paralympics

NormalSaneFLGuy

Nope, no coverage. We are about to start the college football (real football, not soccer) season and the NFL. Nobody would be watching the paralympics.

Think again, this is the biggest ever Paralympics, tickets almost sold out 2.5million on offer - 2.4million sold. It is a shame the US could not even use one of it's 100 channels to air it.

The U.S. is not a social government. They don't force companies to do their bidding. If I am a TV broadcaster and I say "hey, if I air this, I will lose 20million dollars of possible profit" - my next statement won't be "yaye lets do it." It will instead be "screw that, lets put something on that people will watch."

Bless you. The commercial channels *bid* to host the event.

Why would they bid for losing money? Might as well see who can load money in the shredder faster.

You don't seem to get it. People here actually *want* to watch our athletes. The event is being covered by a major commercial broadcaster. Nothing to do with the state as you were trying to imply. There's no chance of them losing money. Our stadium are sold out and our tv coverage will be well subscribed.

If NBC thought that they would make more money airing it than by airing their other programs, they would. They, like other companies, focus on maximizing profit. It is not being aired, therefore it is not profitable in comparison. The end!

One billion people are reported to have watched the ceremony worldwide. That's quite a lot of people. The end!

That doesn't mean even 10 million in America would watch it. In the US, I bet a new episode of CSI would get more viewers than the paralympics.

Di3012

Nope, no coverage. We are about to start the college football (real football, not soccer) season and the NFL. Nobody would be watching the paralympics.

Think again, this is the biggest ever Paralympics, tickets almost sold out 2.5million on offer - 2.4million sold. It is a shame the US could not even use one of it's 100 channels to air it.

The U.S. is not a social government. They don't force companies to do their bidding. If I am a TV broadcaster and I say "hey, if I air this, I will lose 20million dollars of possible profit" - my next statement won't be "yaye lets do it." It will instead be "screw that, lets put something on that people will watch."

Bless you. The commercial channels *bid* to host the event.

Why would they bid for losing money? Might as well see who can load money in the shredder faster.

You don't seem to get it. People here actually *want* to watch our athletes. The event is being covered by a major commercial broadcaster. Nothing to do with the state as you were trying to imply. There's no chance of them losing money. Our stadium are sold out and our tv coverage will be well subscribed.

If NBC thought that they would make more money airing it than by airing their other programs, they would. They, like other companies, focus on maximizing profit. It is not being aired, therefore it is not profitable in comparison. The end!

One billion people are reported to have watched the ceremony worldwide. That's quite a lot of people. The end!

That doesn't mean even 10 million in America would watch it. In the US, I bet a new episode of CSI would get more viewers than the paralympics.

It doesn't matter, you see, one billion people around the rest of the world watched it, just think of all the advertising that went on.

CSI? What's that LMAO.

Luckily the world doesn't just revolve around the US eh.

poncho33

We contribute to more charities world wide than any other country, both financially and personally. By we I mean USA citizens, not our govt. So while we all applaud you for watching a sporting event on TV, I don't think that gives you the right to label all Americans against your cause. If it were held right in my back yard I suppose I'd be into it also.

ki4yxo

Looks like NBC is getting on board...

http://paralympic.org/news/usa-announces-nbc-broadcast-plans-london-2012

During each day of London 2012, the IPC website will broadcast five streams of uninterrupted live coverage from the Paralympics with English commentary, including daily coverage of Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball and athletics, while a fourth channel will cover a range of sports. A fifth channel will broadcast a mixture of sports with Spanish commentary.

In addition, more than 1,000 hours of sporting action from a number of venues, including individual races and matches, will be made available as video on demand during the course of the Games. Two daily five minute news bulletins will also be produced in English and Spanish.

"The London 2012 Paralympics will break many records," Craven said. "They are set to be the first in the 52 year history of the Games to sell-out, with nearly 2.5 million tickets sold, and will be broadcast in more countries than ever before with a cumulated audience of 4 billion around the globe expected to tune in."

halobender

Duh, you can only support people (in any sense) by showing them on tv.

Gosh the Olympics themselves are boring as hell, this sounds about half as interesting.

PapaDunx

Wow! There are a few streams of thought here.

I spend all summer working in a boarding school for international kids (just outside London) with the faculty being 50% from the US.
Their interest in the Olympics was far greater than mine, and it was in my own country watching my own people. The cycling actually went through the town I was working in, and I still wasnt that interested.

But, I did watch the closing ceremony and it was unashamedly a brash British affair, celebrating our culture and "some" of our music.

Because of this, I watched the opening ceremony of the Paralympics and, again, it brought a tear to my eye.

Firstly, I can see the point about advertising revenues. We have opportunities to watch these events "free of charge". But even so, the interest in this country for the Paralympics is not as high as it is for the other Olympics.
The athletes are not as high profile - apart from Oscar Pistorious. (sp)
The Brits had a 13 time disabled world champion archer (shot from her chair) who won many gold medals in the archery, and I cannot even remember her name, but if you ask me who won the 1980 Olympic 1500m/800m gold medals, I would be able to recall that.

Isnt it about the profile of the athletes? Isnt it a shame that it isnt high enough for the world to take on board the achievement they attain by even being there for major broadcasters to show this stuff? But at the end of the day, money talks, and the interest isnt as high.

The US has a different tv set up to us in the UK, so it might be difficult to find a channel to watch it on. but that isnt to say that the internet doesnt have channels you can watch it on.

For the record, FOOT-ball is a game where you only use your feet, (not just for kick-offs, punting or field goals) and after fishing, is the world's most played pastime.
I would go into the other comparisons between baseball/rounders & basketball/netball, but I could forsee a few problems .. lmao!!!

psychopiglet

Disgraceful!

Once again, America shows the world how backwards it can be. Snubbing our 7/7 tribute at the Olympic Opening Ceremony was bad, but snubbing the second largest sporting event in the world because nobody there wants to see people with disabilities on their TV is an absolute... There's literally no word strong enough to describe how disgustingly ignorant and offensive that is.

psychopiglet

If you really wanted to compare who cares more about people with disabilities why don't you look at who donates the most money... not who watches the most events.

But yes, I'm sure you're good at giving money to people. As long as you don't have to... you know.... *look* at them....

This is very rude.

Exceptionally rude.
If they had an Olympic event for rudeness, you'd get the gold.

However, it wouldn't be televised. Because nobody would watch it.

Rude is ignoring your own athletes competing for your country because "football" is more important.

It's not even football. It's "Rugby for wimps."

Kearsed

The NFL is so popular.

For example...two crappy teams played last year during a World Series game and it got bigger ratings.

Kearsed

If you really wanted to compare who cares more about people with disabilities why don't you look at who donates the most money... not who watches the most events.

But yes, I'm sure you're good at giving money to people. As long as you don't have to... you know.... *look* at

This is very rude.

Exceptionally rude.
If they had an Olympic event for rudeness, you'd get the gold.

However, it wouldn't be televised. Because nobody would watch it.

Rude is ignoring your own athletes competing for your country because "football" is more important.

Football to me is way more important than any other sport/competition. It doesnt make me rude though.

obeserat

If you really wanted to compare who cares more about people with disabilities why don't you look at who donates the most money... not who watches the most events.

But yes, I'm sure you're good at giving money to people. As long as you don't have to... you know.... *look* at them....

This is very rude.

Exceptionally rude.
If they had an Olympic event for rudeness, you'd get the gold.

However, it wouldn't be televised. Because nobody would watch it.

Rude is ignoring your own athletes competing for your country because "football" is more important.

It's not even football. It's "Rugby for wimps."

Thats why I put football in quotes

tadpole242

I think it is really sad that the USA is not showing the Paralympics games, not because of any desire to show disabled sports, but because unlike the privileged few who are able from very early on in this lives to train and compete in their chosen sports, for many of the paralympians from the USA, and from the UK for that matter, it is a second career, one forced on them by their role in international conflicts.
AS it is America stands a better chance of getting a greater number of medals this time, mainly because of the number of disabled veterans, who already laid their life on the line fighting for your freedom, and now they are out there once more fighting to bring home pride and gold, ignored by a country who just don’t seem to care.

psychopiglet

Rude is ignoring your own athletes competing for your country because "football" is more important.

It's not even football. It's "Rugby for wimps."

Thats why I put football in quotes
[/quote] I know, I was agreeing with you. Not that you can tell when it's written and not spoken! lol

fredd500

Nope, no coverage. We are about to start the college football (real football, not soccer) season and the NFL. Nobody would be watching the paralympics.

Real football involves using your feet, playing a full 90 minutes, no time outs, no video replay delays and is the most beautiful game known to humankind (a fact that is appreciated by the 95% of the world's population outside of the USA....):happy:


Sadly we have very limited coverage of the Paralympics here in Canada too.

Someone wiser than me once said, "American Football... A lot like Rugby, only slower"!

The opening ceremony was good last night. Dramatic and thought provoking but once again brought home how amazing GB is. Professor Hawking was his usual brilliant self and who can possibly compete with the invention of (or indeed discovery of) gravity? What with that and Tim Berners-Lee from the Olympics opening ceremony without whom we wouldn't be reading MFP. Makes me proud to be British.

dhakiyya

If you really wanted to compare who cares more about people with disabilities why don't you look at who donates the most money... not who watches the most events.

I don't watch the paralympics as an act of charity or to show that I care, I watch it because the athletes are awesome, and also it's different from able bodied sports. Wheelchair racing is not like running, just as cycling is not like either running or wheelchair racing, and some able bodied people play wheelchair etc sports because of this, i.e. it's a different sport, and one where they can play on a level playing field with disabled athletes. Also, prosthetic limbs as so well designed these days that double-amputee athletes can actually run faster than able bodied athletes. I'd like to see events with the top olympic and paralympic athletes competing against each other in the same races.

The paralympics is just as exciting to watch as the olympics and there's the added factor that people are competing in spite of very serious physical limitations, something most people find very inspiring as it puts excuses like "I can't do my workout today because I'm feeling a bit tired" into perspective. The first time I watched the paralympics, there was this guy with one leg who was high jumping more than twice as high as I could, with my two legs. To be able to do the high jump at all with just one leg is a remarkable achievement, to be able to jump that high, even more so.

and on a slightly different note, this is football :bigsmile:

chrishgt4

Nope, no coverage. We are about to start the college football (real football, not soccer) season and the NFL. Nobody would be watching the paralympics.

Football is named after the fact that 95% of the game is using your FOOT to kick a BALL.

If we had to accurately name 'American Football' I think it would have to be more like 'Hand Egg Wait.....adverts.......wait......hand egg..."

On a serious note, it is unfortunate to the population of Americans that are decent people, that the voice that is so often heard is the stereotypical one - that is brash, obnoxious and arrogant. It just gives the whole world the impression that the whole country simply lacks any class.

chrishgt4

I think people seem to be missing a couple of cycles going on here -

the first being that people are saying that it's not their fault, it is the fault of the network. They show what they want based on what will get the best viewing figures, which obviously is then directly based on what you want to watch. If you wanted to watch it, they would show it.

Which leads directly to the fact that from what I've read here - most Americans don't want to watch it as it doesn't have the same level of interest, but if it is never shown, how can it gain a footing in people's interests?

I'm not saying for a second that people SHOULD want to watch it. But what I am saying is that if you've never bothered to give it a chance then you're missing out massively. Defending the standpoint of 'never watched it, don't want to' is a bit ignorant.

Also on the point of which nation donates more to charity. It's easy to give a lot when you have the weight of 312 million people behind you, but per capita you fall significantly short of many nations - Great Britain included where 73% of the population donate to charity vs your 60%. Also worth noting is governmental aid donated where you sit at the lower end of the table when based on %age of gross national income at 0.21% against the UKs 0.52%.

myofibril

We are about to start the college football (real football, not soccer) season and the NFL.

Hilarious. Who says Americans don't have a sense of humour?

Seriously though, THIS is football:



The game of using both feet and hands to move an oval shaped object to the end of the opponent's side of the pitch rather than just feet was created at Rugby School in England and based on the original game of football - Rugby football.

The fact you guys choose to play it using shoulder pads and eye liner is frankly none of my bidness....

tadpole242

Also on the point of which nation donates more to charity. It's easy to give a lot when you have the weight of 312 million people behind you, but per capita you fall significantly short of many nations - Great Britain included where 73% of the population donate to charity vs your 60%. Also worth noting is governmental aid donated where you sit at the lower end of the table when based on %age of gross national income at 0.21% against the UKs 0.52%.

American rules regarding what is classed as “given to as charity” are different to the rest of the world. For example paying for your child to attend a private school, is classed as giving to charity.

chrishgt4

We are about to start the college football (real football, not soccer) season and the NFL.

Hilarious. Who says Americans don't have a sense of humour?

Seriously though, THIS is football:



The game of using both feet and hands to move an oval shaped object to the end of the opponent's side of the pitch rather than just feet was created at Rugby School in England and based on the original game of football - Rugby football.

The fact you guys choose to play it using shoulder pads and eye liner is frankly none of my bidness....

Can you imagine if a rugby player asked if he could put pads on to protect himself?!