We are, of course, amazed that our readers occasionally disagree with our brilliant and witty essays. In fact, sometimes quite a few readers think that The Outrage editors are wrong, misanthropic, idiotic, selfish, deluded, or all of the above.
Mother Outrage always told us that even the dull and the ignorant should have their say, so we've allowed space below for those dissenting opinions (and for shameless flattery).
Name: David A. Adezio (vacuum33@hotmail.com)
Time: 2/15/2002 (0:6:19)
No, I didn't watch the competition. I was downstairs working on the computer when I heard the yelling from upstairs. I'm sure that the people in the next county heard it. I saw the replays, who could miss them. I agree with the suggestion that Nance Napcat made about judges from the country of the competetor not being allowed to participate. I would also like to point out that athelets are made to jump through hoops to prove that they are not cheating, shouldn't the judges have their own hoops. I would like to go Bernard Levy one better, not only should the medals be returned voluntarily, they should never have been accepted in the first place. I would consider it an embarrassment to claim as mine an award which I didn't earn.
Name: Bob (quailfang@humpher.com)
Time: 2/14/2002 (18:24:53)
Hmmmmm, I still think the Canadians are going to cash in big with endorsements, interviews, quest appearances,
and most hopefully the girl in a Playboy spread.
Name: Pat (otaytwo@earthlink.net)
Time: 2/14/2002 (16:55:23)
I, like most, watched the ice skating event and feel the Canadians won, it was obvious. I have lost interest in watching the olympics. Isn't there any honesty left
Name: Greg (hobbyfarmer@netzero.com)
Time: 2/14/2002 (16:32:23)
Who cares? There are bigger fish to fry. I could careless about the Olympics, let alone whether judging is fixed!!
Name: Nance Napcat (napcat2@webtv.net) Time: 2/14/2002 (14:9:36)
The scoring has been questionable for some time, with talk of bloc voting taken as fact. But, a gold-medal performance is obvious to everybody. Perhaps the IOC should consider an outrageous solution: if a nation is IN competition, it CANNOT have a judge there. Then watch all the judges who DO get chosen like hawks.
Name: Ken Carr (KCarr@ultimacorp.com)
Time: 2/14/2002 (12:43:47)
I've heard the judges Are Saying Yes the Canadians were better technically however the Russian skaters interpreted the music so much better and were much more stylish. I wonder if these same judges have met Toller Cranston who for years won the free skate routine yet never won a gold medal, because his figures were not as technical as whatever flavor of Russian skater was the gold medal winner at that time.
Name: JWeidner (jweidner@mindspring.com)
Time: 2/14/2002 (11:32:6)
These judges are an outrageous joke. They are making a mockery of the Olympics and the hard work all of these athletes go through to get to this level. They should put the Russian and French judge in jail.
Name: Nathan Green (Phillipians1.6@prodigy.com)
Time: 2/14/2002 (11:19:34)
The obvious winners were the canadians. Even a bat would have seen this. We as americans cannot allow for this kind of favortism on our soil. This would be the same if the roles we reversed. the judges should be dismissed and new judges picked and review the tapes to make a new judgement.
Name: Bernard Levy (Bernie-Levy@prodigy.net)
Time: 2/14/2002 (8:31:52)
The Canadians should have won with their perfect performance,
while the Russians had several serious flaws. We now know
that the French judge was "influenced" while those other countries
are obviously Anti-West. The right result is for the gold medal
to be returned by the Russians (they should do it voluntarily)
and to be given to the Canadians.
Name: Linda L. Jacobs (LJACOBS9@AOL.COM)
Time: 2/14/2002 (6:19:28)
I believe the Olympic games have always been rigged.
I also know that United Nations is a group of thieves and liars.
The United States should make it perfectly clear we won't tolerate corruption, which is hard to do since we have a governor in Florida that was convicted of banking fraud. The same crime as Enron, which can be traced back to his brother in the White House, George "W" Bush.
Name: doug meyer (dougmeyer@lvcm.com)
Time: 2/14/2002 (2:57:39)
It was "no contest". The Canadians won by a bunch.
Name: Joe Hoffbeck (jhoffbeck@customcpu.com)
Time: 2/14/2002 (0:32:54)
I watched as the world watched and was very disappointed when the decision was made. The system is flawed. It hasn't been but a couple of years ago that the Olympic site committee was caught taking bribes so why should we be supprised when the judges are also corrupt.
Enough of the Olympic hype and the out of control costs.
Name: Mark (fitchs@atcnet.net)
Time: 2/13/2002 (23:31:35)
I could not believe what I saw. The judges that are doing this need to dealt with in a very swift manner. Boot them out!!!!!
Name: Marty (morris@odyssey.net)
Time: 2/13/2002 (23:6:16)
Canada won.............
Name: Daniel Burba (chwaof19@gdi.net)
Time: 2/13/2002 (21:50:48)
I watch the skating and i was outraged because it was very
clear the Canadians had won. This is another example of
what is going on in this world. The evil is all around us and
we need to stamp it out as soon as we can. These other
countries hate for what the free world stands for and
that is FREEDOM. Everybody is crying for it.Freedom Freedom
everywhere. Could you imagine.
Name: Herbert Merl (herbmerl@epix.net)
Time: 2/13/2002 (20:18:47)
You are rightit was a fix.and all judges involved shoul be disqualified.
The gold the russians (won)
Is worthless in my mind .Because from what I saw the Canadiens won!!!!!!
Name: Bob (eagle@surewest.net)
Time: 2/13/2002 (18:54:6)
The Ccanadians won hands down. Perhaps we should withdraw from future meets until the rules and ethics are fixed.
Name: REGINA (TWINS66@SURFUS.NET)
Time: 2/13/2002 (18:39:35)
IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT IT WAS FIXED BECAUSE EVEN AN AMATEUR CAN TELL THAT THE CANADIANS OUT SKATED THE RUSSIANS.
Name: Sherrell Broam (sherrell@htcomp.net)
Time: 2/13/2002 (16:39:35)
I love ice skating, and this is not the first time this has happened. They need to get rid of those judges and start over again. The gold should be given to the Canadian pair. A person would have to be blind not to know that!
Name: Nathan Holden (n.holden@ucl.ac.uk)
Time: 2/13/2002 (16:5:50)
There was no fix, the only error made by the russians was a single step out of an double axle jump which was reflected in the scores for technicality, but where it mattered was the presentation and there the Russian duo scored massively over their opponents and in my mind deserved their win.
Name: James King (jkking@myself.com)
Time: 2/13/2002 (15:29:24)
Now I've read the numerous comments made by some others. My wife and I enjoy watching these competitions and have watched the Olympics since '90 together, and both watched separately before that. The amount of work, skill and artistry that goes into the performances is why we enjoy this event. We admire excellence and no matter what the judges contrive to do, the beauty of their performances will always be a part of our memory. Comments posted here such as 'Get over it!' convey such arrogant insensitivity as to join the judges in their callous disregard of the training required to even step on the ice in these events.
Name: James King (jkking@myself.com)
Time: 2/13/2002 (15:20:45)
Clearly fixed, and although soon to be addressed, the damage is done. The Emperor has no clothes.
Name: Duncan Prescott (duncanprescott@shaw.ca)
Time: 2/13/2002 (15:17:2)
Canada purely won. I am from the city (Edmonton) where they train and it is the rage on all the talk shows here. What stands out above everything else is the class of the skaters themselves. They said they did all they could do and are just trying to live above all the corruption. It is a shame the Olympics are like this but nothing can take away from the outstanding performance of these two awesome skaters.
Name: Bob Hendry (bhendry@cheerful.com)
Time: 2/13/2002 (14:19:40)
Unfortunately, I'm not a judge - my opinion doesn't count. Maybe we should have the viewers cast votes via the internet? It would probably be more rational that having the state appointed judges vote!
Name: DLP (FARMS2@juno.com)
Time: 2/13/2002 (13:23:25)
What do you think,, BIG MONEY and politics,nothing is sacred
any longer.. It is shameful on all of humanity, we can do any thing
that is fair !
Name: Craig (craig.greene@bmc.org)
Time: 2/13/2002 (12:54:46)
This isn't the first time.I think it was in 96 that the pair from the
UK (Torville and Dean) had the same thing happen to them.
They clearly won but they said they did an illegal move and they
ended up with silver.I have also seen this with boxing in the
olympics.I don't know what year but an italian won the fight
clearly and ended up with silver.This is not right what is going
on.The countries that pull these stunts only make themselves
look pathetic.
Name: Jann M. (No email address provided)
Time: 2/13/2002 (12:3:12)
Canada’s Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were the obvious winners. What a shame to have to accept silver when you KNOW that you won gold.
Name: AA (aabcdemef@xymd.net)
Time: 2/13/2002 (11:50:7)
Who cares...?
Name: Jack Trimpey (jt@rational.cc)
Time: 2/13/2002 (11:48:18)
Just another example of the French disconnection.
Name: leslie (lgrollm@pnm.com)
Time: 2/13/2002 (11:40:45)
It was a disgrace. We have
seen it before. They should
be awarded the gold....
Name: AJ (AJReferee@att.net)
Time: 2/13/2002 (11:37:32)
I neither watched nor cared. A "sport" that requires the "opinion' of judges to determine winners is just looking for this sort of trouble.
A sport ought to have scoring as an intrinsic part of ots structure.
Name: John Brush (jbrush@aros.net)
Time: 2/13/2002 (11:35:13)
Of course its fixed, there are people making judements. What else do you expect?
If you have to keep score it's a game.
If you need a judge it's a pastime.
If you need several judges it's a sham.
The winners are the one's that the judges pick, not the ones that the crowd loves, or the ones that sleep with Bob Costas and Scott Hamilton.
Get over it.
John
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