Let me preface this post by saying that, if you are a rabid football supporter, there’s no way you will agree with anything I’m saying and I realise that. This post is for sports fans who would like to go to a big event like the Olympic Summer Games or the World Cup but aren’t sure which to choose.
I’m at the World Cup in South Africa right now, and the atmosphere is amazing. On game day in the city centre or at one of the many fan fests set up around the country, the buzz is electric. People are kitted out in all sorts of fun costumes, blowing their vuvuzelas, singing their songs and generally going nuts. It’s a great thing to be a part of but the Summer Olympics are better, and here’s why.
Two weeks of solid action — After the opening ceremony launches the festivities, there are sporting events on solidly for the next two weeks. You can always find something to watch from 8:30am each day to 10pm each night. The World Cup packs in the games, but there’s still a lot of down time between them.
Truly international — The World Cup only has 32 countries represented. The Summer Olympics has over 200. Not only does this give fans from all over the world something to cheer for, it also gives you a chance to meet and mingle with spectators from from all over the world. Sharing a group hug with Khazakstanian wrestling fans or partying with Ethiopians at a bar is probably not something you’ll get to do at a World Cup.
Tickets are affordable and plentiful — At the Olympics in Beijing there were tickets as cheap as US$5. In Athens there were loads of tickets valued at under 10 euro. London might be another story but, in my experience at the Olympics, there are plenty of affordable tickets available. True, they might not be to the marquee events, but they’re there and allow more people to get involved. Plus, with so many events on, some in huge stadiums, the number of tickets available is a lot more than at the World Cup so getting them is easier.
Festivities are confined to one city — With some exceptions, Olympics events are set in a single city which makes the logistics of planning a trip a lot easier and it means that the entire city is buzzing all of the time, not just certain cities on certain game days. Plus you don’t end up having to travel to the Rustenburgs and Polokwanes of the world (no offence to those cities but they hardly compare to Beijing, Sydney, London etc etc.) It also means that when you meet new friends, they won’t have to head off to some other city a few days later.
Get to mingle with the athletes — Many of the footballers playing at the World Cup will be famous already and raking in huge salaries. They’ll be staying in some fancy hotel and the likelihood of bumping into them in the streets is pretty slim. At the Olympics there are superstars but, for the most part, athletes aren’t household names and, once their event is over, they’re just as likely to be at the bar celebrating as you are. Plus their friends and families are there in support and you will probably find yourself in a one-way conversation as their relative beams at you with pride about them.
Better banter in the stands — World Cup stadiums are huge and loud and while the game is on, fans tend to be focused on it for 45 minutes at a time. At the Olympics, the stadiums are usually smaller and more intimate and the breaks in the action mean that there’s a lot of time to chat with the people around you. Many events have multiple countries competing on the same day which makes for a really exciting atmosphere and you will make friends easily by supporting the same athlete as the people sitting near you.
You can still watch football — If you love football then you can still get tickets to see it at the Olympics. Teams aren’t made up of the superstars you know and the tournament doesn’t hold a candle to the World Cup but, if you love watching the sport, you can still get your fix at the Olympics.
Get to experience new sports — I love the Olympics because it brings obscure sports to the forefront and gives those athletes their moment in the sun. There are so many sports on offer that you are bound to become a fan of at least a few new sports you’d never even heard of. I’m now a fan of handball, weightlifting and field hockey having seen them at the Olympics.
Lots of winners — There were 302 gold medals given out at the Beijing Olympics which means the possibility for 302 super happy experiences across a variety of countries, not just one.
Your team is never eliminated — Unless you’re from one of those nations with only a handful of athletes, you will have someone to cheer for from your country from the start of the games until the finish.
So if you’re a casual sports fan looking to head to a major event at some point in your life but aren’t sure which, take my advice and make it the Olympics!
I think comparing the World Cup with the Olympics is apples and oranges, they are simply two different beasts.
The World Cup is the single biggest thing in the world to win – there simply isn’t anything bigger in the universe of sports to win than the World Cup in football, and nothing else even comes close.
The Olympics is a celebration of sports and sportsmanship – the worlds best athletes compete with complete amateurs from smaller countries, and once in a while you’ll have an upset, or at least a novelty (“Cool Runnings”?).
That’s rubbish.
Nothing beats the excitement of the World Cup.
I wish people who don’t like football would quit moaning and writing about it all the time.
Willie, those are my thoughts exactly. However, Kristy’s points are valid if you’re looking to make a choice between attending one or other.
For myself, I would probably attend the Olympics only because not everything it aired on TV and normally what I want to see is not on when I want to see it. Where the World Cup games are all on TV and scheduled and therefore easy to record.
@willie I’m not comparing the World Cup and the Olympics, I’m comparing the spectator experiences at them.
@anon6969 Do you think I would be at the World Cup if I didn’t like football?
Kirsty – looking forward to the Olympics too. I’m going to check your site right now…
And another reason:
Both genders are represented at the Olympics. But to most “World Cup” means what is going on right now and does not include womens Word Cup scheduled to take place between 26 June and 17 July 2011.
I am a huge fan of football and the World Cup is the undisputed highlight (maybe of my life) every 4 years. I think the tension, competition, excitement, and entertainment is unparalleled.
However, I do agree with you though, for the casual sports fan who is not obsessed with football, the Olympics are more diverse, and probably more interesting.
Some very interesting points and it is very cool how over 200 countries get to participate.
Totally agree, although for 302 happy nations you would have to include some from Mars or Alpha Centauri.
You can’t compare because for one thing the football at the Olympics is like an amateur event compared to the Olympics.
The World Cup does include as many nations as well, albeit through qualifying.
If you were not North American I’d guess you might think a bit differently seeing as soccer is a minor thing there?
@weltreise Haha… corrected. Although I do like the idea of Mars vs Alpha Centauri.
@portvilahotels I’m talking about the event from a spectator’s point of view… the two week event… so the involvement of other countries at previous stages doesn’t really matter at that point. I think the event might be a bit more exciting for me if Canada or Scotland were participating but it’s difficult to get too pumped up at the game when you don’t care too much who wins. But for all the reasons I’ve mentioned, I would still tell the casual sports fan to head to the Olympics instead. Footballs fans, go to the World Cup, obviously.
Olympic games are better than the World Cup, primarily because there are more sports. Olympic Games promote small sports to, and people who participate in them, and they create a real role models for children, who show that money is not the most important thing in the world.
Kristy,
A couple corrections:
1. There are 208 members of FIFA. All 208 member countries are eligible to participate in the World Cup, including the qualifications games. There are many many qualifications games that take place months before the World Cup. So to say there are only 32 countries represented is a very misleading statement.
2. In response to one of your readers comments above regarding Gender — the World Cup is not male only. There is a Women’s World Cup. It will be held in Germany next year. http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/index.html
Overall you and your readers comments are insightful and it is interesting to read the varying opinions. But it would be wise if you and your readers did a tad bit of research before publicizing them — otherwise you are only encouraging ignorance.
@sportsfan Anything that happens outside the month isn’t really relevant since what I’m comparing is the two week event that is the Olympics with the one month event that is the World Cup. Which I think is better from a spectator’s point of view. I’m sure everyone realizes that there’s a women’s World Cup and that every nation is eligible to participate in the men’s World Cup from the start of qualifications. If those qualification stages and the women’s competition were crammed into the month that is the World Cup, then point taken… but they’re not.
Eeeeeeeverybody take a breather hahaha
Kirsty I think your points mostly only apply to a casual sports fan. People who actually love sports would likely enjoy the world cup more. The sports featured at the olympics are often more competition than actual sport. As for tickets being cheaper, you obviously weren’t in Vancouver for the 2010 winter olympics. Tickets were all overpriced and very tough to attain. Your points seem to all focus around how enjoyable it is to sit in the stands and watch the event. Just because you can chat with more countries, that does not make it a better all around event…it just makes it more of a social one.
I think the olympics, because the whole world come together, There is no limitations for countries to participate. FIFA WORLD CUP has been limited to 32 countries. So olympics for me.
You forgot another side of the argument:
During World Cup months the following happens:
- Many non-football fans get swept up in the hype
- Wars are stopped (especially in countries competing)
- The number of terrorist incidents worldwide drop dramatically
- Showbiz gossip takes a backseat in many people’s minds and Hollywood waits anxiously for the event to end thanks to the big drop-off in box office numbers in much of the world
- Riots break out because of the results or because drunk hooligans want to show they’re more macho than the other fanbase
- Millions of people’s daily schedules are altered all over the world to accommodate their viewing time (no explanation needed)
- Countries stop everything when their nation is involved (yes work, schools, or even trials of terror suspects)
- People would risk life and limb just to watch it (like in Somalia)
and the list goes on… I doubt the same things can be said of the Olympics…. The mere fact two terror attacks have taken place during the Olympics (in 1972 and 1996), and the fact that Russia went ahead with invading Georgia despite that shows how relatively insignificant the Games are to King FIFA’s showcase event in the grand scheme of things!
PS: Don’t forget that the millions include people in countries NOT competing in the World Cup. Would they really care about the Olympics if their country wasn’t involved in it? Doubt it!