What can Football learn from the Olympics

[QPR_NW10]

...just watching SSN and had been thinking myself this very question over the past two weeks.

IMO there is one clear thing to take from the Olympics that footballers need to consider:
Respect.
In every single event, the winners and losers all shock hands, even hugged each other - be in Vicky Pendleton and Anna Mears cycling, Mo celebrating with all the 10k runners and every other sport in between. Such a respect for each other knowing that every single person there, whether first or last, has put their heart and soul into that very event.
I would like to see footballers being more humble - faking injuries/diving to get players sent off/booked is disgraceful - these are meant to be professionals with a mutual understanding of what it takes to get to the top of football.

Other things to consider:
Video replays...they have it in every sport! I didn't know this but they have reviews in fencing/archery/canoeing...loads of stuff!
Humbler fans...was terrific seeing that german lad hurdling after winning the discus - everyone cheered. Who'd cheer a german?! i did! Was great fun. Why can't we clap or congratulate a player when they've actually scored a terrific goal? last time i did this was a while back - nicky maynard v us.

any other thoughts?

[rangers]

never do tickets in a ballot all the empty seats were discusting

[Ginger Ninja]

never do tickets in a ballot all the empty seats were discusting

and being a fulham fan you would know all about empty seats...

[DeepcutHoop]

...just watching SSN and had been thinking myself this very question over the past two weeks.

IMO there is one clear thing to take from the Olympics that footballers need to consider:
Respect.
In every single event, the winners and losers all shock hands, even hugged each other - be in Vicky Pendleton and Anna Mears cycling, Mo celebrating with all the 10k runners and every other sport in between. Such a respect for each other knowing that every single person there, whether first or last, has put their heart and soul into that very event.
I would like to see footballers being more humble - faking injuries/diving to get players sent off/booked is disgraceful - these are meant to be professionals with a mutual understanding of what it takes to get to the top of football.

Other things to consider:
Video replays...they have it in every sport! I didn't know this but they have reviews in fencing/archery/canoeing...loads of stuff!
Humbler fans...was terrific seeing that german lad hurdling after winning the discus - everyone cheered. Who'd cheer a german?! i did! Was great fun. Why can't we clap or congratulate a player when they've actually scored a terrific goal? last time i did this was a while back - nicky maynard v us.

any other thoughts?

Whilst the Olympics was amazing, we shouldn't get too carried away, and jump on the Olympians good, footballers bad. It was bad enough when people started comparing the soldiers (sport are troops!!) to footballers.

Several Olympic athletes were sent home for flat out cheating (drugs) and if you watched the 50km walk, not one of them was abiding by the basic rules of the sport.

Football is what it is a massively popular sport watched by millions the world over, and the Olympics is the greatest show on earth but only once every 4 years.

I was pointed in the direction of an absolute cluster**** of a conversation on the subject on Talksport where a Sun journalist called Beasley had written an argument about the boorish behaviour of the fans at the Community shield and compared that to the Olympics, but when Andy Goldstein questioned him on it, ended up threatening him over the phone. Irony overload.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=subXwpPqgug

As for the video replays, some sports have replays, most rely on the adjudicators eye, and where there were video replays on appeal (like the taekwondo for example) it took forever. The sports that could arguably be much better judged with replays (like the diving, dressage, gymnastics etc) don't have them.

I'm all for goal line technology but video appeals during the match would be a nightmare IMO

[QPR Richard]

Totally disagree with you on the video appeals. Think how we'd have benefitted from them. How many incidences went against us that would've been corrected had the system been in place? Ok, some people might say they even themselves out over the season, but that's not the point. It's all about making sure the right decisions are made, and if that slows the game by 5-10 mins, then so be it. At least the results would be more fair. I'd rather lose by fair means than foul.

[QPR71]

sorry to sound like a cynic but fairness etc is basically the olympic brand and their are lots on the gravy train. i'm not in the know but from general
life experience i think there is tacit and overt pressure to conform to the brand image. in reality there is lots of unsporting activity going on, both before
and during the games. many athletes stand to make good money by conforming or appearing to conform to the olympic philosophy

[QprSinceBirth]

Nothing whatsoever football is fine how it is.

[QPRDave]

Put sam missiles on surrounding buildings?

[QPR71]

i think it is fine how it is. but the game is global now. not sure how it works but i think gambling especially in asia creates revenue
(prepared to be wrong on that). point is due to all round exposure and larger financial risk reward, decision are forced to be more
certain as time passes. goal line tech will acheive that easily. i noticed 5th and 6th officials on the goal line stopped lots of
the scuffles at corners recently. i like arsenes idea of the ref being able to refer, at their discretion to video on the sideline,
i pad i guess. its all good as long as the flow is not disturbed

[stainrod10]

What can Football learn from the Olympics

How about having to earn the right to have the national anthem played by winning something rather than having the same honour for just walking onto the pitch?

[QPR Richard]

I'd like to see England v Team GB at football I know there's a lot of Team GB fans around, there's a few on here, and would be a popular game. Imagine, the English playing the British.

I think England would win.

[TRING-RANGER]

Did all the olympians HAVE to shake hands before completing,

kiss cuddle after thats ok , football is to tribal,IMO

[DeepcutHoop]

I'd like to see England v Team GB at football I know there's a lot of Team GB fans around, there's a few on here, and would be a popular game. Imagine, the English playing the British.

I think England would win.

How would that work?

[QPR Richard]

How would that work?

Easy. The squad that played in the Olympics v the squad that played tonight

[DeepcutHoop]

Not really feasible as there's overlap, and Team GB was U-23 mainly.

Take out the overlap's and you're probably right, but a full strength England v a full strength British side in a theoretical FIFA style match up (obviously impossible in reality) would have a stronger GB side then England, even if only one player from the other nations was stronger than one of the English team.

Anyway, Team GB was only ever for the Olympics, and will only be for the Olympics just gone, as they can't qualify for the next one.