February 12, 2002

Thinking About The Olympics: The Olympics and why they don't completely suck

So the Olympics are back. Or is it more honest to say the sorta-lympics? Quite obviously the Winter Games are the ugly stepsister to the Summer sports. I'm certainly a bit biased, because while I haven't played any sports I can certainly identify much more with the 100-meter dash (huffing and puffing my way through gym class) than the luge or alpine skiing.

But, fine, they're on and I'm watching. Or at least trying to. NBC owns three networks, yet they can't show enough sports. Dick Ebersol, NBC's sports head (the man who brought us the XFL) basically gutted NBC Sports - NBA's on its way out, they didn't make much of an effort for the NFL and committed their budget to the Olympics and NASCAR. I somewhat understand the need to tape delay things and show them in prime time (an extra three hour delay here on the west coast) but if you've got access to that much footage how about letting us see it? CNBC had hockey (I don't watch North American teams, so I ain't gonna watch Russia's) but on MSNBC it was War! War! War! and National Geographic specials. Show me curling, biathlon, and speed skating from the countries that don't have a snowball's chance of winning anything. Get a clue folks.

Of course, the network works itself up into an orgiastic frenzy over figure skating. Can't really blame them because the people certainly are watching. OWIT's Olympic Maxim: Figure skating is pretty, it's artistic, the women are beautiful, but it's not a sport!

I know they need to hype their other properties, but are you as sick as I am of the "Watching Ellie" and "NASCAR on NBC" commercials? If you're going to endlessly repeat an ad, show me that "Conquer the mountain" ad with the crazy helmeted skiers.

Jim McKay is a broadcast icon and brought class to Olympics in the past, but like Fox with Madden and Summerall - they need to take him off the air. Through no fault of his own, but rather the natural passage of time, he looks distracted and confused until they throw to a taped segment. He's incapable of studio patter with Costas (who needs to go back to his more serious style, the goofball shtick is wearing thin), and generally in bad form. Let's stop rehashing our glory sports days and find some new folks who can do the job - they're out there.

I know the Olympics are supposed to be the A-class of competition, but do all the announcers have to sound so nitpicky? "Oooooh. That's going to be a deduction." It's the Olympic equivalent of the often incorrect "He was WIIIIIIIIIIIDE open" in NFL coverage.

For all the hand wringing about "rampant jingoism", from what I've seen the crowds at the games have been very supportive of all the international competitors - clapping, etc. Sure, there's an extra cheer for the Americans (or Candians at times, our scrappy northern cousins) but that's just to be expected. They're not outright booing. Which is reason one Philly can just forget about that Olympic bid.

Oliver Willis has already deluded himself into believing the addition of Marv Lewis to the Redskins staff will result in a 16-0 season. You can take a hit when I'm done.

posted by owillis to commentary at 03:45 AM - 0 comments