While looking through the jillion media guides to Olympic event scheduling and not finding accurate broadcast times, I found myself watching table tennis. Sure, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump gave the sport some street cred, and I would sure like to see competitions with five or six of those little ping pong balls in play at one time, but it’s not really a sport that Americans seem to want to build stadiums for.
The back-and-forth of the game didn’t excite me, but watching the ritualistic serving techniques was amazing. The players would dribble the ball, then balance it in the palm of the empty hand before serving. I guess it’s a requirement. Everybody did it. See, in my hand I’ve got a ball!
From the camera angle provided by the NBC Sports Network, I was almost certain the players were serving the balls off their foreheads, but I know I’m mistaken. Overall, the event is quick and a bit intense; watching the ball fly across the table was a little like watching a pissed-off bee in a closed candy jar.
I did manage to see some of the main events, such as gymnastics and swimming, but I also caught a few nanoseconds of equestrian dressage competition last Sunday, and that’s quality sportsmanship. A co-worker who owns horses and participates in a few related events, admitted that people either find horse events intriguing or equate them to watching paint dry. What a shame, when the horses were so magnificent. Some folks just don’t understand the broad scope of sport.
There is room in the Olympics for events with discipline and style that do not involve pike positions or nanosecond finish line stretches. Some of the best stuff, like archery and judo, have been played and broadcast when nobody was looking. Fortunately, we still find out when the United States wins gold while the paint dries.
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