footballer wanting the job security and wage he deserved, it was all a bit of a mess, but apart from letting his agent speak publicly, in fact going public at all, he did nothing wrong. Do you not think Mo Farah, Jess Ennis, Wiggins etc aren''t going to jump at every money making possibility? Of course they are, they deserve to. So do a lot of footballers.

And if you really think footballers are that bad, don''t pay to watch football. Convince your families and friends to do the same. If the majority are prima donnas, who don''t work hard. Why are you spending your money to watch Norwich? You can try and justify it by saying your not subscribed to Sky Sports, but that does nothing.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="Mr Brownstone"]In no sport at the Olympics that I watched did I see players falling about on the floor attempting to con the officials....[/quote]Yep, don''t need all those drug tests ''cause them olympians are an honest lot.....

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

I lost all interest in the Olympics when they dropped cricket and croquet from the schedule after the 1900 Games.

[CanaryNath 30]

Irrespective of your stance on this topic, this is a really interesting thread.

I HAVE encouraged my friends and family to stop paying sky sports'' ridiculous subscription fees, and many (not all, of course) have. It''s up to individuals to decide.

Money is far more of a motivating factor in football than it is in other sports, and at the top end of the game, I think it has tipped it over the edge into a very cynical area. this is because Sky and other networks have driven it to this.

How many occasions have you heard of where a cyclist, athlete, or rower will not represent his country because his club won''t allow it, because ultimately they pay too high wages and are afraid of injury?

The lower leagues of football often demonstrate high effort levels, but it is not coupled with high ability, and it is this combination that makes many Olympic athletes very interesting to watch.

I agree, there are footballers who put in as much effort as they possibly could, however I really genuinely believe these are few and far between, which is why when we do come across somebody like this, they are hailed as a great trainer or a role model. Rare though.

The thing is, that to be an Olympic athlete you have to be a great trainer. You don''t in order to be a professional footballer. This is the crux of my issue.