Jump to content

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

Carter

By Carter
in The Lounge

 Share

Recommended Posts

Carter

Carter

Posted
Posted

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"?

bloonoo

bloonoo

Posted
Posted

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?

Huguenot

Huguenot

Posted
Posted

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 ;-)

DulwichFox

DulwichFox

Posted
Posted

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.

PeckhamRose

PeckhamRose

Posted
Posted

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

Mick Mac

Posted
Posted

"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.

Loz

Loz

Posted
Posted

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.

Huguenot

Huguenot

Posted
Posted

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.

titch juicy

titch juicy

Posted
Posted

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.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Advertise Here

  • Latest Discussions

    • sidebirdz
      Nasty kids in Peckham Park

      By sidebirdz · Posted

      As a diminutive (5ft 1) woman who regularly attends the park with her four children - all under 5; two of them (twins) in a push-chair - the thread caught my eye. If there identifiable troublemakers likely to be there I want to know what they look like so I can avoid them. Isn't that "strange" of me, wishing to avoid harm coming to my children?? 😲 I have been discussing the ludicrous responses to this thread 🧵 (which I bet £100 exclusively emanate from bourgeois native Brits) with work colleagues (you would be hard pressed to find a more 'diverse' bunch in terms of age and ethnicity - except we are all female). One colleague (a Ukranian lady) made a perceptive observation that everyone seemed to agree with. When British newspapers and news websites mention an offender (e.g. 'police are asking the general public for assistance in seeking the alleged offender who is a middle-aged male'), she always assumes the offender is not of white British heritage since, if the offender is white this is usually mentioned, but seldom the other way around. Until recently racial prejudice was a thing of the past (unless in the most hardcore of families), now it is creeping back and one important factor is the perception that the indigenous general public are not being treated fairly with this sort of dishonest - some would say activist - reportage. An attitude that clearly informed the bizarre claim that my concerned inquiry was  "strange". Fact is it was anything but strange. What is strange is people denying the evidence of their own eyes and - in this case - casting aspersions on a concerned parent. 
    • Lynne
      Royal Mail and Post Services

      By Lynne · Posted

      Yesterday we received about 3 weeks worth of post. This included duplicate documents where we'd had to ask for another copy since the first copy never arrived, bank papers, my new driving licence and one mis-delivery.  We'd spent ages in the last few weeks either on the phone or convoluted websites trying to chase these things. I'd rally like to co,plain but have a feeling I'd be wasting my time.
    • Shadscat
      Poundland East Dulwich soon to be replaced by Tesco Express

      By Shadscat · Posted

      sad news one of the few shops offering good value
    • Shadscat
      Love Dulwich rebranding as Turkish Restaurant

      By Shadscat · Posted

      100k for a single unit ? shocking

East Dulwich Forum

Established in 2006, we are an online community discussion forum for people who live, work in and visit SE22.

Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...