Any Table Tennis Fans in the House?
Every year, we tune into the Olympics to watch our countries compete for gold. It doesn’t matter how hot it is outside, or if we’re bundled up by the fireplace, we curl around the TV and root for our nation’s pride…unless, of course, they play certain unloved sports. Despite the event’s popularity, some sports continue to go unwatched, and we’re here to show them a little love.
1. Modern Pentathlon
The Modern Pentathlon actually consists of five different sports: fencing, freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, laser pistol shooting, and cross-country running. Even with all the history involved (they’ve been around since the early 1900s), not many people tune in.
2. Speed Walking
We don’t know how many people actually watch speed walking, but it’s nothing compared to hockey, curling, or gymnastics. Regardless of how hard Olympians train to strut their stuff, many people don’t even really consider this a “sport” per se, and opt for something else.
3. Table Tennis
You’d think table tennis would get more love, but it’s surprisingly shunned as far as Olympic sports go. We suppose we understand—it’s not exactly a high-stakes environment (even though these athletes are competing the same as everyone else), and compared to the big-ticket items out there, ping pong falls a little short.
Javid Nikpour/Tasnim News Agency on Wikimedia
4. Synchronized Swimming
We’ve seen the divers and we’ve seen the competitive swimmers, but synchronized swimming doesn’t quite get the same airtime with viewers. We don’t know what it is! Those elaborate routines are just as impressive as defying dives, but not as many people tune into the pageantry.
Rafael Brais/brasil2016.gov.br on Wikimedia
5. Badminton
With tennis on the tube, badminton gets left aside. It’s sort of like the awkward younger sister of the bunch, but that’s all the more reason it deserves your attention! It’s just as thrilling and it’s an easy sport to learn as well, so you can even bring it home with you.
