Bigger Event - World Cup or Olympics (1 Viewer)

[BassNBrew]

Which is the bigger event in your opinion (define bigger a you see fit)?

World Cup vs Olympics: Which Event Is Bigger? - Giggabox

The World Cup vs Olympics debate has been present since both sports events began. It is one that evokes a strong level of passion from those of both sides. The question of which is bigger comes down to many things. Viewership? History? Prestige? These are all aspects which need to be looked...

www.giggabox.com

Close for me personally. I'm biased as a soccer fan but love the Olympic events too. Olympics have slightly more viewership but it appears the World Cup is growing while the Olympics is shrinking. I'll offset this advantage to the Olympics by the fact that only 32 countries participate vs. almost everyone in the Olympics. If the World Cup included everyone then I think it beats the Olympics. Along those lines, I personally include qualifying as part of the World Cup. I don't follow much of the Olympic trials in the US but do follow WC qualifying. Based on that, the World Cup is the bigger event for me.

 

[Gally]

I voted WC. I think the coverage of the Olympics is terrible (for sports purposes). They spend way too much time on stories and mainstream sports and never show most of the sports plus it should be showing events all the time. There are enough channels that they should be able to do this but rarely do. I also think that since it isn't true amateur athletes anymore it kind of loses some of its cache for me. I just have very little interest in it anymore......and it used to be a highlight that I looked forward to.

WC on the other hand is such a better atmosphere/emotion/tenseness than any other soccer I watch that it just draws me in every time.

 

[nirad3]

I'm definitely a soccer fan but I think due to the breadth of sports the Olympics is SLIGHTLY "bigger" in the grand scheme of things. Definitely close.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Olympics because it's been around somewhat longer.

 

[FairWarning]

i chose the Olympics because there are more sports and more countries participating. I do think the Olympics have lost their luster, and can be surpassed by the WC within the next decade or so.

 

[TripleThreat]

I'll offset this advantage to the Olympics by the fact that only 32 countries participate

48 next cycle...

WC is easier viewing even when it's in a difficult time zone.
Olympics have soo many events that I have no interest in and getting to watch the ones I wanted to last cycle was awful... even in replay.

 

[culdeus]

Olympics are an afterthought in most of the world. Your country wins a world cup game over a euro and time stops. Isn't really close. Especially with the TV coverage we get.

 

[Eephus]

The World Cup is four weeks of games building to a climax. Except for the final games of the group stage, the attention of the world is focused on a single event. The Olympics by comparison are dispersed over hundreds of competitions, very few of which if any are of global importance.

 

[BassNBrew]

The World Cup is four weeks of games building to a climax. Except for the final games of the group stage, the attention of the world is focused on a single event. The Olympics by comparison are dispersed over hundreds of competitions, very few of which if any are of global importance.

Hundreds of competitions with small cult followings. Cycling is huge in Europe, diving in China, etc. No one matches WC soccer, but the sum of these little events adds up. Of course every grandma is watching the gymnastics.

 

[gianmarco]

It should be the Olympics, but I don't think it is. There's a few reasons for this

1) I hate the fact that they now offset the Summer and Winter Games. Part of the draw of the WC is the fact that it happens every 4 years. The Olympics used to be that way and now we get it every 2 years. That takes off some of the shine, IMO. At least for me, I'd much prefer it going back to how it was and then I'd view them a lot closer.
2) The Olympics, while representing countries, is still more of an "individual" event. You don't get large crowds cheering on a singular nation during most, if not all, of the events. At the end, there isn't a clear "winner" by country that gets a 1st place based on how many golds or how many total medals they get. So we celebrate individual events (even if it's a team like relays or even basketball), but there's no huge fan groups for nations like you see in the WC.
3) The tournament style of the WC will always be more exciting than singular events.
4) Trying to watch the Olympics can be a chore/challenge. There's just so much going on and coverage has never been ideal. Trying to actively seek out certain events isn't easy and the coverage may not even be there.
5) There's a lot of the Olympics that most of us don't care about. It's hard to get excited about every event. So, we pick and choose and that's that. On the flipside, I'll gladly watch each and every WC match.

 

[The Z Machine]

The IOC is corrupt, so I cannot support the Olympics.

 

[Klaatu Barada Nikto]

personally, i feel like soccer is gaining popularity, while the olympics are waning. we know many of the world’s best in soccer, but i can’t tell you i know the #1 ranked hammer thrower from slovenia.

 

[gianmarco]

personally, i feel like soccer is gaining popularity, while the olympics are waning. we know many of the world’s best in soccer, but i can’t tell you i know the #1 ranked hammer thrower from slovenia.

Isn't it Klaatu Barada Nikto?

 

[Sand]

personally, i feel like soccer is gaining popularity, while the olympics are waning. we know many of the world’s best in soccer, but i can’t tell you i know the #1 ranked hammer thrower from slovenia.

Tadej Pogačar is #1 in every sport in Slovenia.

 

[eoMMan]

We all know the FFA is now a soccer echo chamber so this poll will definitely sway one way.

 

[BassNBrew]

We all know the FFA is now a soccer echo chamber so this poll will definitely sway one way.

50 yo males on a FF forum a soccer echo chamber?

 

[culdeus]

We all know the FFA is now a soccer echo chamber so this poll will definitely sway one way.

Well when the conversation is complete at least the domain name works.

 

[TripItUp]

If the World Cup hasn't passed up the olympics already, it will in the next decade.

 

[Capella]

The thing I like about the Olympics is the big stakes for events some of us don’t care about. Easy to turn on and be instantly invested. I’m a big fan of both but went Olympics just due to how much of it there is.

 

[Dwayne Hoover]

Just going off my own bias, I would say Olympics. I typically pay more attention than I do to the Olympics than I do to the World Cup. Like this year I've watched maybe an hour and a half of World Cup.

Could see this one going either way though, personal preference, not sure there is a right answer

 

[TripItUp]

Just going off my own bias, I would say Olympics. I typically pay more attention than I do to the Olympics than I do to the World Cup. Like this year I've watched maybe an hour and a half of World Cup.

Could see this one going either way though, personal preference, not sure there is a right answer

Americans are more vested in the Olympics.

But Europe, South America and Africa prefer the World Cup and it's not remotely close...which is why I voted World Cup.

 

[Bluesbomber]

World Cup means nothing to me. If USA wins it is good for my fellow citizens but means nothing to me personally. Olympics meant a lot to me as a youth. I still enjoy watching many of the events in both Summer and Winter Olympics and many events are much more exciting than soccer to me.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Just going off my own bias, I would say Olympics. I typically pay more attention than I do to the Olympics than I do to the World Cup. Like this year I've watched maybe an hour and a half of World Cup.

Could see this one going either way though, personal preference, not sure there is a right answer

Americans are more vested in the Olympics.

But Europe, South America and Africa prefer the World Cup and it's not remotely close...which is why I voted World Cup.

What about Asia? I hear there are a lot of people over there.

 

[3C's]

If the numbers are right and if I'm reading them correctly, and somewhat comparing apples to apples, 1.2M tourists flew in to Brazil for the 2014 WC while only about 500k flew in for the 2016 Olympics. Voted WC.

 

[BassNBrew]

Just going off my own bias, I would say Olympics. I typically pay more attention than I do to the Olympics than I do to the World Cup. Like this year I've watched maybe an hour and a half of World Cup.

Could see this one going either way though, personal preference, not sure there is a right answer

Likely not a right answer. But lot's of interesting answers from people regarding what makes something bigger or more important to them.

 

[nysfl2]

The IOC is corrupt, so I cannot support the Olympics.

Ummm, I've got a little bad news to share with you about FIFA . . .

 

[IvanKaramazov]

The Olympics barely even qualifies as a sporting event -- it's all personal drama about the performers written to appeal to middle-class women. The World Cup is a real tournament featuring a real sport played by athletes with an actual fanbase. How is this even a contest.

 

[Capella]

The Olympics barely even qualifies as a sporting event -- it's all personal drama about the performers written to appeal to middle-class women.

No, that’s what NBC has decided it is. If you cut through their network telecasts it’s pretty good.

 

[AAABatteries]

Anybody who posts around here knows how big a soccer fan I am but for me it's the Olympics and it's not really close. Some items I considered:

• Athletes from around the globe spend their entire lives for what is usually their only chance at fame
• Just about every sport on the planet is included
• Most of the guys in the World Cup are known to soccer fans and most of them are super rich/famous already
• The human interest stories are always amazing to watch
• The opening ceremonies for the Olympics and the country procession is just awesome - the WC opening ceremonies are mostly lame
• If I ignore WCQ (which isn't necessarily fair but how I'm viewing it) WC is 64 matches - That's 128 hours of action. No clue what the Olympics is but it's a ridiculous amount.
• You get soccer in the Olympics - granted at a much lower quality but it's there
• You get winter and summer sports and you get it every 2 years with the rotation
• Womens Beach Volleyball - check and mate

 

[AAABatteries]

The Olympics barely even qualifies as a sporting event -- it's all personal drama about the performers written to appeal to middle-class women. The World Cup is a real tournament featuring a real sport played by athletes with an actual fanbase. How is this even a contest.

You are kidding, right? You have to be kidding.

 

[Zow]

We all know the FFA is now a soccer echo chamber so this poll will definitely sway one way.

You sound like people from the sub forum that shall not be named.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

48 next cycle...

Every country in the world (almost) spends two years trying to qualify for the World Cup -- World Cup Qualifying. The single-site event is just the end of a 2+ year cycle where teams play 100s of games around the globe. And unlike Olympic qualifying, those games are a huge deal in their own right.

ETA: total viewership for the World Cup is higher than total viewership for the Olympics as well.

 

[AAABatteries]

Also, Bass hates my liver as now I'm thinking I need to extend my cocktail schtick to the Olympics.


@The Gator - time to update our wills

 

[The Gator]

Also, Bass hates my liver as now I'm thinking I need to extend my cocktail schtick to the Olympics.


@The Gator - time to update our wills

:deadpickle:

Also, WC > Olympics.

Just because there's more doesn't make it better. See; WC with 48 teams

 

[AAABatteries]

Also, Bass hates my liver as now I'm thinking I need to extend my cocktail schtick to the Olympics.


@The Gator - time to update our wills

:deadpickle:

Also, WC > Olympics.

Just because there's more doesn't make it better. See; WC with 48 teams

Better and bigger are two different questions, IMO. I like the WC better, but I just think OLY are bigger.

 

[TLEF316]

I'm a big soccer guy but I certainly recognize that in the US, the Olympics as a whole is MUCH bigger.

I get very into a handful of events but 95% of it doesn't move the needle for me at all.

I love watching the domination of US Swimming. Phelps in Beijing was one of the most memorable sports watching experiences of my life (watching the end of the relay with my dad and brother is an iconic moment for me) I enjoy watching our best player together on the basketball team. Gymnastics just boggles my mind with the stuff they can do, so I'll watch that.

But pretty much everything else, I may tune in for a few minutes at most. Track doesn't really do it for me. Wrestling, boxing, martial arts, fencing, etc. That's like 10 minutes of curiosity and then I'm changing the channel. And now like 1/2 the events are stuff with judges that seem totally rigged for China (since they scoop these kids up when they're 18 months old and turn them into backflip robots that never see their families) so that's unwatchable for me.

Winter olympics are terrible. I'm not a hockey guy and everything else is good for 2 minutes and then I'm changing the channel.

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

Voted Olympics is bigger, based on it's broad appeal, longevity, number of different sports involved, etc.

I do think the WC as a sporting event is better in many ways. I answered based on "bigger".

 

[The General]

Both great. Olympics has more history, more storylines, reaches more nations, has more sports so got to go with it.

 

[ChiefD]

Olympics.

Where else can I not know anything about a sport, and within minutes of not knowing the names of the participants in a sport I've never heard of I'm sitting on the edge of my seat feeling the tension of that last bit off effort to hit a finish line for their glory.

Love that stuff.

 

[eoMMan]

We all know the FFA is now a soccer echo chamber so this poll will definitely sway one way.

You sound like people from the sub forum that shall not be named.

(That’s the joke….shhhh)

 

[jvdesigns2002]

I answered World Cup. There are a lot more events in the Olympics and I don’t think that most people care about a large majority of them. I think that globally there are a lot of fans that specifically love soccer—and the World Cup is basically the holy grail of soccer tournaments. I‘d think that the global viewership of the world cup final will probably be higher than the viewership of any of the events of the Olympics.

 

[General Malaise]

I've never in my life contemplated going to a bar at 7am to watch The Olympics. I'm strongly considering that for Sunday's final World Cup game.

 

[Zow]

We all know the FFA is now a soccer echo chamber so this poll will definitely sway one way.

You sound like people from the sub forum that shall not be named.

(That’s the joke….shhhh)

Jokes? I don't get them...

 

[Zow]

I've never in my life contemplated going to a bar at 7am to watch The Olympics. I'm strongly considering that for Sunday's final World Cup game.

Same. For me, it's WC and not close. While I'll watch some of it, the Olympics don't really do anything for me. I think it's in part because I haven't played a lot of the sports myself and, frankly, the bouncing around of the coverage and the downtime in the coverage doesn't make it all that riveting for me.

ETA: But, I can easily see how others would say the Olympics.

 

[gianmarco]

Btw, this is one of the better poll questions I've seen here. And looking at the voting confirms that. Nicely done.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

The Olympics barely even qualifies as a sporting event -- it's all personal drama about the performers written to appeal to middle-class women. The World Cup is a real tournament featuring a real sport played by athletes with an actual fanbase. How is this even a contest.

You are kidding, right? You have to be kidding.

Not kidding at all. I loathe the way the Olympics are covered. I consider it unwatchable.

 

[AAABatteries]

The Olympics barely even qualifies as a sporting event -- it's all personal drama about the performers written to appeal to middle-class women. The World Cup is a real tournament featuring a real sport played by athletes with an actual fanbase. How is this even a contest.

You are kidding, right? You have to be kidding.

Not kidding at all. I loathe the way the Olympics are covered. I consider it unwatchable.

I should have been more specific in my comment - my incredulity was around the not a sporting event and the real sport comments - that still seems ludicrous to me. Soccer is one of the events. Volleyball, basketball, handball. I mean, come on. I get the coverage angle but you can watch anything you want - you don't have to choose to watch the main coverage which is geared toward more eyeballs.

 

[AAABatteries]

And don't get me wrong - I have literally watched 100% of the World Cup matches. Every second of every match. Agree it's better and a better viewing experience. It just isn't "bigger" to me.

 

[gianmarco]

It just isn't "bigger" to me.

🥎

 

[General Malaise]

I've never in my life contemplated going to a bar at 7am to watch The Olympics. I'm strongly considering that for Sunday's final World Cup game.

Same. For me, it's WC and not close. While I'll watch some of it, the Olympics don't really do anything for me. I think it's in part because I haven't played a lot of the sports myself and, frankly, the bouncing around of the coverage and the downtime in the coverage doesn't make it all that riveting for me.

ETA: But, I can easily see how others would say the Olympics.

I'm a casual Olympics fan. The TV coverage is horrendous, as you say. Tape delays, long segments about the athletes' back stories, strange sports I never knew were sports, etc. I don't mind having it on in the background, but it's not appointment TV for me.

I've been waking up super early on weekends so I don't miss games and they've been on in the office since the start. When games are compelling, I'm letting my phone ring and not doing much work at all.