For the most part NewMexiKen doesn’t watch the Olympics. I can’t stand the TV coverage; indeed, it drives me to such distraction that I have just given up watching. At Slate writer June Thomas agrees:
This year, at least some of NBC’s 1,200 hours of coverage (spread over seven networks) will be broadcast live. But it wasn’t just the tape delay that drove NBC viewers batty four years ago. It was the endless sob stories, the desire to impose a narrative arc on sporting events, and the boosterism that gave short shrift to non-U.S. athletes.
Exactly. And the commentators never shut up.
NewMexiKen was able to view the 1994 Winter Olympics women’s skating finals on Russian TV. (The Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding year.) It was wonderful. The commentator (speaking in Russian, of course) was low key, generally quiet, but the ambient noises of the crowd, the music and skates on ice could be heard well. Every performance was shown in its entirety, one after the other. Almost like being there.
We have all these channels, all these sound options on modern televisions. Whenever I view sports I wonder why one choice isn’t listening to the sounds of the venue with the talking heads turned off.
Especially the Olympics. Especially golf. And especially Dick Vitale.
Likewise, the over saturation of gymnastics, swiming, diving, basketball, etc. So many other sports get two minutes of coverage.
I am cautiously optimistic. Thus far this year, they seem to have altered their coverage. Byron and I watched the full four hours of prime time last night. I think we saw only one in-depth profile (i.e. sob story). Mostly it was actual sports – including lots of time devoted to the Japanese and Chinese gymnasts. There was a lot of coverage of the men’s cycling road race, and of the men’s diving – events where no Americans contended for medals.
On the alternate NBC networks there has been tons of non-American and non-“marquee” stuff.
Maybe they finally listened!
Couldn’t agree more. I don’t intend to watch a minute of our nationalistic corporate glee club’s version of the American Olympics. The games are an opportunity for countries to compete peacefully against each other, for the world to cooperate and celebrate each other’s accomplishments. Our media turns it into a referendum on American superiority. Pfaw. I will always believe in the Olympics, even though they have become a huge economic drain on host countries and need to be re-imagined. But I don’t trust the American media to give us a version worth watching.
I watched parts of the 1988 Seoul games from within China.
It was as NewMexiKen related. Just uninterrupted coverage of sports; no talking heads, no commercials, no sob stories about an athlete’s next door neighbor’s dog being run over and traumatizing them, and mostly events that didn’t feature Americans.
For example a fantastic volleyball game between Russian and Peruvian women.
I actually like to see athletes from the USA compete and do well.
Guess I’m the lowest common denominator.
(Although I do TiVo it, so I can fast forward.)