Olympics viewership at all time low
I don't think there is any denying that there are a number of factors at play here and one of them is the global resentment towards China who is hosting them.
Of course there are factors such as the fact that basically nobody even watches network television anymore. I know that at my house I don't even have network TV but only streaming services and just like how land-line telephones are a rarity now, I think this is a major factor as well. No matter what the reasons are, the simple fact is that it seems as though far fewer people even care that the Olympics is on right now.
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I don't actually know anyone that is watching the Olympics and many of the sports bars in my immediate area are actually refusing to broadcast it in their establishments because of how they personally feel about China. I don't like to get involved in politics but I don't think you have to be in order to feel as though the country does some pretty shady stuff. For me it kind of reached a high point when Peng Shuai suddenly vanished after making comments about a former high level government official sexually abusing her. I don't really follow tennis really closely and she wasn't a big name in the sport but for someone to just totally disappear after making public comments about a government official is really suspicious and scary and while the Chinese government and now Shuai herself deny any wrongdoing on the part of the government, I don't think anyone is really buying the official story.
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We can't really blame that lack in interest entirely on recent feelings about China though because if you look at the above chart, viewership, at least in the USA, has been dwindling for decades but the drop is far more dramatic this time around as a mere 7.2 million people tuned in for day one of the Olympic ceremony; down from 16 million that tuned in for the Winter Olympics in 2018. Has streaming become so much more of our lives in 4 years that this is the only reason behind the massive drop? I don't know. I haven't had network television for a long time and I don't really remember too many people being excited about the Olympics either winter or summer, for quite some time.
The United States has an official "diplomatic boycott" of the games because of the "suspected" human-rights violations against the Uyghur population. A diplomatic boycott is relatively meaningless though and I think that the people are speaking louder than the government is about this. For me, I've never really understood why nations put so much time, effort, and money into hosting these games. I wouldn't say that I have been very enthusiastic about them for decades.
Whether or not this massive decline in viewership is because people are fed up with China or not is kind of a mystery and we can only speculate on if that is the real case or not. I think the numbers speak for themselves though and the fact that I have a close knit group of friends that are all massive sports fans and none of us are even talking about the Olympics kind of says a lot about how interest has just waned and nobody cares.
We don't even talk about how we won't watch it for boycott reasons. We just don't really talk about it at all.
We are looking forward to the cracker of a UFC event that is coming up this weekend though, as well as the Super Bowl!
I'll be honest I am way more interested in UFC or even the super bowl rather than watching the Olympics in China.
In fact there should be no reason why China should even be involved over proven for profit organ harvesting as well as a huge amount of human Rights abuses and atrocities.
Let alone the border clashes with India.. how about all that predatory lending to third world countries. How about the fact that China is allowed to pollute the environment and destroy the environment all for the people's liberation army profit.
How about the corporate and military espionage?
How about that and function testing at the Wuhan institute for infectious diseases...
How about 100% of Mexico cartels are buying precursor chemicals to make methamphetamine and fentanyl for American streets from Chinese suppliers shipped on people's liberation Navy transports to United States ports.
The most warlike country on the planet with absolutely zero wins only losses... World's largest standing army and Navy and the most inept both...
Yep boycott China.
There are a lot of reasons to shun China for this and all other sporting events but sports unfortunately are not about sports, they are about money. I'm sure every organization that benefits financially from China (I'm looking at you NBA!) would never turn their backs on China, no matter what sort of horrible shit they do.
Well if we remember to cover up the fact that China was convicted of war crimes for forced organ harvesting of its own people for profit. They released covid on the world.
Yeah if they're willing to do that what else are they willing to do and what else do they got going on like building a massive amount of nuclear weapons. Also all of these ballistic missiles and so forth.
Have to agree with everything you laid out. Yes to be honest the olympics doesn't have the same pull as other televised sports for personally, but the simple fact that China is hosting this event is enough for me to turn my back on it completely.
Another factor that I didn't address in my original writeup is the fact that the time zone difference makes it so that even if you did want to watch it in USA it would be on at a really horrible time of day... that could also be a factor. I don't know anyone that cares enough about figure skating to stay up until 4am to see it.
I would say troubles in the domestic front added fuel to the general disinterest in these events this time.
I am about to write about the UFC event which is way more exciting than anything else!
As far as I know, the Chinese tennis player could have been replaced with an android 🙂
In all honesty I think people are just tired of everything, so it doesn't take much for them to be upset, switch off their TV and go for a walk to never be seen again.
In some weird ways, maybe humanity is fighting back the stupidity shoved down our throats, though it's totally untrue as other sports are more popular than ever.
Like UFC for example. Could it possibly be because they never got involved in any sort of social movements and just did their sport like they are supposed to? hmmmmmm, I don't think it is a coincidence!
You damn right!!! This and the other thing as well, that we aren't allowed to talk about because it's mandatory.
Funny that Kevin Lee took the jab, and lost his job...
I watched the biathlon highlights and that has been it and haven't followed any of it. Don't think it is the time zone either this time but more of a lack of interest plus the obvious people boycotting the Chinese. I will see highlights of the Super Bowl as time difference and adverts kills it for me.
biathalon. I do love that event. Skiing and guns, what a perfect combination.
Some people think the Super Bowl adverts are sometimes better than the actual super bowl.