Comments on: Manly Monday: The Fury of Ara Abrahamian

By: Twanna // FUNKY BROWN CHICK

Twanna // FUNKY BROWN CHICK — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:06:50 +0000

@ Precina: You said, “It’s good that he didn’t want to accept defeat but not to the point when he went all 5 year old on us and threw a temper-tantrum.” Very nicely stated!

@ Jeremy: I’m not a huge fan of figure skating, but I have a friend who is. Apparently something similar went down in that sport several years ago and they found out a bunch of the judges had been bribed or something like that. Crazy stuff. Seeeee, that’s why I stick to soccer. Good, pure fun with 0% drama. ;)

@ Ms. Bar B: :)

@ Poul Davidsen: You said, “it looked like a fixed match.” It very well could’ve been. This wouldn’t be the first time something like that went down in sports …

By: Poul Davidsen

Poul Davidsen — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:57:31 +0000

Regarding the Swedish wresteler Abrahamian, he was pissed off cause they keep changing the rules of Greco-Roman wrestling and he got points against him while not wrestling (in the interval) it looked like a fixed match, sorry, I liked his protest cause it might get them to wake up he’s considered by far the best wrestler in Greco-Roman wrestling and he trained for it for 4 years.

By: Ms. Bar B

Ms. Bar B — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:05:56 +0000

Ha! That’s what he gets. If you choose to throw a temper tantrum in public sometimes you are allowed to get your way for the sake of continued embarrassment and sometimes you get your ass whooped. I think the taking away of his earned medal was quite the ass whooping, lol.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:10:00 +0000

I’ve watching this match 6 times, just so you don’t have to. And I can tell you that it wasn’t a just “shaky” decision, it was a number of terrible decisions by the judges, and Ara had every right to be upset. I think we can all relate to losing, and the feelings associated with it. If it’s a fair loss, it takes the edge of, but this guy was robbed of silver or potentially even gold by terrible judging.

That said, is his action acceptable? If he had taken the bronze medal it would have suggested that he accepted the judging that took place during the competition; and for him I don’t think that was an option, it’s his last competition and he has nothing to lose and any person who follows wrestling knows of some of the odd decisions made by the judges. I think his behaviour was not acceptable, but I don’t know how I would have reacted in a similar situation after equally bad judging.

Is the stripping of the medal by the IOC also acceptable? Probably. But the action was taken without examining the match or the judging. They’re only going to do that now that they’ve stripped his medal. Seems a bit roundabout to me.

As a final note, perhaps some of the selective reporting that has taken place with this situation needs to be examined. An Olympic athlete needs to be placed in an extreme situation to even consider doing something like this, and in this case, I think he probably made a statement that few career wrestlers can afford to make.

By: Precina

Precina — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:56:19 +0000

I think he should be fined for his behavior, but he did earn the medal through hard work so I think he should keep it. It’s good that he didn’t want to accept defeat but not to the point when he went all 5 year old on us and threw a temper-tantrum.

By: Twanna // FUNKY BROWN CHICK

Twanna // FUNKY BROWN CHICK — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:45:49 +0000

@ Derrick: That was great; you’re hilarious!!! :)

@ bill c.: Very good points all around!

@ Howard: Noooooo, you can have us BOTH. :) I think we’re nominated in different categories, so you totally don’t have to choose one or the other — pick both! :)

@ Baba Doodlius: Funny!! :)

@ ladimcbeth: I couldn’t agree with you more.

@ dkzone: Yeah, I’d totally be pissed, too. Not sure I would’ve freaked out like he did. Who knows? He probably got wrapped up in the moment and let his anger get the best of him — something I can totally relate to. At the same time, I still think his behavior was inappropriate.

@ Jamzy: Yeah, Bill’s point was brilliant, wasn’t it? :)

@ lamesabassman: :)

@ kali: Ditto what I said to ladimcbeth. I soooo agree. :)

By: Brenz

Brenz — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:27:38 +0000

I guess it boils down to “Does unsportsmanlike conduct behoove the decision?” because he’s certainly that. I’d say that’s as much a part of competing as the actual physical achievement. Otherwise we’d just have a gorilla wrestle.

Yeah, fair strip. If you can’t respect the refs, the officials, the venue and the fact that someone else is better than you, go home. He has the right to be upset about not getting the gold, and even to decline the medal, but basically, he’s being a spoiled brat that somebody beat him.

By: kali

kali — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:31:19 +0000

He behaved like a spoiled child. There are many who lost by decisions and seconds, and they too have dedicated years of their lives to attempt to win a gold medal. The medal was rightfully stripped.

By: lamesabassman......

lamesabassman...... — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:30:32 +0000

can he say…… ” decaf….” he should be stripped of his Starbucks card and be made to watch the South Park ” Come…. Sail Away ” bit until he comes…to his
senses…..

lamesabassman……. and … no more Red Bull….

By: Jamzy

Jamzy — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:10:41 +0000

No, he should not get that medal!I understand Ara’s emotions as I often experience them on a smaller scale (I want an A on that chemistry exam, not a damn B!). However, I can’t condone this type of behavior. This wasn’t some private swimming competition, it was the OLYMPICS! Like Billc said, you’re representing a country, not just your own personal skill. There is a time and place for everything and the worldwide stage isn’t it. Just like i don’t have a BF in front of my professor, he should have graciously had his hissy fit somewhere else.