First off, I think the Olympics are as irrelevant as ever these days, and I can’t say that I’ve watched anything beyond the 25 minutes a day that I’m running on the hamster wheel. But I have noticed that there is a whole lot of television coverage focused on a whole lot of volleyball, soccer and shit like rowing. I guess the marquee stuff like basketball point shaving and women’s gymnastics is saved for times when people are actually capable of watching it.
But today, I caught a glimpse of Olympic ping-pong. Doubles, no less. With great amusement, I kept the television on the event, so I could see what ping-pong at the highest level looked like. For about 35 seconds, the players on both side of the table would position themselves intricately, bob up and down and Hulk themselves up, preparing for the serve. The serve would come, and the point would be decided in less than five seconds. There would be fist pumps, roars of victory and high fives for every single point. And then it would repeat itself, the preparation that takes longer than the payoff.
