NBC: the failure continues, day 1 of actual sports

[mariness]

Admittedly, I did not have high hopes for NBC's Olympic coverage to begin with. But, yesterday morning, I staggered out to realize that, gasp, NBC was doing something unusual: showing sports. (I KNOW!) The event in question was the men's cycling, which was pretty awesome even if the NBC commentators were under the impression that it was actually

Comments

[jcbemis]

I remember seeing the archery somewhere yesterday, but we had to go to the sports bar/wings place to see equestrian, as it was on a cable channel I don't get. and yes - News fail re the swimming spoiler

[mariness]

NBC had to know that news outlets would and did report that. I understand wanting to put together an interesting prime time program -- and the gymnastics bits they put in were pretty cool -- but there was no reason not to show that race live and then replay it later. That's done all the time with football, basketball and golf.

[jeremytblack]

Although I do think it would be entertaining to read at least one post with your take on an average televised football game...

[mariness]

I cannot bring myself to endure that level of agony.

Football bores me. It's just 22 men slamming into each other, and then everybody says, it's third down, exciting and then a few minutes later it's third down again.

I love baseball as long as it's live because then you get to wave flags and cheer and chat and eat popcorn while waiting for the next bit, and I'm ok with basketball (although I won't bother to blog that) because at least with basketball things are always happening. And I think we can all agree that the U.S. women's basketball team is UNBELIEVABLY HOT so on a purely superficial basis go TEAM USA GO!

[jeremytblack]

Well, sometimes you have to suffer for your art. Or our entertainment. :)

[jeremytblack]

This isn't long, nor as entertaining as your coverage, but a little piece on Meredith Vieira playing stupid so that Americans relate to her:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2012/07/28/nbc_olympics_coverage_meredith_vieira_think_it_s_cool_to_be_ignorant_.html

Thank you for watching so that I both don't have to and don't have to wonder whether I missed anything.

[mariness]

Apparently NBC is claiming that we didn't get the tribute to terrorist victims because they had to edit the show to something a U.S. audience could understand, which....what, NBC, you still think U.S. audiences can't understand/sympathize with victims of terrorism? I am boggled.

[jeremytblack]

Those victims speak differently than us, no?

[eveanhei]

I don't watch for exactly this reason-- I find NBC coverage totally unbearable. The sheer mind-numbing babble overwhelms any interest I have in the Olympics, and they always skip over my favorite events anyway.