The 10 Dumbest "Sports" of the Summer Olympics

?? how did shoting make the list but race walking is missing.   

How is women's wrestling a dumb sport not worthy of the Olympics? I can agree with most of this list, but that paragraph about wrestling is blatantly misogynistic. Wrestling was one of the original Olympic sports of the ancient Olympics, and arguably the single most challenging sport of the modern Olympics which requires the greatest display of athleticism to win a medal.

Please don't confuse real wrestling with sports-entertainment's dramatized choreography, or worse yet, strippers in night clubs as you did in this article.

There are few athletes I respect more than Olympic level female wrestlers. Not only are they competing at the highest level in one of the toughest sports, but they also have to put up with sexist diatribes like this one.

This list is dumb

No mention of speed-walking? Also, Women's beach volleyball is an amazing sport and is in no way "boring".

In general terms, the cradle of the sports popularity is in Europe, with Scandinavia, the Balkan countries, Russia, Germany, France, Spain being the countries where the sport has the greatest popularity. In several of those countries Handball is the 2nd most popular team sport after soccer.

It's popular in Scandinavia and a few other countries but it certainly isn't a huge sport in Europe -- and it's not the kind of handball you see at Forest Park.

http://vimeo.com/46824253

I tried to explain this to my father what the difference between handball and (European) team handball because he was perplexed as to what they were playing since he used to play in forest park as a teen. I honestly don't understand why table tennis is an olympic sport but they take away baseball and softball.

just because its not played in the u.s doesn't mean its dumb. Handball is a very good sport if you ever watched and played it. Who ever thinks it is dumb maybe the dumb one.

Actually, they were talking about team handball. It's very popular in Europe, but it's never caught on in the United States. I've seen enough of it to know it's a face paced, pretty high scoring game.

Handball's a fast paced tough sport. There are some courts in Forest Park

Mens Basketbal and Beach Volleyball should not be on this list.

One of the most stupidest list I've ever seen. First you add basketball, wrestling and volleyball? You sound bitter and ignorant. Most wouldn't have those in the top 10, ever.

Out of all of the sports you could have picked, you add basketball and beach volleyball to your list? Because Americans are good at it? 

Table Tennis is a much more obscure sport than basketball, and the Chinese always dominate in that. Why didn't you put that down? It's ping pong for goodness sake. 

How is "speed walking" not on your list? 

Terrible list and dumb reasoning. That is my take. 

"Curling"---although this is a winter olympic sport, i think the most stupid sport in ALL olympics. a "team" pushes a big puck across the ice while sweeping the ice in front of it with a broom.

Ribbon twirling. The arguement can be made that it takes training and skill... but it is a useless event, requiring judging (maybe I don't like that way the ribbon looks) and serves no purpose. Any sport that requires the player to wear a tiny bikini should be allowed.

The Olympic committee just needs to be more careful about what it defines as sport or an activity. An activity can include many things including a sport, but not all activities are a sport - such as NASCAR, darts, golf (maybe if they carried their own bags like in college). Anything with a horse is NOT a sport, it is an activity (unless you are running alongside the horse, or something). I don’t agree with women's wrestling though - that is a sport, albeit a little odd to watch. I know it’s hard though – it’s hard enough to call baseball a sport.

While there should be fewer shooting events at the Olympics for sure, there are a lot of people into various forms of target shooting--a lot more than your example of knife throwing. I would rather see shooting replaced with race walking, as someone suggested above. It's embarrassing to even really think about race walking as a sport. It's far more stupid than shooting.

"RACE" WALKING!!!!!!

I was watching the Olympics with my nephew yesterday. He kept wanting to switch to BBC America to watch a Dr. Who marathon. So I ended the afternoon rather confused: is TARDIS racing an Olympic event?

Who knew that 15 (the number of gold medals in shooting) was almost 48 (the number of gold medals in track+field) or 34 (the number given out in swimming)?

Womens Beach Volleyball is one of the only things I'm going to be watching this year. 

women's wrestling: a very close contact sport. 

Several of those at least have long histories in the olympics. I didn't even know trampoline was an event!

Dressage does not deserve your top spot. Since it does actually require athletic talent... It just speaks to your lack of knowledge about the sport.

Since my sport came in as your number one, dare you to give it a shot.  If it's so dumb, it must be easy, why don't you show us all...

...............PS....I'm still thinking of taking up rythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming just to prove your wrong about 'dumb' olympic sports!! ; )

Oh MY!! You ARE feisty!! Well, everyone to their opinion!

Don't confuse "worst" olympic event for "dumbest."

ESPN has even voted Secretariat as #1 overall athelete. What I was getting at was you were comparing the atheletsism of a horse and rider to a driver pushing a gas pedal to an inanimate object. Not even a close comparison. Equestrian events are and have been a part of the Olympic games since the 1900 games. I take exception to someone stating that the hard work between horse and rider should be exempt or considered 'worst' olympic event. And the award does go to horse and rider....not just the horse....not just the rider. It's a total team effort!!!

Yes, but the medal doesn't go to Secretariat. It goes to the trainer. We've also watched some amazing dog agility competitions on TV, but they're not in the Olympics. Or should they be?

i noticed that after i read the article. sorry :-(

Dressage the #1 worst olympic sport....REALLY!! Wow! That's like saying Secretariat isn't an athelete!! Dressage is part of the overall 'Eventing' portion of the equestrian olympic events. Do you know what kind of training and skill it takes for horse and rider to achieve such athleticism??? Obviously not!!!

That's a "she." Female wrestling -- No. 2 on the list.

it looks like he's giving a rectal exam LOL

synchronized swimming...

I had the opportunity to watch Olympic trials for Gymnastics Trampoline and you've got it wrong. I'd liken the sport to diving...but doing incredible skills over and over without making any major mistakes (if a major mistake is made, the routine is terminated at that point and scoring ceases.) In diving, if you hit the water off a bit, your score may be lowered...in Gymnastics Trampoline, you could fly off. Also these athletes jump over 20 feet. It is truly impressive. I think you should watch before you judge...these are not backyard trampolines nor backyard skills.