"It was during the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I tuned in to the live feed at the very beginning of a women's medal match. I was intrigued by the grace of the players and how they could effortlessly slide those huge, bulb-like stones down the ice. Everything else about it was confusing. It looked sort of like shuffleboard, but with more yelling. And lots of weird stuff."
"The rules, the lingo, they way they used brooms- brooms! -to make the stones slide around. It just seemed so boring. How could anyone endure watching a sport with such a lack of obvious athleticism, such inscrutable gameplay, and such a lethargic pace? By the two hour mark, I was riveted. I still didn't understand what the brooms were for, but I was beginning to figure out the rules. The lingo was beginning to make sense. And I was absolutely consumed by the drama."
A first-time viewer tuned into Olympic curling in 2002 and initially found the sport baffling: the rules, lingo, slow pace, and the use of brooms were perplexing. The viewer noticed players' grace and the effortless sliding of heavy stones, then gradually began to understand rules and terminology. By the two-hour mark the viewer was riveted and set a DVR to record more broadcasts. Curling features deliberate strategy, quiet team communication, sweeping to influence stone trajectory, and a calm, contemplative atmosphere that contrasts with high-octane televised sports.
Read at WIRED
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