Sports overdose coming in about 5 or 6 days. Should make for some interesting background noise from the idiot box while I work

Olympics = boring.

That's curious - you've made it clear before you like - or at the very least appreciate - some sports. So what is it about the Olympics that makes the sport boring to you? You can't see skill in them for some reason? Seems to me that Olympic soccer games (as just one example) are every bit as skillful as their pro counterparts.

I don't know - there are some events I guess I'd stop and watch. I suppose if I were there live, I could get caught up in it. I think the thing is I don't like watching sports on television.

Uh-oh - you stereotype-breaker you! An American male who doesn't like watching sports on TV? Who would have thought!

Actually there are plenty of events I would certainly not get engaged in at all either - for example, who is going to 'sit and watch' the marathon? Or for that matter, the Tour de France? Surely only those who are real hobbyists about those particular sports and/or real hard-core box-watchers.

But there are also plenty that it seems easy to admire the skill of, like gymnastics, or diving for examples. To me, it will be background noise while I sit at my desk for a couple of weeks, and I might turn around and watch over my shoulder for a minute her and there if there are swimming finals on etc.

The other interesting facet is it has to be the biggest appeal to nationalism out there surely - like a patriotic duty or something to cheer for your country against all others (always problematic for me, not least because I 'have' 2 countries, which are considered arch-rivals in just about everything, especially sports).

What if I said I'd rather watch figure skating than a football game on TV?

I'd say good for you. American football doesn't make much of a spectator sport to my mind. The games seem to last way too long because so much time is spent doing nothing. As I understand it, there are 4 quarters of 15 minutes each, yet the games take 3 hours.

Another thing, I think this Olympic tournament will be the first for some years to attract more viewers than the FIFA world cup :>

Its also the first one not on U.S. soil that an American president will attend.

Oh my, break out the champagne.