The Brazilian Public Showed A Complete Lack of Class Toward Renaud Lavillanie

It reminded me of any South American Davis Cup tennis event. The fans have the English Soccer mentality. It should be the same in the upcoming beach volleyball events. They don't intend any disrespect, they are just really passionate about wanting their team to win.

Glad there's a pole vault thread hear. The Brazilian cleared 19-9 by six inches, then didn't jump again, after he locked up the gold. Tough call whether to quit with a successful jump, or go after 20' while you're hot. He's metric, and got the new Olympic record, so maybe 20 didn't mean much to him. But with his last vault, a world record was not out of the question.

He basically used a pole that is so firm they don't practice with it because it's too dangerous. No idea why he'd risk anything after getting gold.

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falconrunner22 wrote:

It reminded me of any South American Davis Cup tennis event. The fans have the English Soccer mentality.

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Ben L Wrong wrote:

Google this: "Copa Libertadores mejor recibimiento" (youtube videos)

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The crowd had been great till that final jump by Lavillenie.
It was messed up that they booed him like a pantomime villain, it was completely out of context.
It was a brilliant competition where the top 5 vaulters inspired each other to go for it. No animosity.
It's a shame he couldn't shut them up, but it was still an amzing competition.Da Silva was on fire.

Pardon my ignorance, but why is it so dangerous? Because the vaulter has less control and might fall backwards?

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Unbendable poles wrote:

He basically used a pole that is so firm they don't practice with it because it's too dangerous. No idea why he'd risk anything after getting gold.

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The Brazilian crowd has been terrible at every event.

Booing everyone playing volleyball.

And cheering whenever a gymnast from another team bobbles or steps out of bounds. Watch the men's floor routine finals, it was disgusting.

When Brazil was awarded the games, they were riding a tremendous wave of economic expansion and were rising as the first major world power of the Americas. Since the crash in the energy market, the country has been rocked by massive corruption scandals and has an economy that is in a severe recession. Progress in reversing the massive disparities in wealth has halted and is now moving rapidly in the wrong direction. Efforts to rid favelas of drug gangs have failed miserably due to local corruption and now the drug gangs are even more dominant and many areas of the favelas are complete war zones. Then, on the cusp of the games, there was the Zika virus and the embarrassment of the sewage problem in the bay. The Olympics should have been the moment when Brazil burst onto the world stage as the great new first world nation. Instead, the olympics have just highlighted Brazil's many failures.

Brazilian fans have been pretty terrible. They have been impossible to quiet for starting guns. They cheered for competitor's deductions on the men's floor routine. They harassed Hope Solo endlessly for her Zika comments. And the jeers for LaVillanie were a new low for Olympic competition. Brazilians have collectively given up on the Olympics as being a chance to show the world that they have arrived and are instead turned on the games, wanting only to cheer for their own and f=ck the rest of the world.

And yet people loved that they boo'd gatlin. It's boorish behavior all around, but not surprising in that ghetto of a country.

The crowd was probably unfriendly, but a Frenchman telling others how they should behave politely is laughable.

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Intergalactic wrote:

Pardon my ignorance, but why is it so dangerous? Because the vaulter has less control and might fall backwards?

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Unbendable poles wrote:

He basically used a pole that is so firm they don't practice with it because it's too dangerous. No idea why he'd risk anything after getting gold.

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El Keniano wrote:

Disgusting and disgraceful. Yes, comparing it to Jesse Owens and the Nazis was over the top, but this, along some American athletes encouraging open hostility towards the Russian team, is bad form.

http://www.skysports.com/olympics/news/15234/10538582/renaud-lavillenie-likens-rio-crowd-to-berlin-1936-olympics

http://www.lequipe.fr/Athletisme/Actualites/Renaud-lavillenie-qu-ils-restent-chez-eux/717520

http://www.sportstarlive.com/rio-2016-olympics/beaten-lavillenie-slams-disrespectful-crowd/article8994402.ece

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What is and isn't acceptable in sports by the fans is very funny to analyze.

In the golf competition, many golfers were irate that people's cameras were clicking. as the guy on local sports radio pointed out, what's so special to about golf that you need total silence to do it. Guys get in a box facing a 99 mph fastball all the time with a crowd going nuts against them.

In team sports, you are supposed to cheer loudly for your own team and often boo the other team. Why is the Olympics not like that as well?

I guess it's more competition against yourself so to openly hope someone does bad isn't classy? I didn't see the boos so it's hard to say for sure.

But shouldn't we also be saying that Lavillinie showed a lack of class in complaining about it. When I saw the highlights on NBC, all i saw was the absolute joy by the Brazilian fans and the vaulter was amazing in his interview with Lewis Johnson.

I thought to myself, "What a great moment for the country."

Lavilliinie lost to a guy who broke the Olympic record. The proper thing to do is to tip your cap and say it's a different culture and be magnanimous.

Here are some video highlights without boos

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/brazils-silva-wins-pole-vault-gold-shatters-olympic-record

The crowd is just part of home field advantage. Surprise, surprise, the home crowd supports the home boy.

If you can't handle the pressure then stay home where everyone supports you.

"Brazilian Public Showed A Complete Lack of Class" Ironic that all of Brazil and Rio is being blamed for this. Talk about stereo types. We could say that France is a country of cry baby losers on the basis of Renaud's whining.

The crowd going against the out of town athletes happens in the USA at sports events all the time.

As far as I know, the only competitions that require silence from the crowd are tennis and golf. Are there any others?

Good story about booing in Brazilian culture.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-idUSKCN10J25Z

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Pole Snap wrote:

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Intergalactic wrote:

Pardon my ignorance, but why is it so dangerous? Because the vaulter has less control and might fall backwards?

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Unbendable poles wrote:

He basically used a pole that is so firm they don't practice with it because it's too dangerous. No idea why he'd risk anything after getting gold.

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More likely to snap the pole and get a major injury.

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Chrome autofill settings wrote:

A stiffer pole requires more speed and drive so that you make it into the pit. If you come up a couple feet short and land in the box or get flung off the side, that's not good. A pole that requires more weight to bend should be less likely to snap vs a lighter pole that requires less weight to bend. Any pole can break however and it's anyone's guess when one will. Usually comes as a complete surprise.

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There have been worse pole vault crowds in the Olympics. Back in '80 in Moscow, the "fans" booed and whistled every time non-Russians vaulted once the bar got into medal height. It was MUCH louder than in Rio. it was bad enough that the eventual winner, Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz, gave the crowd a big F-U after his winning jump.

See here: http://gentlemanschoice.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/kozakiewicz.jpg

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El Keniano wrote:

Disgusting and disgraceful. Yes, comparing it to Jesse Owens and the Nazis was over the top, but this, along some American athletes encouraging open hostility towards the Russian team, is bad form.

http://www.skysports.com/olympics/news/15234/10538582/renaud-lavillenie-likens-rio-crowd-to-berlin-1936-olympics

http://www.lequipe.fr/Athletisme/Actualites/Renaud-lavillenie-qu-ils-restent-chez-eux/717520

http://www.sportstarlive.com/rio-2016-olympics/beaten-lavillenie-slams-disrespectful-crowd/article8994402.ece

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