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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"?

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?

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 ;-)

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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