<p>^ no player with $100M contract is playing another sport at the Olympics … we’d need to go a step below the big guns … but I like the way you’re thinking</p>
<p>notrichenough, only 12 teams participated in team handball because that is how many slots there were in the tournament:</p>
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<p>There were only 8 slots available for team synchro swimming - the US team didn’t qualify.</p>
<p>Only 16 teams were allowed to compete in soccer - the US men’s team didn’t qualify.</p>
<p>^ Hmm, it looks like the three qualifying tournaments only had 4 teams each, with 6 automatic berths, is only 18 total. Maybe you have to qualify for the qualifying tournament. Only one team each from Asia, South America, and Africa made it to the Olympics, the other nine were European. If they expanded the field beyond 12 they would also have to expand the qualifier beyond 12 teams, or there would be no point to having the qualifier.</p>
<p>While only 16 soccer teams make the Olympics, over 100 men’s soccer teams participated in qualification tournaments that happened in the months leading up to the Olympics. I didn’t add up the women’s.</p>
<p>Why is there only 8 slots in team synchronized swimming? It’s not like it is a time-consuming sport. How many countries tried but didn’t make it?</p>
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<p>No idea, but if they use the same venue for swimming, diving and syncho swimming, they might not have time.</p>
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<p>Thought of this when I saw the youtube video that’s been making the rounds this week - “Ryan Lochte is terrible at interviews”. Yikes. Not the sharpest tool in the shed.</p>
<p>In fairness to the women on the gymnastics team, I thought that Letterman’s questions were fairly weak, also. There was not a lot of opportunity for back-and-forth discussion, or for thoughtful responses. Beyond that, interviewing a group of 5 young women at the same time is bound to make things awkward. The only questions directed at specific people called for quite brief answers.</p>
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<p>I don’t typically watch Letterman, but I am aware of his history of “indiscretions” with young women. Could it be that he wasn’t all that able to relate to a bunch of underaged girls, knowing that he couldn’t say anything suggestive or snarky?</p>
<p>"Give them a month to practice… it would be interesting. Probably I am underestimating the complexities of the sport since I know almost nothing about it, but hitting a 6’x10’ target from 15 feet away seems a lot easier than putting a ball through a 2’ hoop from 20+ feet. "</p>
<p>Hand-eye coordination and foor-eye coordination is very different. I’d give them 2 years and I bet they would lose to top soccer players, most of them started playing at age 5.</p>
<p>^ I don’t think they can use feet in handball, except for the goalie to block shots.</p>
<p>I would agree, soccer is a lot different than basketball, but I was talking about handball.</p>
<p>The Fab Five gymnasts were on the at the beginning of The Colbert Report tonight - really cute bit.</p>
<p>Regarding the various criticisms of the athletes as interview subjects: They are world-class at their sports. Why should this make them world-class at being interviewed? Would we listen to a Pulitzer-Prize winning author and then say, “Good interview, but her double-twist double layout dismount needs a lot of work”? Can’t we cut these brilliant athletes a little slack?</p>
<p>Why so little attention to the winners of the Decathalon? Little prime time coverage. Haven’t seen them on any of the talk shows. When Bruce Jenner won, I seem to remember seeing him on magazine covers. Was that because we didn’t have any adorable teen aged female Gold medal winners that year?</p>
<p>Missypie, I agree, the decathlon should have been a MUCH larger story. I managed to watch most of the events on my iPad but I doubt that most of the people in the U.S. even know that we had the top two finishers. Thay are amazing athletes.</p>
<p>Did anyone watch Leno last night? After hearing about Ryan Lochte’s not that great interview ability, H and I tuned in. Lochte came in wearing all of his medals, as no doubt instructed by the folks at the show. He promptly took them off and put them on the table because they were heavy. Then, previous guest Kristin Bell* put them all on *and attempted to hijack the interview. I assume that was her version of flirting. OMG it was terrible. Jay kept trying to ask Lochte the canned questions and Kristin kept piping up with her own questions and comments, all the while wearing the medals.</p>
<p>Uh-oh:</p>
<p>[Michael</a> Phelps could get in trouble for Louis Vuitton photos | Fourth-Place Medal - Yahoo! Sports](<a href=“Michael Phelps could get in trouble for Louis Vuitton photos”>Michael Phelps could get in trouble for Louis Vuitton photos)</p>
<p>But the photos are cool, especially the one with Latynina (sp).</p>
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<p>I agree. Quite cool.</p>
<p>Here are the “Fierce Five Interns” from The Colbert Report - with moms. </p>
<p>[Fierce</a> Five Interns - The Colbert Report - 2012-15-08 - Video Clip | Comedy Central](<a href=“The Colbert Report - TV Series | Comedy Central US”>The Colbert Report - TV Series | Comedy Central US)</p>
<p>^ that was pretty good!</p>
<p>A couple of recent Olympics coverage spoofs (courtesy of the IPWatchdog newsletter):</p>
<p>[Wall</a> Street Journal: Homemade Highlights – Gabby Douglas - Print (video) - Creativity Online](<a href=“http://creativity-online.com/work/wall-street-journal-homemade-highlights-gabby-douglas/28746]Wall”>http://creativity-online.com/work/wall-street-journal-homemade-highlights-gabby-douglas/28746)</p>
<p>And Legos can work just as awesomely as the dream team:</p>
<p>[Brick-by-brick</a> men’s basketball: USA v France - video | Sport | guardian.co.uk](<a href=“http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/video/2012/jul/30/brick-mens-basketball-usa-france-video]Brick-by-brick”>Brick-by-brick men's basketball: USA v France - video | Sport | The Guardian)</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Bunsen, those are hysterical! Thanks!</p>