Reply With QuoteEstablishment horse-s***. Rowed by the toffs for the pleasure of the toffs and broadcast by the toffs. Most pointless event in the calendar.
Who cares?
Watching the boat race for the first time. Wholly uninspiring and massively overhyped by the BBC. Apparently the winning captain joins an elite club as only the 14th man to win 4 events, as only 2576 have ever rowed in the event hardly earth shattering compared to 4 min mile, 4 masters, 4 Olympic medals. Rant over.
Establishment horse-s***. Rowed by the toffs for the pleasure of the toffs and broadcast by the toffs. Most pointless event in the calendar.
Who cares?
I think that's all that needs saying,got me thinking though do the blokes now go and shag there female teamOriginally Posted by TaketheCannoli
Complete lack of interest in the sport and event as a whole.
Without any form of prejudice (except maybe to class though I don't really care about that either) I would presume it is not the female team they disappear and have sex with.
A massively ignorant statement.
I was fortunate to be friends with two rowers in the Boat Race whilst I was studying at Cambridge, neither of whom matched your stereotype.
Not only were they down-to-earth, very bright and hard workers on their course, they sacrificed a frankly unbelievable amount of their time to train and support their teammates - all without any guarantee that they'd even be selected.
The Boat Race may get a lot of attention and not every race is a down-to-the-wire classic (2015 certainly wasn't a vintage example).
If it's not for you, that's fine; but don't jump to conclusions about the racers, their backgrounds and characters or the level of competition (many of the rowers taking part are of Olympic standard or will go onto be).
Last edited by CamCG; 11th April 2015 at 20:32.
I'm sure your friends were sterling chaps, no doubt. But actually I will jump to those conclusions because they're my opinions no matter how unfounded. It's a pompous event that only the elite / Tory / establishment types are interested in yet the BBC cover it every year because they're just as pompous and elitist.
There are those that will agree with me (see an earlier post) and those that will agree with you. That's freedom of speech for you.
For me I have no issue with class, most on here will be from all different ones but what I do take issue with is the coverage and precedence afforded to such a closed shop sport. As an active sportsman, I can compete with the Brownlees, play golf on Open courses etc but the boat race is only open to students in two relatively small establishments. The event is bid for by the BBC, underwritten by Investment Consultants, with very little link to aspirational grass roots sports. I appreciate the effort, dedication and commitment needed very much the same as all the participants in next weeks London Marathon, which is both a world class event and charity cash generator. Today's event was a local derby between two educational facilities, massively hyped, with all benefits consumed internally.
I like the tradition and the pompous nature to it all. Long may 'the boat race' continue
This year they overdid the coverage. Yes, it's a tradition I've watched most years over the last 50. Really. But it's more about the participants than the race. A half-hour programme should be sufficient.
I say old chap calm down what what
Haha.
Its pretty apparent the only people interested in rowing are rowers themselves. Why the BBC keep showing it year after year is beyond me, Ive never known anyone who's interested in it
This is getting funnier by the post, love it what what
Team-work, the need to transcend the desire for individual achievement, pride in your academic institution, tough endurance in pain for a very long time, huge self-discipline through months of uncomfortable training in unpleasant weather before and after the normal working day, the maintaining of generations of tradition ... Of course one could find these qualities in some other sports too ... Qualities akin to those declared in the Olympic tradition too ... Qualities not really seen much in popular British culture.
I'm sure it is more natural to appreciate and enjoy such an activity if one has been fortunate enough to attend the kind of institution where these things are important. And ... There are many universities other than Oxbridge where rowing is a popular sport.
There is nothing interesting about watching a couple of boats row down the Thames. Nothing.
I have no doubt there is much blood,sweat & tears invested but it doesn't alter the fact that's it's dull.
And all Newcastle fans twat Police horses!
Was that today then? Missed it.Oh well. Maybe I can watch paint dry tomorrow to get over it.
Golf, cycling, tennis, snooker, boxing, ori fu##ing gami, same rules apply, if its not your thing then why watch and or complain, I don't give a monkeys arse about Tiger Woods, so I haven't posted on that thread.
Bit like watches then... to other people
I was shown because it's about the only live sport the BBC has left.
What better way to fill 2 hours of prime time telly as far as they are concerned. It's close to home, an opportunity to show the sites/wildlife and drone on about history.
No doubt the strength and commitment of the rowers, but still a bit of a so what! What what.
Next year it will be accompanied by the world tiddly winks and conker championships.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Exactly - and therefore a dammed sight more pleasant to watch than the oh-so-popular, beer-swilling, fat-men's so-called sports - bloody ghastly snooker and darts.
And on the designation of BBC management as "toffs" - they aren't and they're jealous - that's why Clarkson is gone - where do you think his embarrassingly conservative and non-pc values come from? He'd love the Pimms-sipping boat-race punters.
Much like the inordinate amount of TV time that is put over to the lower classes kicking a ball about. Why anyone would find that interesting I don't know other, but hours of broadcast time are put over to those sorts of panem et circenses events.
It's nice to see televised "sport" for once, where competing in a demanding event is done for it's own reward, rather than for the large sums of money thrown at the diva entertainers in the like of the football industry...
It isn't the BBCs job to show only events that 100% of people are interested in... because such events do not exist.
Toffs pay their license fees along with everyone else and have as much right to be represented in the programming as do the rest of us*.
*Except me. I don't have a license.
So the thousands of people lining the Thames to watch the race are all rowers themselves? You learn something everyday.
Which is exactly my point. I was in Dorset last weekend and watched a skiff race between 2 local towns. Was amazing thousands watching, great atmosphere, tough for participants, hundreds of years of history. Worthy of investing licence payers money into an offshore investment company underwriting and sponsoring the event and prime time TV, no not at all. I watched the boat race this once on TV and not again, maybe it just one of those events where you just have to be there.
Divas... Blah blah... Toffs... Blah blah... Lower classes... Blah blah... Clarkson... Blah blah... Elitist... Blah blah...
I don't live in Britain any longer, but I used to live on the "course" of the boat race and most of the locals couldn't care less about the boat race, but it is a tradition between two of the world's oldest and greatest educational establishments that most right thinking Brits should be proud of?
If you don't care, then don't put the TV or radio on? There must be better things to do on a Saturday afternoon than watch something you don't find interesting so that you can moan about it on a watch forum?
That's the trouble with traditions, they're not as good as they used to be....
Darts. FFS fat blokes with tattoos wearing stupid shirts being cheered on by drongo's with placards and large foam rubber hands,,,,f#*k me give me the boat race or Henley regatta any day.
I used to be heavily into rowing, it's how i plan to while away my time in semi retirement, i love the feeling of being on the water thumping along.
It's generally not a good spectator sport, the reality is generally one crew is faster then the other one it's apparent early on, the boat race is a long distance sprint race it is akin to asking which car is faster on a 200 mile drive, think formula 1 on the m25
The women and reserve crews at henley is a much more sensible distance and race, but even so is hardly enthralling
fundamentally it boils down to tradition, like that it's on, but even with my love of rowing i have no interest in watching it
I would be if there were any British rowers in the race!
This year there was two British competitors (one in each boat) which tends to suggest both universities are shipping in students based on their rowing ability given that the proportions are very at odds with the overall student population. For example the USA gold medalist olympic rower who happens to be doing a part time course in media studies at Oxford (I exaggerate, but you get my point). I also noted that all the rowers (woman and men) were white which seemed odd ... perhaps rowing isnt popular with non-whites.
Either way, the BBC coverage this year was long winded and boring which was a shame.
Elitist? Do yourself a favour! As a child of the 60's growing up in Wandsworth I can remember it being a big thing for us working class oiks! Shops and houses showing either light or dark blue colours in their windows and the banks of the river along Putney where my mum & dad used to take us were rammed with similar working class folk who'd never dare of having aspirations of going to either university.
I was working yesterday so couldn't watch it but my 80year old mum phoned my straight after the race happy as Larry because her team Oxford won!
I meant proud of Oxford and Cambridge, but I hadn't been up long and didn't phrase it very well, the grey matter had not had caffeine yet.
Thing is,
How come its Oxford and Cambridge that always get in the final.........
Actually i quite like the tradition, as always if you don't like it don't watch it..........
Thoroughly enjoyed both races. A great result for Oxford.
Must be about the most minority of minority sports ...
Any value in the tradition lost by packing the boats with specially 'bought in' talent IMO.
I knew that it was occurring - Telegraph had a special supplement in Sport section - but I assumed that it was today to avoid a clash with the Horse Racing.
Ha ha! No one else is grand enough to be allowed to enter of course!
My parents used to get terribly excited about the boat race, even as a kid I remember thinking it was terribly dull unless the boats sank. Maybe it's a generation thing but as a 40 something it holds no appeal whatsoever. The BBC coverage has always been awful, all plummy tones and reverence. Haven't watched it (on purpose) for years and tend to avoid!
+1......a thoroughly over-rated sporting event.
Paul
They should televise something far more accessible to we oiks (sorry, should that be "us oiks"?)...
I'm starting with the Grand National which, being a Liverpudlian event is about as working class as one can get. You. As working class as you can get. Damn this class thing.
I thought they televised snooker...
4.8 million people watched it on tv. 300,000 went out to watch it live.
apparently ten percent of the population of the country are able to enjoy a historic sporting event without getting caught in the politics of envy.
if you dont like it, dont watch.
and posting whiny who cares type responses (and an OP!) says that you are anything but indifferent...
Hmm. Interesting statistics, I'm not sure how many of those 300,000 are rowing fans - it can't be that difficult to convince a large number of West London Jeremys and Lucindas to stand in the sun with a pint in their hand and watch a couple of boats go by, then retire to their local before returning to a spot if hedge-funding in the morning!!! - like shooting fish in a barrel surely
My 85 year old Mum watches it every year.
She told me that in her youth it was a massive event with people in London wearing rosettes showing which college they supported etc etc rather like football.
She is a Londoner though and would go and watch the race live.
As for bringing in foreign talent isn't that what the premier league does? That bastion of working class support.
For the record I haven't much interest in the boat race and am a football supporter but I don't go banging on about it with the politics of class envy.
There are loads of sports I have no interest in but other people enjoy so let's have something for everyone without all the snide remarks.
Cheers,
Neil.
Yes, but sporting events with a long and enviable history don't always remain popular as the world moves on .... fox hunting for example, or even polo which is rarely televised these days.
The main thing the boat race has in it's favour, and much like the Grand National, is the ability to bet on the outcome, and of course the chance that someone might sink
If you can't enjoy a mildly amusing sporting event sipping a pint of lager outside in the sun chatting with your friends, I really don't know how you're getting through the life..
PS oh I get it, I can't relate to the sad f negative comments because I don't have tv.
Last edited by VDG; 14th April 2015 at 20:17.
Polio is a sporting event? Oh, wait...Yes, but sporting events with a long and enviable history don't always remain popular as the world moves on .... fox hunting for example, or even polo which is rarely televised these days.
The main thing the boat race has in it's favour, and much like the Grand National, is the ability to bet on the outcome, and of course the chance that someone might sink
;)
I don't think the people who organise and turn up to this event give a stuff what the "world" thinks, do they? Why should they care, just because someone with a chip on their shoulder has an opinion?
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Can't believe there is such a fuss about this tbh. If you didn't want to watch it, there were buttons 2-9 on the TV remote and you could even use 1 in combination with one of the others! I was there, quite a nice atmosphere and good weather although it isn't the best sport to watch live as most of the course doesn't have a nice screen to watch the bits you can't see! Contrary to what many posters seem to believe, there was a wide range of people, young/old, kids etc there not just those who went to Oxbridge or supported one particular team or with a minimum household income of £XX,000+.
I think BBC were showing it rather than anything else as it is probably much cheaper than most sports especially football etc and they don't have much else. I'm sure many people tuned into the non elitest, all inclusive horse race before as anyone can own a stables can't they?
They care alright, if for nothing else but to keep the sponsors happy.
It aint the boats that race it's the rowers. I never thought that watching folks sweat would get so many armchair critics so worked up. The BBC will shoot anything that costs them nothing to cover. Shimples! It's much more entertaining if you mute it! (Especially the bits with CB ranting on it!)
Mike
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