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Take Slip·Oct 29, 2021
#PMT-2021-1029-19031
Usain BoltUsain Bolt

A human will eventually break the nine-second mark in the 100-meter dash

You never know. You know what I mean? For me, the possibility... now even our babies actually came out with new slides that helps you to actually run faster. So you never know what's next... Maybe one of my sons has [already been born].

The current world record is 9.58 (held by Bolt). A sub-9 second time is currently considered theoretically near-impossible by many sports scientists.
Loss
Take Slip·Aug 9, 2021
#PMT-2021-0809-686
Billy FootballBilly Football

Italian sprinter Lamont Jacobs 100% used steroids to win Olympic gold

Did [Lamont Jacobs] do it? Yeah, 100%. If you look at his Instagram photos from him like two years ago, he's like rail thin. And then if you look at him now, he's like kind of jacked.

While Jacobs' nutritionist was investigated, Jacobs himself has never failed a drug test and no proof of doping has been established to strip him of his medals.
Loss
#PMT-2021-0804-12980
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Olympic runners are breaking world records because there are no fans to suck the oxygen out of the stadium

If there's no crowd at all, does that mean that there's more oxygen for the people to breathe on the track? ... They're sucking all the oxygen out normally, but when there's no fans there, it's a richer environment for especially distance runners to be able to breathe more efficiently.

The presence of fans in an open-air stadium does not significantly deplete oxygen levels for athletes. Records were likely due to new shoe technology and track surfaces.
Win
Take Slip·Jul 30, 2021
#PMT-2021-0730-15309
Craig EngelsCraig Engels

Most distance runners don't reach their peak performance until they are 30 years old

I'm 27 and most people get real good at running when they're like 30. Why is that? The Kenyan guy could be 45 and know it, but there's a guy from Norway that's 19. That's crazy. So you do have another chance. You're going to have another chance.

Physiological studies and historical data show that many elite long-distance runners peak in their late 20s or early 30s.
Void
Take Slip·Jul 30, 2021
#PMT-2021-0730-15312
Craig EngelsCraig Engels

The mile world record set in the 1990s was likely fueled by heavy steroid use

The mile world record is three minutes and 44 seconds. The dude with the mile world record right now is so juiced up and liked the 1990s that drug testing—I mean, no one dopes anymore, but this dude was just literally coursing with steroids.

The record still stands and El Guerrouj was never sanctioned, making this an unproven claim, but it remains a point of heavy debate in the sport.
Void
Take Slip·Jul 30, 2021
#PMT-2021-0730-15313
Big CatBig Cat

The Olympics should have a separate division for athletes who are permitted to use performance-enhancing drugs

I think we should have world records for steroid users. Like we really should see how far—we should have regular world records, and then world records of how far can the human body be pushed with help of steroids, right? Humans would just become like a horse.

This is a hypothetical proposal for sports governance.
Loss
Take Slip·Jul 26, 2021
#PMT-2021-0726-13916
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Olympic fencing should use sharper swords to make it more dangerous

I think they should have sharper swords and fencing. Like give me an element of danger. It should be death, death, death, but like maiming.

Fencing safety standards remain extremely high; sharp swords were not introduced.
Loss
#PMT-2021-0726-13922
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

I could medal in Olympic handball because it is just gym class

I thought the easy first pick is handball. I absolutely can medal in handball. It really is the gym class of the Olympics. All you'd have to do is just do band workouts for your shoulder to develop like an 80 mile an hour fastball... I'm not going to ever lose to Croatia in this sport.

Hot TakeOlympicsHotSarcastic
Professional Olympic handball players are elite athletes; a podcast host would not medal.
Loss
#PMT-2021-0726-13923
Big CatBig Cat

I could medal in curling because I like cleaning

My first pick is going to be curling. I think if you just gave me four years, I could figure it out every single day. I like shuffleboard, I like ice, I like being slightly overweight... and broom guy, the broom guy seems like it's like—I love cleaning.

OpinionOlympicsMediumSarcastic
While curling involves sweeping, the physics and precision required are beyond a casual trainee's ability to reach Olympic medaling levels in 4 years.
Loss
#PMT-2021-0726-13924
HankHank

I could medal in pole vaulting if I trained for four years

I will go with pole vaulting. You just run, stick the stick... All you got to do is run straight and get the timing down. I'm going to be jacked by August.

Hank did not medal in pole vaulting and the physics of his body type make it nearly impossible.
Loss
#PMT-2021-0726-13925
Billy FootballBilly Football

I could medal in Equestrian sports because the horse does the work

This one, you actually don't have to be athletic at all, but a question in sports... you can train a horse, you don't actually have to be that good. ... It's new team names. The horse does the work.

Equestrianism requires immense core strength, balance, and specialized training.
Loss
#PMT-2021-0726-13926
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

I could medal in Olympic ski jumping by just going 'full send' once

I'm going to go with ski jumping. I'll just bomb it once and just go full send... and just land and crash and I'll have the longest one. ... I can stand perfectly still for about 10 seconds while I'm going downhill... and then you just do like one of those little springs at the last second.

Ski jumping involves strict style points for the landing (Telemark) and judges' evaluation. A 'crash' would result in a score too low to medal, regardless of distance.
Void
Take Slip·Dec 30, 2020
#PMT-2020-1230-17699
Jay CutlerJay Cutler

A US handball team with me, LeBron, and Patrick Mahomes would win Olympic gold

I guarantee we can put a team together. We can win gold. Just, just from pure like arm speed. I don't think guys in other countries and just a really big guy as the goalie back. Right. If you watch it, I mean, I've studied this from time to time... I think if it was you, Patrick Mahomes, and LeBron just how many players play and handle like eight on a shirt all the time. So it was you three against eight players from any other country. I think we went, I think we, I guarantee we can put a team together. We can win gold.

This is a hypothetical scenario that has never been tested.
Win
Take Slip·Feb 14, 2020
#PMT-2020-0214-3962
Xavier O'CallaghanXavier O'Callaghan

Jay Cutler is 'insane' to think he could win a handball gold medal in three months

He is insane. He cannot win an Olympic medal training two or three months. You have the potential to be amazing athletes and compete at a high level, but when you want to cook that food, you need the technique... It takes time to be able to be a professional and very good handball player. In the short term, it's impossible. In the long term, it takes years.

While Cutler never attempted it, the consensus from pro handball players is that the learning curve for the sport's specifics (dribbling, shot angles) is massive.
Void
Take Slip·Feb 14, 2020
#PMT-2020-0214-3964
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

American athletes are superior to Europeans in every sport

I think just for the record, if Europe's listening to me, America has superior athletes to Europeans. That's just a fact. We just do. Every single one of them is better than every European in every sport that any European has tried to play.

This is a subjective and inflammatory nationalist trope used for comedic effect.
Win
#PMT-2018-0219-13114
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Russian curler using performance-enhancing drugs proves curlers are taking it seriously

one of the Russian athletes got busted for using drugs and it was a curler... So curlers are now taking performance enhancing drugs. Well, it's Russia. Adderall... you have to dope if you're in Russia.

This was a real news story from the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics; Krushelnitckii tested positive and was stripped of his bronze medal.
Loss
#PMT-2018-0212-1653
Big CatBig Cat

Winter Olympics athletes aren't that impressive; you just have to be born in the right place

The Winter Olympics are definitely the Olympics where you can sit there and if you watch it long enough, you can convince yourself you could have been an athlete in every single sport. It's not hard. It's just essentially like if you were born in a weird European country and they didn't have basketball yet, you would be a speed skater.

Hot TakeOlympicsHotSarcastic
While meant humorously, it is objectively incorrect as Olympic athletes are elite professionals.
Loss
#PMT-2017-0619-18085
Big CatBig Cat

Michael Phelps is definitely coming out of retirement for the Tokyo Olympics

Does anyone actually think that Michael Phelps isn't racing in Tokyo? The guy can't go a year without having to get into a race with a great white shark, and this is the guy who's retired? He's definitely going to race in Tokyo.

Phelps remained retired and did not compete in the Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021) Olympics.
Loss
#PMT-2016-1005-4863
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Europe is on the hot seat for being off its game across all sports

My hot seat, I've got the entire country of Europe. Europe has been off its game. They can't win at the Olympics. They can't win at the Ryder Cup. They lost England.

Hot TakeOlympicsHotSarcastic
Factually, Europe is not a country, making this 'incorrect' by design.
Void
Take Slip·Aug 19, 2016
#PMT-2016-0819-4889
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Ryan Lochte robbery incident in Rio is like the worst Jason Bourne movie of all time

Since it's swimming, we get to watch this play out like the worst Jason Bourne movie of all time.

Void
#PMT-2016-0819-4901
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Swimming is not a sport; it is just a struggle to keep breathing

Swimming is not a sport. It's just trying to keep breathing.

Win
Take Slip·Aug 15, 2016
#PMT-2016-0815-15684
Big CatBig Cat

Michael Phelps is the all-time best Olympic champion

But it was a great performance. Michael Phelps, all-time best Olympic champion. I think we can safely say that, right?

Phelps holds the record for most gold medals and total medals by any Olympian, making this the statistical reality.
Loss
Take Slip·Aug 15, 2016
#PMT-2016-0815-15685
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

I could win an Olympic silver medal in a swimming relay if I was on a team with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Connor Dwyer

If you put me with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Connor Dwyer, and we do the four-person 200 meters, I think we at least take silver.

In an Olympic final, the margins are measured in tenths of seconds. A non-professional swimmer would lose multiple minutes, making a silver medal impossible.
Void
Take Slip·Aug 15, 2016
#PMT-2016-0815-15686
Big CatBig Cat

Water polo and men's field hockey are the two worst sports in the world

little bone to pick water polo and field hockey men's field hockey those are the two worst sports in the world um why well water polo you talk about drowning they literally just i mean they're treading water and they're trying not to drown the entire time

This is entirely a matter of personal preference.
Loss
Take Slip·Aug 15, 2016·PR 101
#PMT-2016-0815-15691
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Ryan Lochte should lean into his gas station incident by getting a gun sponsorship

If I'm Lochte, I think it's pretty simple actually. If I'm Lochte, I get sponsored by a gun company because you're not going to get held up if you've got a gun. I've got like some catchphrases already... Lochte and loaded.

Hot TakeOlympicsHotSarcastic
Lochte actually lost most of his major sponsorships (Speedo, Ralph Lauren) after it was revealed he embellished the story. He did not get a gun sponsorship.
Win
Take Slip·Aug 10, 2016
#PMT-2016-0810-5441
Big CatBig Cat

Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time

Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time.

Phelps holds the record for most Olympic gold medals and total medals by a wide margin.
Void
Take Slip·Aug 10, 2016
#PMT-2016-0810-5443
Big CatBig Cat

LeBron James would be the best of all time in any Olympic sport he chose

Could LeBron James dominate this sport? And the answer is always yes. If LeBron decided not to play basketball and instead was a swimmer or a high diver or a handball player or a soccer player, he'd probably be the best of all time.

While LeBron is a generational athlete, claiming he would be the GOAT in vastly different disciplines like swimming or soccer is speculative and likely physically impossible given his size.
Win
#PMT-2016-0725-17319
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The 2016 Olympics Russians got away with systematic doping

The Russians got away scot-free. So the IOC said, OK, we know your whole country had systematic doping for the last 20 years, so we're just going to ban the track and field team... they banned the track and field team, but anybody else from Russia is allowed to compete. So there you go.

This accurately reflects the controversy at the time; the IOC did not issue a total ban, leaving it to individual sport federations.