Several years ago NBC paid an exorbitant amount of money for the exclusive TV rights to the Olympic games. With its stable of cable channels and 24 hour Internet access NBC advertised that they would have 3600 hours of coverage. They failed to mention that it would be 3600 hours of awful coverage.
First of all I understand that NBC can't control a 15 hour time difference. What they can do is show me live events as they happen. They had the entire Olympics rescheduled just so they could televise gymnastics, swimming and other top sports live. Unfortunately, they meant only live on the east coast. For those of us on the west coast, we get a tape delay.
This is nothing new for us west coasters, we generally get everything on tape delay. Everything but top sporting events and the Oscars. If only the Olympics were important enough to equal the Oscars. They only happen every four years, that's not that special.
So while the rest of the country was enjoying Michael Phelps amazing feats live, I was watching ESPN waiting for an update about an event that I would have to wait three hours to see. By the way, NBC has the audacity to leave that "Live" marker in the corner to mock me. The only time anything is ever actually live is at 2 in the morning when they're showing women's handball.
I love the Olympics. I love the spectacle, the sports, and the stories. All I want is for NBC to consider allowing me the privilege of enjoying it live.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Alicia Sacramone, Olympic champion
Women's gymnastics has always been the headlining attraction during week one of the Olympics. In recent years the men's competition has gained more exposure, making it just as fascinating. At these games head to head battles with China have made gymnastics one of the most anticipated events of the games.
Monday night the US men won bronze paving the way for the women to defend their World Champion titles. The women were literally doing direct battle with China because they were competing on the same rotation. The US started off strong on vault and uneven bars, but then came the balance beam. At just four inches wide it is considered the make or break apparatus. The Chinese were up first and they were really shaky, leaving the door wide open for the US. Unfortunately, team captain Alicia Sacramone fell off the beam during her opening move. Just like that the US's hopes to strike back against the Chinese were gone. It should be noted here that even with all the mistakes they made the Chinese were still given remarkably high scores. While the host country always receives a bump, these scores were out of control. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson recovered enough to keep the US in contention, but they would need a huge effort in the floor exercise.
This time the Americans would compete first and once again Alicia Sacramone would lead the way. She appeared ready to redeem herself until a disastrous second tumbling pass where she landed on her back closed the door on the gold. As she left the floor team coach Marta Karoly seemed unable or perhaps unwilling to comfort Sacramone who looked for a private moment that the cameras would not give her.
The US won the silver and the Chinese took gold, leaving Russia with the bronze. Many will call this a failure by the Americans, however I think it is an example in how to lose with class and grace. Sacramone, who at 20 is the oldest member of the team, took all the blame on herself and didn't fail to answer the questions of a rabid press ready to point out her every flaw. To me that is the measure of a true team captain and champion.
So while many will remember how Alicia Sacramone fell, I will remember how she stood up with her teammates as they won the silver medal.
Monday night the US men won bronze paving the way for the women to defend their World Champion titles. The women were literally doing direct battle with China because they were competing on the same rotation. The US started off strong on vault and uneven bars, but then came the balance beam. At just four inches wide it is considered the make or break apparatus. The Chinese were up first and they were really shaky, leaving the door wide open for the US. Unfortunately, team captain Alicia Sacramone fell off the beam during her opening move. Just like that the US's hopes to strike back against the Chinese were gone. It should be noted here that even with all the mistakes they made the Chinese were still given remarkably high scores. While the host country always receives a bump, these scores were out of control. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson recovered enough to keep the US in contention, but they would need a huge effort in the floor exercise.
This time the Americans would compete first and once again Alicia Sacramone would lead the way. She appeared ready to redeem herself until a disastrous second tumbling pass where she landed on her back closed the door on the gold. As she left the floor team coach Marta Karoly seemed unable or perhaps unwilling to comfort Sacramone who looked for a private moment that the cameras would not give her.
The US won the silver and the Chinese took gold, leaving Russia with the bronze. Many will call this a failure by the Americans, however I think it is an example in how to lose with class and grace. Sacramone, who at 20 is the oldest member of the team, took all the blame on herself and didn't fail to answer the questions of a rabid press ready to point out her every flaw. To me that is the measure of a true team captain and champion.
So while many will remember how Alicia Sacramone fell, I will remember how she stood up with her teammates as they won the silver medal.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Michael Phelps Backlash
Michael Phelps is great. There's no denying it, the guy can swim. However, he's not single-handedly saving the world or anything. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan, but according to NBC he's the second coming.
After the US's amazing comeback in the 4x100 meter relay all anyone talked about was how his hopes for 8 gold medals were still alive. I felt like this was a slap in the face to the other swimmers on the team. They didn't even have a shot at gold until Jason Lesak's fantastic swim on the anchor leg. Sure Lesak got some press, but it was still all about Phelps. No one even mentioned Cullen Jones or Garret Weber-Gale. They were the other guys on the team in case you were wondering.
Phelps is already being called the greatest Olympian ever, which is ridiculous when you consider the complete history of the Olympics. For my money I don't think he'd make the top ten at this point.
At the moment NBC is like a 13 year old girl who just met The Jonas Brothers. They can't contain their love for Phelps. My question is where is the love for the US men's gymnastics team or Togo's Benjamin Boukpeti?
The gymnastics team was spot on last night when they won the bronze medal. Everyone nailed their routines and there was a real camaraderie evident. Boukpeti won Togo's first ever Summer Olympics medal by taking the bronze in men's single kayak slalom. However, these stories are overshadowed by Phelps quest for 8 gold medals. If NBC isn't careful they will be ground zero for an outbreak of Phelps backlash.
After the US's amazing comeback in the 4x100 meter relay all anyone talked about was how his hopes for 8 gold medals were still alive. I felt like this was a slap in the face to the other swimmers on the team. They didn't even have a shot at gold until Jason Lesak's fantastic swim on the anchor leg. Sure Lesak got some press, but it was still all about Phelps. No one even mentioned Cullen Jones or Garret Weber-Gale. They were the other guys on the team in case you were wondering.
Phelps is already being called the greatest Olympian ever, which is ridiculous when you consider the complete history of the Olympics. For my money I don't think he'd make the top ten at this point.
At the moment NBC is like a 13 year old girl who just met The Jonas Brothers. They can't contain their love for Phelps. My question is where is the love for the US men's gymnastics team or Togo's Benjamin Boukpeti?
The gymnastics team was spot on last night when they won the bronze medal. Everyone nailed their routines and there was a real camaraderie evident. Boukpeti won Togo's first ever Summer Olympics medal by taking the bronze in men's single kayak slalom. However, these stories are overshadowed by Phelps quest for 8 gold medals. If NBC isn't careful they will be ground zero for an outbreak of Phelps backlash.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Are the Olympics still relevant?
There have been a lot of questions recently about whether the Olympics still matter in today's world. Last night's opening ceremonies answered those questions with a resounding yes. Between athletes carrying in their countries' flags with pride and million dollar superstars experiencing a pride they don't get from their day jobs, these ceremonies had a story for everyone.
Generally the opening ceremonies are a chance for the host country to showcase why it was awarded the honor of putting on the games. China chose to showcase the beauty of its history and its people. The artistry and precision of an ancient culture was displayed with a nod to the advancements of a modern society.
As the parade of nations began commentators wondered if the politics of the world would impact the recepetion of certain countries. The answer to that question was no, as all 11,000 athletes were welcomed with cheers. Even countries like Japan and Taiwan, who China has long and storied conflicts with, were greeted warmly. Athletes from Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan marched proudly, momentarily forgetting the war zones they left behind.
Finally the moment came that 1.3 billion people had been waiting for when the Chinese delegation entered the stadium. They were led by flag bearer and basketball superstar Yao Ming. He was led by a 9 year old earthquake survivor who not only dug himself out of the rubble but returned to free two classmates. When asked why he went back, the young hero replied that he was a class leader and hall monitor and that it was his responsibility. Stories like that prove how relevant the Olympic games are to our world.
The cauldron was lit in breathtaking fashion as gymnastics champion Li Ning danced around the top of the stadium on a LED screen that revealed the torch's progress to that spectacular moment. The majesty of that moment proved that the Olympic games gives the world reason to hope that our similarities can outweigh our differences.
Generally the opening ceremonies are a chance for the host country to showcase why it was awarded the honor of putting on the games. China chose to showcase the beauty of its history and its people. The artistry and precision of an ancient culture was displayed with a nod to the advancements of a modern society.
As the parade of nations began commentators wondered if the politics of the world would impact the recepetion of certain countries. The answer to that question was no, as all 11,000 athletes were welcomed with cheers. Even countries like Japan and Taiwan, who China has long and storied conflicts with, were greeted warmly. Athletes from Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan marched proudly, momentarily forgetting the war zones they left behind.
Finally the moment came that 1.3 billion people had been waiting for when the Chinese delegation entered the stadium. They were led by flag bearer and basketball superstar Yao Ming. He was led by a 9 year old earthquake survivor who not only dug himself out of the rubble but returned to free two classmates. When asked why he went back, the young hero replied that he was a class leader and hall monitor and that it was his responsibility. Stories like that prove how relevant the Olympic games are to our world.
The cauldron was lit in breathtaking fashion as gymnastics champion Li Ning danced around the top of the stadium on a LED screen that revealed the torch's progress to that spectacular moment. The majesty of that moment proved that the Olympic games gives the world reason to hope that our similarities can outweigh our differences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)