Is there any actual news when the Olympics are on? I don’t know, probably. I mean, the presidential candidates could go on multi-state bank robbery sprees and it would only be half reported because we’re concerned with gymnastics right now. But there really is a magic to the people who are the best in the world competing against each other in the most meaningful sports event there is.
So what have you been watching? Do you understand the gymnastics scoring? What would you eliminate? Do you like the coverage? If you’ve been able to watch it on the web, how has that been? Any news sources you particularly like or dislike?
For me: I’ve only been watching the prime time coverage, out of the house since I don’t own a TV box. I don’t think anyone really understands the gymnastics, but they love NBC’s helpful coverage of it. I’d eliminate the competitions with animals and the ones that there are world championships that are more important. So I’d eliminate the dressage because an Olympic horse sounds like a joke. And I’d eliminate Tennis and Soccer since the Grand Slam and World Cup events are more important in those sports. Coverage has been fine if you watch it at bars with the sound off. Having multiple channels do different events is pretty good. I always like Joe Posnanski and think his coverage has been solid.
Who wants to watch politics when there’s gymnastics?
I wonder which gymnastic RR prefers? The pre-pubescent girls? Or petite men in tights with lots of bulges?
Well, the oldest Olympian ever is a 71 year-old dressage rider. I suspect dressage isn’t really a sport. At least not one that in any way relies on human athleticism.
I raised a gymnast, shithead. Talk about my daughter like that in front of me and I’ll teach you some manners.
@3 It mainly relies on a big pocketbook.
“I wonder which gymnastic RR prefers? The pre-pubescent girls? Or petite men in tights with lots of bulges?”
Psych 101, Bob. When you blurt out something like that, we learn an awful lot more about you than we do about Roger.
So for you it’s pre-pubescent girls and petite men in tights, huh? FYI, you could get in a hell of a lot of trouble for the former, Bob. You might want to think about it.
@2
You beg for engagement with your right-wing ideas, and whine about not being taken seriously, and that you’re only doing what we all do here, just from another point of view, blah, blah, blah…
…and then you get all nasty and sniveling and homophobic. Your true colors, methinks.
@ 7
Yeah, ’cause it’s all serious here on HA. Nothing is snark. The Bible Studies are totally serious.
I beg for nothing. You, on the other hand, beg for my comments to be taken down.
@8
You whiney SOB.
I only ask that you follow the rules that everyone else is expected to adhere to. You, in typical right-wing fashion, believe the rules are only for the riff-raff.
@ 9
Actually, you succeeded in modifying my behavior. Pat yourself on the back.
Showed yourself to be a pussy in the process but it’s all good. I’m more careful about my posts, now.
Personally I’m not sure whether I’d be hearing any negative comments about dressage if one of the horses involved wasn’t associated with the name Romney, except that it seems rather trendy these days to deplore anything that “enslaves” animals of any sort. The latter might apply more to other events in which it’s more likely that the animal may be injured. I’d say in this case let’s allow her (the horse, that is) to enjoy her moment of glory.
And yeah…it’s a rather expensive proposition. So’s sailing or rowing. In fact, the whole of the Olympics could be viewed by cynics as elitist in any number of ways–or we could all just shaddup and enjoy the whole thing.
@10,
Anything that modifies your behavior is good.
Now act like the man you will never be and take responsibility for your actions, instead of whining about rules that you feel are beneath your teabagging greatness.
I love the olympics….politics should stay far away from them…
“Actually, you succeeded in modifying my behavior.”
Yeah, but that’s nothing like what properly voltage could do for you. I bet that I could cure you of that thing you have for pre-pubescent girls in less than an hour.
@ 14
I have no doubt that you give great head, Doctor Steve, but I’ll pass. Thanks for the offer, maybe another one of the HAers would take you up on it.
@15 LMFAO!! What a pathetic fucking comeback. Clever, you are not.
Careful, Bob, if I crank the dial up to 15kV, you wouldn’t have a dick left for your wife to laugh at anymore.
Damn, how did he know that my wife laughs at my dick??
This is beginning to sound like the old Tom Leykis show.
I watched the finals on Women’s Skeet, where Kim Rhode won a medal for her 5th consecutive year, making her the only American to medal in 5 straight Olympics. She also managed to set an Olympic Record of 99 out of 100 targets broken.
@11
Yup, were it not for Romney I wouldn’t know dressage is a thing. Had I known about a 67 year old Japanese Dreasage ‘athlete’ four years ago I would have mocked Dressage much the same way I mock solo synchronized swimming.
big giant epic fayle for the US Government and all the lovers of taxes out there.
The IRS is billing Olympic medal winners for taxes on the value of their medals and prize money(paid by the US Olympic committee).
The prize taxes for a gold medal is pegged by ATR at $,8750. Combined with the tax on the medal itself, a gold medalist will have to pay the IRS $8,986. A silver medalist must pay $5,385 and a bronze medal winner must pay $3,502.
what a fucking embarrassing joke – its sickening.
Sounds like Senator Rubio from Florida is going to introduce a bill to exempt olympic medal winners from paying taxes on their medals and prize money…thank god somebody out there has a clue and some decency.
@21
Thanks for passing on that de-bunked right wing theory. The actual gold content of an Olympic metal is around $650. (It’s plated.) However, USOC awards prize money, $25,000 for winning a gold medal. That’s income. Exactly the same as if I scratched a $25,000 WA Lotto ticket or won a couple nights of Jeopardy. Or exactly like the M’s Casper Wells making $488,000. I guess you’d claim all athletes should be tax exempt? Assuming an Gold Medal athlete falls into the 30% bracket, the tax is $7500.
You’ll fall for any old thing without thinking it through, right?
Oh, by debunked, I mean that this is unique to the U.S. or that it hasn’t been going on for decades.
How is it debunked?
you confirmed exactly what I wrote.
The paragraph in italics is something I copied, it isnt my prose.
i never said it was or wasnt unique to the US, nor did I mention how long it was going on.
With the sacrifices that most of these athletes make, the money should be tax free.
Serial Conservative, this time I totally agree with Steve. I realize it was a dig on ROGER DUMB Wabbit and usually he earns these digs being the libtard fleabag of HA!
But this time you stepped in it. Personally I love watching the black gymnastic stars. And it isn’t for either of those stupid reasons! This is a very high cost sport for many black families. And when I see black athletes doing exceptionally well I cheer them on moving in my seat just like their parents.
Blacks are taking over all sports because WE BAAAAAD! Serena and Venus Williams in tennis. Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla is a baaaaad hockey player.
Blacks own basketball, football, baseball, and Tiger owned golf. Lewis Hamilton is a champion Formula-1 (F-1) racer! Once we get finances watch out NASTY CAR!
Debunked as in, they pay taxes on their $9,000 medal. No. Debunked as in the premise of your argument that income should be exempt from taxation. Debunked in the sense that Prize Money taxation is unique to Olympic Champions.
Debunked in the sense that every two years anti-taxers get outraged that if you get paid, it’s income. It’s as idiotic as the claim every four years by the party not in the White House that campaigning on Air Force One is an abuse of taxes as if the president should campaign exclusively without leaving D.C. or get the secret service to fly the President on commercial flights.
And finally, debunked in the sense that if your primary source of income is your athletic endeavors, there’s all kinds of ways to deduct your training expenses. Just ask Willard who has a ‘business’ deduction for owning a horse.
YES! Lets tax those 17 year old gymnasts! They make too much money!
asshole – go fuck yourself.
probably some pussy who never played a sport anyway…no wonder you are jealous.
and this has nothing to do with Romney, asswhipe.
@25
Puddy my friend, Hamilton hasnt been champ in F-1 since 2008…
Its all Alonso this year – and yes, I will be in Austin TX for the US GP.
just pullin’ your chain…
@27
As dependents, their parents get taxed. Their parents will now be able to deduct gymnastics training for their daughters as a legitimate earnings deduction. What part if this isn’t clear?
As a 17 year-old, who earned multiple letters in high school thanks for assuming that a leftist can’t play sports, I worked in a movie theater and waited tables. I was taxed. So because of the age of the person receiving income it should be exempt?
If an individual earns or wins money, it’s income.
I posted this yesterday. About time the rest of HA discusses this!
@28 Identifying the true ylbigot as ylbuttspigot,
But he won the Hungarian GP last week! Yeah baby!
@30
Sorry, when I’m gone for a while and I come back to a thread with 100+ comments, I assume it’s filled with Steve calling people names you typing far to many characters than necessary to say Too Damn Funny, and Liberal Scientist also calling people names. I don’t have that kind of time.
Hey, while we’re on it, Gabby’s mom will get to write off a lot of expenditures this year as a result of that taxed gold medal.
Meanwhile, speaking of calling people names…Asswipe? What are you twelve?
You’re right about it not being about Romney but you miss the point of bringing him up.
If his horse wins gold, he’ll get taxed on $25,000 income. But that tax is offset by the $77,000 deduction that’s in the miniscule amount of tax data he’s released.
It’s fake outrageous. You are as a dull pencil, pointless. (When I insult, I steal it from Rowan Atkinson.)
Atkinson sucks….ugh
its the olympics – it should be special.
@25 “Blacks are taking over all sports because WE BAAAAAD! Serena and Venus Williams in tennis. Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla is a baaaaad hockey player.”
Indeed. BAAAAAD!
Love it, Puddy.
Glad you called the threads correctly. You forgot ylbuttspigot posting his innumerable crazed deranged databaze posts! But I can understand, you too think he’s insignificant!
Yes I hope she claims as much as possible! Gabby is great!
@35 Steve,
Now why doesn’t rujax write things like that? Well there is one explanation.
rujax is a fool!
@36 Ouch!!
If czechsaaz concludes that all Lib Sci and I do here is call people names, then I’d say he hasn’t been very attentive, has reached a wrong conclusion, and now he has shared it with us. I don’t agree with czechsaaz but I’d defend his right to express his opinion of Lib Sci’s and my comments. I just wish he’d been paying more attention.
@37 I can’t say why people do what they do, Puddy. People write what they want. They associate with whoever. All I can say is that, if I don’t meet some liberal’s expectations of what a liberal should be like, there’s nothing I’m going to do about it. I’m not here to live up to anybody’s expectations. That’s why I can say that I am your friend and I don’t care what anybody here thinks about it.
@36 When I encounter a racist, either in person or here in the cesspool, I heap scorn upon them. I will taunt them and I will call them names. Why? When I was a kid, I saw the full-bore hate of a racist repeatedly coming at my face in the form of a man’s clenched fist. Why? Because I had a black friend. Like you.
I hope to God that czechsaaz never knew such an experience when he was a kid. But if he had, he might be calling a few racists here names as well. Maybe he wouldn’t be so judgemental. He might even have an edge to him, maybe even be a little bit dangerous.
Social safety nets saved mine and my Mom’s life. When people show up here and blithly and ignorantly diss the poor and our social programs that help them, I will respond and I will not be nice about it. And yet the same state that saved my life also fucked me over completely. After my Mom did die, they locked me up and threw away the key. Why? Because I was a JD? NO. I was ten fucking years old. I was locked up because some liberal shithead, sitting behind his desk blowing smoke rings, took the easy way out. What teabagger here thinks he has the right to hate government more than I do. And yet I don’t hate our government. I just want to fix what is wrong with it.
I really hope czechsaaz never had to go through anything like that. I hope that, unlike me, he grew up free, and that every door he encountered as a kid wasn’t locked. Otherwise he might have ended up as someone swearing at assholes who show up here dissing the poor and trashing our social safety nets.
@38
I live in a world where everyone agrees that I am glib and hilarious.
No one is a one trick pony.
Go ahead, judge me, czechsaaz. I don’t care.
“I live in a world where everyone agrees that I am glib and hilarious.”
Actually, I agree with that assessment of you. I have no issue with you. It’s just that you don’t know me at all and, if you did, I suspect you’d better understand just where I’m coming from.
“As a 17 year-old, who earned multiple letters in high school”
As a 17 year-old, I had petitioned the state and was finally granted my freedom, an emancipated minor. I could only dream of doing what you were doing. I’m glad what happened to me didn’t happen to you.
When I was 17 I was flipping burgers at Burger King. But hey money was money and gas was $0.25 per gallon. No Olympics!
Steve,
Notice this is the second time I offered to help ylbuttspigot find a job. He disappeared again!
So what about the men’s Olympic team? Seems the pressure got to them?
zzzZZZzzzzzz…
I told you once before…
Poor fool has a head like a sieve..
So sad Steve ylbuttspigot is so sad! Did as Jesus demands! I guess being unemployed is his “employment”. So he can watch the Olympics live while others toil!
LMAO!! I live for getting “help” from a moron who’d say shit like this.
NOT!!! F you very much Mr. “Butt”.
I had no idea that joking about the inanity that tends to result from really long comment threads, both here and everywhere, would cause such offense.
It was not my intent.
@25 Well puddy, the best gymnast I ever saw here locally was a poor black girl from Tacoma. She was trained by Brad Loan, for many years the best gymnastics coach in the Puget Sound area. Loan’s shtick was to recruit talented kids from Tacoma’s poor neighborhoods and offer them opportunity in exchange for dedication and hard work. On that foundation he built a formidable elite team; he once told me the other local teams trained to compete against each other, but he was training his girls to compete against Russians and Romanians. All you had to do was spend an hour watching a workout in his Puyallup gym and you knew he was serious. Not sure if he’s still coaching, but his sister is head coach at Mt. Si Gymnastics Academy.
Because my daughter was an athlete, I had the privilege of meeting numerous world-class athletes and their coaches, including Europeans and Russians. It was quite an experience. Those people could teach the rest of us quite a lot. One of the things they taught me was never, ever, quit. I watched injured athletes, in pain, go out in front of crowds and not only compete but win. I wish our Democratic electeds had their spine.
Here’s what snopes.com says about the taxability of Olympic medals (and the cash prizes athletes get with them):
http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/olympics.asp
Bet you didn’t know the U.S. Olympic Committee pays American athletes $25k for winning a gold medal; I didn’t. But USOC is cheap; Italy pays $182k and Russian pays $135k. The gold medal itself is merely 1% gold and worth only $644, and the IRS is not known to have dunned anyone for taxes on the actual medals themselves.
@48,
So?
Stupid unemployed ylbuttspigot moron! Enjoy your suck unemployed life! A real job with real potential.
Now up to 78 EPIC FAYLES with the useless databaze!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
53 – Again – F YOU VERY MUCH MR. “BUTT”!
Only a fool would want to be within a hundred yards of the likes of you.
” I came even imagine that one.”
Notice the diarrhea trail left @54? Not my problem ya fool. I have a great job. You on the other hand are the joke of HA!
See ya ylbuttspigot! Won’t be looking for the next race track butt we all know you’ll be leaving it!
55 – LMAO!!! Help? Shit I’m still waiting for knock, knock from the FBI..
More bullshit from a pathological LIAR!
@55 “I have a great job.”
I have an even better deal than you do — I get paid for not working. Isn’t that every capitalist’s dream? To live off the fat of the land? That’s what Republicans do, and I’m doing it too! Why should Republicans get all the fat? If we just split up what they’ve been taking, there’s enough fat for everyone to get a fair share.
Wow,
81 EPIC FAYLES from ylbuttspigot. Called it, right on time!
I own this moron! Lock Stock and Barrel!
@25:
Actually, there have already been black owners in NASCAR. ESPN racing analyst Brad Daugherty (the former basketball player) and Randy Moss both owned teams in the Truck Series. And Michael Jordan has owned a team in the AMA Superbike Series for a while. Eventually, there will be black-owned Sprint Cup, IndyCar, and F1 teams. It’d do racing a lot of good, especially NASCAR.
@59 I visited your blog and found it fascinating. You handled Clint very well.
I found this to be interesting.
“While I was checking my pads and triggers, making sure that all my connections were sure and they were all registering with their module”
I take it that drumming isn’t what it used to be.
Thanks for the look-see, Steve. Being a working drummer most certainly isn’t what it used to be. These days, “sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll” is more like Xbox 360, Benadryl, and Earth, Wind, & Fire.
Oh, and another one for Pud – Walter Payton was a co-owner of an IndyCar team up until his passing, and raced in the SCCA TransAm series as well.