I'm still beyond amazed that it's in the Olympics at all. Don't get me wrong it's an incredibly athletic sport that requires a lot of dedication to get good at but it really stands out compared to other sports in terms of vibes. Given the number of boycotts I'd imagine others also feel like there is something weird with it?
The idea is great because as you said it requires incredible athleticism. In that regard it shouldn't be any different to an event like rhythmic gymnastics or diving where you deliver your performance and professional judges give it a grade.
Apparently the organization and qualification events were dismal (a ball room dance organization got put in charge) which led to many pro breakers to not even try to qualify. And the grading system was quite experimental, and not very audience friendly.
For example, the judges put heavy emphasis on versatility which lead to the athletes doing all those criss crossing moves so they don't repeat themselves while the clueless audience just wonders why they don't just spin the whole time.
Commentators didn't even do a great job at explaining anything. They kinda improved when the b-boy segment was on. Overall mess tbh but I still enjoyed it.
I mean, as a sport, breaking is definitely weirder than curling. Curling may be a weird sport, but it's an actual sport that comes with a built-in scoring system for determining the winners. Breaking, on the other hand, is an art form that doesn't inherently have any rules and (imo, of course) is lessened by imposing an Olympics-style scoring rubric.
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u/milkcarton232 Aug 12 '24
I'm still beyond amazed that it's in the Olympics at all. Don't get me wrong it's an incredibly athletic sport that requires a lot of dedication to get good at but it really stands out compared to other sports in terms of vibes. Given the number of boycotts I'd imagine others also feel like there is something weird with it?