10 Underrated Olympic Sports You Should Watch This Year | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

10 Underrated Olympic Sports You Should Watch This Year

Here are 10 of the underrated sports that you should watch for the Rio games.

3240
10 Underrated Olympic Sports You Should Watch This Year
GolfWeek

Let’s be real here. When it comes to olympic sports, we Americans usually just follow the main sports that have pro leagues in the U.S.: Basketball, baseball (up until 2008) and soccer (or football as the rest of the world calls it. They’re crazy). We also watch swimming because of Michael Phelps, because I mean, come on, the man’s a legend. According to Twitter after the 2012 Olympics, we also love to watch Usain Bolt run, even though he’s from Jamaica (don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone!) Enough about that though, we need to talk about the underrated sports that are going to be played in this year’s olympic games. We have 555 athletes from the USA participating this year, most in sports that aren't as popular for viewers. Here are 10 of the most underrated sports that you should totally check out this upcoming games in Rio!

1. Archery


Bet you didn’t know (but you’re not surprised) that the USA has won the second most medals in archery all time with 32 total, just behind South Korea with 34. We have three men, Brady Ellison, Zach Garrett, Jake Kaminski and one woman, Mackenzie Brown, who have qualified to represent the USA this year.

2. Athletics (Track and Field)


Probably the more famous of the events are the sprints and the relay, but athletics is a lot more than just those events. Hurdles, the decathlon, discus-throwing, hammer-throwing, the high jump, javelin, long-jumping, steeplechase, the marathon, pole-vaulting, shot-put, and the triple jump are all events that are so underrated. We have 71 American athletes participating in track and field events. All time, the medal count for the USA in Athletics is 767, with the Russia coming in second with 193, and Great Britain third with 194. (USA! USA! USA!) Want to watch, but don’t know where to start, or who to cheer for? How about Amber Campbell, a three-time Olympic athlete, who threw for 69.93 meters at the London 2012 games, which is the longest for an American female, ever! She qualified first for this year’s games with 74.03 meters.

3. Badminton

A totally underrated sport, badminton is something you should totally tune into this year! The USA has seven athletes participating in the sport this year. I know, a lot of people will argue that badminton is an easier version of tennis, but trust me, it's not. Viewership for Badminton is notoriously low, so tune in and cheer for Team USA!

4. Canoe (Slalom and Sprint)


Slalom and sprint are two separate disciplines that are part of canoeing. These athletes compete in rapids and in still water. It's actually very interesting to watch, so check it out once the games start!

5. Fencing

Fencing is like modern-day sword-fighting, and who doesn’t like sword-fighting?

6. Handball

Remember playing handball in gym class? I know my class always had kids who played and were so serious, like it was the Olympics. Well, this is exactly that. Crazy intense handball for the title of best in the world. Check it out!

7. Rowing

The USA has incredible rowers, and many of you may have seen how dedicated they are to competing for America. We have 41 rowers competing in this years' games, and we're right there competing with the best in the world. USA! USA! USA!

8. Rugby 7s

I’m a little biased, as a rugger myself, but rugby sevens is fun to watch. It’s a lot like football, but without padding. The sevens game is shorter and runs at a much faster pace than 15s. The last

time that rugby was in the Olympics, it was 15’s, and the USA won gold.

9. Synchronized Swimming

Synchronized swimming is actually an incredibly hard sport that combines swimming with dance moves. They’re like real life mermaids! Check out Anita Alvarez and Mariya Koroleva try to win gold!

10. Water Polo

I won't front, I don't know too much about water polo, but from what I can tell, it looks super intense. Y'all should check it out when the games start, I know I will.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
university
University of Nebraska at Omaha

Creating your schedule for the upcoming semester can be an exciting process. You have the control to decide if you want to have class two-days a week or five-days a week. You get to check things off of your requirement checklist. It's an opportunity for a fresh start with new classes (which you tell yourself you'll never skip.) This process, which always starts out so optimistic, can get frustrating really quickly. Here are 25 thoughts you have when registering for classes.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

10 Thoughts Of A 5th Year Senior

What about those of us who don't do it all in four years?

1260
college shirt
pointsincase.com

"College will be the best four years of your life" is a phrase that we have all heard growing up. College is painted as a magical place to us while we are in high school. A place you go to learn, meet your best friends and probably have the time of your life while all of this is going down. Four whirlwind years, where everything that you've known changes and you start to learn what it means to live on your own, have a job, etc. But what about those of us who don't do this all in four years? Major changes, hard courses, switching schools, career paths changing, these are just a handful of factors that could extend your four years to five, six or seven. There is nothing wrong with taking extra time to graduate, but returning as a fifth-year is a little different. Most of your best friends have most likely graduated and moved and while you may be one of the oldest undergraduates on campus, you might feel as awkward as a freshmen. A world that became home and comfortable to you is still there but it's slightly different than you've known it to be and you have to find a groove to fall into. These are thoughts you'll have as you look ahead to returning to your college campus, with a victory lap planned.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

17 Times "Friends" Accurately Described Life

You can't say that no one told you life was gonna be this way.

367
friends

In the 12 years since it went off the air, "Friends" continues to be adored by millions. The show that gave generations unrealistic expectations about love (or should I say lobsters?) and New York City apartments had a charming cast of characters that everyone could relate to at some point or another. Here are 17 times Ross, Monica, Joey, Chandler, Phoebe and Rachel accurately described life.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

11 Times Aubrey Plaza Described Sophomore Year

"I don't want to do things. I want to do not things."

700
Aubrey Plaza
Flickr Creative Commons

Aubrey Plaza is one of my favorite humans in Hollywood. She's honest, blunt, unapologetic, and hilarious. I just started my sophomore year of college, and found that some of her best moments can accurately describe the start of the school year.

1. When your advisor tells you that you should declare a major soon.

2. Seeing the lost and confused freshmen and remembering that was you a short year ago, and now being grateful you know the ins and outs of the campus.

3. Going to the involvement fair to sign up for more clubs knowing that you are already too involved.

4. When you actually do the reading required for the first class.

5. Seeing your friends for the first time since last semester.

6. When you're already drowning in homework during syllabus week.

7. Realizing you don't have the same excitement for classes as you did as a freshman.

8. Going home and seeing people from high school gets weirder the older you get.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

College vs. High School

Freedom vs. Curfew

336
graduation

Things you may not realize are different between high school and college:

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments