winter olympics

Russia lead but Hanyu upstages Plushenko in team skating

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That's said, I still hope that this time in Sochi Mao will deliver and land clean on her triple axels - her key to upsetting Kim; it's Mao's last chance for an Olympic gold.

Doesn't matter what she lands. By stupid figure skating rules, you can get bonus points for falling on your butt. And I'm sure the Russian will win somehow.

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Since Vancouver Olympics up to now, however, Kim, the world's figure skater most worth watching, has been almost no where to been on J-TV

Maybe, just maybe, it's because she did not participate in the Grand Prix series at all during that time. You should know that she competed in relatively minor events leading up to Sochi, such as in Zagreb. This was covered by the Japanese media, of course.

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Let's restrict the coverage of news here to that by TV because I was talking about only TV news in Japan and referring to only TV news in my country (I didn't read newspapers to get sports news). And yes, I watch, and have watched for a decade, TV in the Japanese language on a daily basis together with my Japanese family, especially NHK, the Japanese type of national channel - proud, enormous, and of arguably regional or international stature. The whole experience is in Japanese, and thus so Japan-focused in every aspect. Of course, the sports players do nothing wrong. In fact, I like many of them. For example, I've been a fan of the Japanese national women's volley team for 10 years, a fan of both the Japanese national men and women's soccer teams since two world cups ago, and especially I have been a fan of Mao-chan since her first skating competition in her junior years, and I was upset with her inability to participate in the Turin Olympics back in 2006. I've been following Mao through her glories, which were dramatized in part by her duel with Korea's Kim Yu Na. I've been checking on Mao in her slumps, too, and been relieved to see her persevere and triumph over her struggles into this Sochi Olympics. That means I have watched enough Japanese TV in the Japanese language to see a consistent Japanese pattern of who and what is covered, which is governed by their interest in and mentality of "our boys and girls only" and which cannot be said "isn't intended." Some scant, really SCANT, mention of other foreign guys is occasionally added so long as it does not seem to disparage the home boys/girls. That's why we don't see on NHK and et el nowadays what we saw around 2005-2008: limited coverage on Kim Yu Na. Back then Mao apparently was better than Kim in terms of techniques and winnability, so Kim was mentioned as a backdrop to Mao's implied superiority (Kim was almost always a runner-up to the champion Mao for about four or five years at world championships and Grand Prixes). Since Vancouver Olympics up to now, however, Kim, the world's figure skater most worth watching, has been almost no where to been on J-TV. The unsaid reason: Kim has become so invincible that she would make Mao and other J-female skaters look bad in the local viewers' eyes. That's said, I still hope that this time in Sochi Mao will deliver and land clean on her triple axels - her key to upsetting Kim; it's Mao's last chance for an Olympic gold.

In addition, if one watches closely, eg. volleyball games on J-TV, one will notice another funny thing about J-TV: they never, never, ever dare to show a slow-motion replay of an umpire's dubious call in favor of the J-team or against foreign team. For example, if a ball appears to be misjudged to be in for the J-team and the umpire's decision is protested by the rivals' team as an out ball, and J-TV is not confident that the ball is actually in, then it will never show a slow-motion replay of the ball. But J-TV will be very quick to show a slow-motion replay of a ball when they are confident that the ball is in or out in favor of the J-team. I can tell with a 98% probability of accuracy whether there will be a slow-motion replay after a protest. I have been laughing for years at this consistent pattern of behavior unique to the J-TV corps.

Again, the J-TV aside, the Japanese players do nothing wrong; they are always nice and professional. I love them.

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And it's not only about sports, just anything else. But, yeah, this is Japan, so I guess I'll respect their Japanese way!

It probably isn't intended, but that comes across as hateful. Perhaps you don't know the interesting backstories on the Japanese "boy" Hanyu and previous world champion "girl Asada. Again, if you watch TV and read the news in Japanese, you can see an abundance of foreign sports coverage, possibly much more than is available in other highly populated countries with a huge variety of local sports stories and athletes to cover. If you see only an occasional headline or lead story, you'll see only the hometown favorites. No one in the media is deliberately or even inadvertently ignoring or dissing you. Quite the contrary.

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Pukey2

The whole sports segment on the NHK news should be called 'how our boys are doing abroad'

I can't agree more. And it's not only about sports, just anything else. For example, in the last few days, the local TV channels here from NHK to blahblahblah have repeatedly aired the duos of home teen ballet dancers who just won first (the boy) and second (the girl) prizes in a contest held in Switzerland. The only foreign factor known was Switzerland. That's it. I have happened to see this same news over and over and been left wondering again and again who the Japanese boy and girl were competing with and who the other medalists (non-Japanese of course) were. This type of news coverage would have been unthinkable in my country. But, yeah, this is Japan, so I guess I'll respect their Japanese way!

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japantodaykenji:

Perhaps you do not watch Japanese TV as much as I (or the average Japanese) do or read that many Japanese newspapers?

You're right. I don't watch Japanese TV as much as you. The reason - because I did used to watch it a lot, and enough was enough. The TV was on at my partner's home - plenty of figure skating by Hanyu, a few seconds of Plushenko, five seconds of Chan, when he nearly fell, and plenty of skating by Hanyu again. Great for fans of Japanese sportsmen, but not so great for fans of sports in general.

intlobserver

The whole sports segment on the NHK news should be called 'how our boys are doing abroad'.

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I am sure how many countries cover international sports events like the Japanese media. But I think if such a way of reporting sports does not represent rudeness, then it sure implies a lack of courtesy from an international perspective. Or if

that's what hometown audiences want, quite naturally

, then the hometown audience's minds, justifiably, are just as large as the town the audiences are confined to.

I am pleased that this is NOT the way sports are covered by my country's media. For example, when our national soccer team played and defeated or lost to another country's team, we would be able to see at least ALL the goals scored by both teams; we would be able to see how those foreign guys beat our goalkeeper; our TV commentators would not stint on praise for those foreign players, who together with our players, made the game. Or when our country hosts an international sport tournament, any sport, and our team is unfortunately eliminated early on, we will still be able to follow the foreign teams on TV until the very final game, and we will be patient enough to watch the whole final awards presenting ceremony with trophies and medals properly handed to the foreign players. For us, to watch sports means to enjoy and appreciate the spectacles of the finest performances by the players out there, regardless of who they are, local or foreign. Such as way of seeing world sports covered had been so natural to me that I had never thought of the word SPORTSMANSHIP until I came to Japan and spent quite some time getting used to seeing international sports events covered the Japanese way here.

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I'm not American but I'm willing to bet even American media gives some coverage of gaijins. Not even saying who won, let alone show their faces when they're not Japanese is rude. Period.

Perhaps you do not watch Japanese TV as much as I (or the average Japanese) do or read that many Japanese newspapers? They cover foreign athletes and sports stories to such a great extent that Japanese sometimes actually complain that foreign sports are given priority. So during the Olympics, it's all about Team Japan.

I'm American and grew up with Olympic sports coverage that was almost nothing but Team USA unless there was a particular world-famous figure skater or gymnast from Europe or else another English speaking country. Asian athletes were never mentioned unless they beat a prominent, favored American, and even then, their actual names were not mentioned. It isn't racism or rudeness at all; it's imply that that's what hometown audiences want, quite naturally.

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Every country's media does exactly the same thing Debucho criticizes in featuring their own athletes and leaving everything else,

No they most certainly do not. Not in my country anyway. I'm not American but I'm willing to bet even American media gives some coverage of gaijins. Not even saying who won, let alone show their faces when they're not Japanese is rude. Period. Many people watch because they're sports fans. There are many sportsmen which I like, but they don't come from the same country as me.

Don't have a TV anymore (except at my partner's home). There are other ways of watching sports - and not through Japanese channels.

Anyway, I had no idea the skating had already started. Not a fan of Plushenko, but I have to take my hat off to him. Being able to skate at that level at that age and without entering many competitions.

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Every country's media does exactly the same thing Debucho criticizes in featuring their own athletes and leaving everything else, including the ultimate winners, as an afterthought. Occasionally, an athlete does command enough world attention to outshine the local favorites. But not usually. Big deal. People need to chill. ;-)

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wow on the news I only saw the Japanese skater. I thought it was a Japanese team practice until they said at the end, by the way the Russians are winning..with of course no footage of the leading team skaters.. Welcome back J-media olympic coverage!

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