I, for one, am fecked off with "Team GB"

[Carter]

I am currenty watching the Womens Football. The female commentator consistently refers to "Team GB" - not the Great Britain Womens Football Team.

It sounds like a soviet collective.

They are gathering years of individual effort, across numurous sports, into the all-encompassing.

"Team GB" are currently losing the football - as opposed to "Team GB" won the cycling, and the rowing, and the shooting.

This disregards the many years of training, hardship, fund removal, and sheer bloody-mindedness of the individuals who don't have money funnelled into the "chosen few" who are granted funds.

Two headlines from the BBC -:

Pendleton wins Kerin gold for Team GB

Team GB defends mens pursuit

Pendleton won the gold for _her_. Nobody else. And damn well done.

"Team GB" did _not_ defend the Mens Pursuit. The individuals did. And, again, damn well done.

Katheine Grainger - Gold after 16 years.

Gemma Gibbons - Silver after 12 years.

Karina Bryant - Bronze after 16 years.

These people have devoted their entire lives in the pursuit of their goals, and so should not be wrapped in the "Team GB" label attached to these games.

To me its belittling, condesending and shameful.

Edit - what is wrong with calling oneself "British"?

[Annette Curtain]

First smoking out doors, now team GB

Anger issues Carter ?

Chillax man !

Nette

[Carter]

Yep, absolutely.

You can be beatan by a bloody bat enough times to eventually say "enough".

"I am not Team GB. This is my achivement."

Apologies for spelling. I am out and about.

The bar I am in is showing the basketball. Again, Team GB.

Shameful.

[Annette Curtain]

Cool

I feel/hear your pain Carter

Annette Curtain

(of The East Dulwich Forum)

*bangs heart with fist*

[Otta]

I kind of agree, Team GB does sound awful, and the commentators seem to be cringing when they say it a lot of the time.

[Carter]

Pathetic - AC.

Attack the man - not the arguement. Playground stuff.

[Annette Curtain]

Carter Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Pathetic - AC.

>

> Attack the man - not the arguement. Playground

> stuff.

Oh really Carter

I'm only baiting you

Lighten up

Xxx

[bloonoo]

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't the Olympics all about doing it for your country as

you're winning medals for the country that wins the most? And if you call them british then it doesn't include the Scottish, welsh and northern Irish also competing for the great Britain team?

[Saturn 5]

I don't care what we are being called, I feel proud to be British.

[maxxi]

Shouldn't this be under the 'Inane News' thread?

[Carter]

As a man that failed my first All-Arms Parachute course - No.

I passed my second.

Inane News?

That makes you .... a sellout.

Individual acheivement is better than strength.

[Huguenot]

I think the athletes chose to call themselves Team GB, I was under the impression they're pretty proud of it, and I thought the me me me culture was buried alongside a Thatcher fifth term?

Not sure it's all about the medal table, but to be sure the whole team performs better in a collective. It's not Mao or Marx, it's Redgrave.

Hey Carter, wouldn't want to be on your side ;-)

[Voyageur]

Let's put it under edf inane ***e*ol*s category. Pathetic thread.

[DulwichFox]

Carter:-

Team GB is fine.

We are competing for Great Britain Not England or any other country.

It does not matter which sport they are competing in.

Everyone is in the same Squad.

It's as simple as that.

Unless you go into the Politics Of Great Britain and The United Kingdom.

and believe you me, there isn't enough space on the E.D. Forum Server to accomodate that argument. :)

Fox.

[LondonLogCo]

Blimey

And moving on

Team GB in the triathlon anybody?

Yes, they went into it as a team you know. All 3 off them

[uncleglen]

You may try watching "Team America" instead

[red devil]

or more specifically the Dream Team...awesome!

[PeckhamRose]

I do not know if it is proud of being British. What about being proud of being English? Or UK-ish?

European-ish?

It's just that I was born on that bit of land. Someone else was not. And that's it.

I have blue eyes. Hoorah for Team Blue Eyes! Proud of my blue eyes.

I have been drinking gin.

[Mick Mac]

"the BOA also currently uses the brand name Team GB for the team, explaining that Team GB is the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team"

There you go Carter. It's a way of not having to separately name Great Britain and Northern Ireland every bloody time. Because Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain but is however part of the same Olympic association. Hope that makes some sense to you now.

[LondonLogCo]

He's probably sober now Mic Mac

So he's not so full-o-nuts re the whole GB thang

Thankfully

*Woody

[Loz]

Mick Mac Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There you go Carter. It's a way of not having to separately name Great Britain and Northern Ireland

> every bloody time. Because Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain but is however part of

> the same Olympic association. Hope that makes some sense to you now.

So why not use Team UK? It would make more sense.

[DJKillaQueen]

Because UK suggests a 'united' kingdom, which we certainly no longer are. GB however lauds how 'great' we all are......and I can live with that :)

[Huguenot]

DJKQ's wit aside, the 'Great' in Great Britain (Brittania Major) refers to the fact that it is the larger landmass in Britain - the smaller one being Brittany in north west France, rather than the grandiose self flattery some people think it to be.

Likewise the 'United' in United Kingdom refers to the Act of Union in 1707, rather than whether or not we agree with each other.

Hence we remain the United Kingdon and Great Britain.

[El Pibe]

1/10

[titch juicy]

Regardless of the slightly cringeworthy name, it's about more than the individual standing on the podium; as each of those individuals has a team of people helping them achieve success- people they wouldn't have been to achieve it without. Whether that be team-mates, coaches, physios and in some cases even psychotherapists (Team GB cycling have an official shrink... It's true).

So, it's very much about the collective.