NBC coverage of Olympics was lousy

[empther]

Are you criticizing criticism now? Huh? The entire purpose of this thread was criticism.

Complaining, like you did, without contributing something to think and talk about, is naked criticism for its own sake.

I and others have contributed something to think and talk about.

That’s the difference.

I started this thread this morning, Sunday morning, in a section that’s not so busy as some others. It already has 22 posts and 321 views.
Go and try to do thou likewise.

 

[mikekle]

I didnt mind the media coverage of it, but I did find the excessive commercials a bit offensive.(supposedly Best Buy is coming out with some kind of stand alone device fairly soon, that will somehow edit out all commercials, but still allow you to watch the program uninterrupted. Its supposed to better than a tivo or similar device, so I cant wait for this to hit the shelves!)

Unlike most men, I could care less about football, basketball, or baseball, but in reality, these 3 are what most americans like, but ONLY in america! Most other nations have REAL football (soccer in the US), and tend to be more serious about sports that actually require some degree of talent. LOL

However I do like watching the winter olympic games, some of these athletes are incredible!

MUCH MUCH more entertaining than any football, baseball, or basketball game!

 

[empther]

However I do like watching the winter olympic games, some of these athletes are incredible!

MUCH MUCH more entertaining than any football, baseball, or basketball game!

I agree. What’s really amazing is how the athletes have improved over the years.

I mentioned Dorothy Hamill earlier. She won the ladies figure skating gold medal in 1976.
She couldn’t have come anywhere near what the kids are doing today. You wonder if they’re aliens. ( *** )

The team sports have no individual performance as spectacular as we see in the Olympics. Of course, these sports are designed that way. They play for hours and couldn’t keep up spectacular performance.
But still,
it’s a long time between Olympics.

( *** Dorothy Hamill went straight to the ice shows where she started at two million dollars a year equivalent to eight million today. No wonder the kids are doing the miraculous. )

 

[Bobby_Jim]

You can’t get people excited about a sport like bobsledding which not one person in 40,000 has tried.

Personally I think bobsledding is kind of cool. Not that I want to watch it over and over, but it is kind of awesome. Plus my little boy points at the screen and says “rocket ship! My rocket ship! I want fly in that rocket ship!”

 

[Cat]

After the IOC sees the people’s ho-hum response to NBC’s coverage,
I hope they reconsider.
It all comes down to money, you know. You can’t get people excited about a sport like bobsledding which not one person in 40,000 has tried.
The IOC is dead unless they can get people excited about the Games.

ABC Sports pioneered Olympic coverage fifty years ago and got it right. I noticed a change when NBC took over. They used TODAY Show “reporters” ( ) who didn’t know or care about sports. ABC had a regular sports staff. Give ABC another chance.

One of the effects of the televised Olympics in the U.S. is an increased interest in sports that people didn’t even know existed.

Our family has been involved as participants in figure skating since 1988 (and fans since the early 1960s). The reason my husband drove himself and our daughter down to the Ice House in Cary, North Carolina, and signed up for lessons is because of the Calgary Olympics and the Battle of the Brians. My husband decided that he wanted to be the first 40-year old figure skating Olympian.

Well, he didn’t make it, but our family has greatly enjoyed the sport ever since 1988, and I suspect that I will die in a skating rink someday. My younger daughter was only 3 when she started her Learn To Skate classes in Cary–now she’s 28, and she’s leaving this morning (Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014) for Colorado Springs and the National Championships of Synchronized Skating–she has been a coach for 12 years now. (She started coaching while she was still competing.)

In the sport of figure skating, we expect an “Olympic surge”, and rejoice! We could sure use more people in the sport of figure skating right now! That’s the main reason why our U.S. ladies and men are not winning Olympic medals anymore–the talent pool in the U.S. has decreased. We need a larger talent pool at the local level–that’s where our champions come from. They’re just kids who get started in the sport in their local rink and keep movin’ on up!

Some people in the U.S. are intrigued by unfamiliar sports like bob-sledding, luge, speedskating, etc. (Here in the Midwest, skiing is un-tried by most people!) Although many families don’t have the resources (money, freedom to move, etc.) to get started in these sports, some families do have the resources. They take a trip and head for a city in the U.S. where they can try out the sport, and then they decide to pack up and move so that they can continue in the sport.

We live close enough to Milwaukee (about 1.5 hours) that people drive up there to try out speedskating at the Pettit Arena. Over the years, we’ve seen kids start training up there. Some commute. Some move. So far, no champions, but we’ll keep working on it.

Or sometimes people make a push in their city for a skating rink so that the citizens can enjoy sports like hockey, figure skating, speedskating, and curling.

I think it’s important to remember that people should never get involved with a sport because they want to go to the Olympics and win a medal. People should do a sport (or any activity) because they love it.

 

[pnewton]

Incompetent boobs at NBC ! There are stupid people in this world.

I can’t stand NBC coverage. I hope that in two years there will be an internet option that gets me away from them. Sports? Don’t make me laugh. What the do is get clips and package it with fluff in some sort of quasi-sport reality show. The only sport I get is predicting from the fluff who will win before the competition, as they always fluff with fore-shadowing. Horrible coverage.

So many negative, whiny threads in popular media. It gets old.

Don’t read. Problem solved.

 

[empther]

One of the effects of the televised Olympics in the U.S. is an increased interest in sports that people didn’t even know existed.

It also works in reverse.

People who have played sports when they were young are interested in watching that sport in the Olympics. Guys who played football in high school are fanatical about the Super Bowl.

However, skiing is something people can do into their sixties, not just when they’re young , and it’s not always competitive, you can just get out on the slopes alone.
So…

Something I read from some book somebody wrote…

… The Winter Olympics had played second banana to the Summer Games because not that many people in the world stepped on the ski slopes. I would change that. The Lake Michigan mountain was gigantic. It was meant to accommodate a quarter million people at a time with hundreds of slopes instead of the usual dozen. But that was an ant hill compared to the monster offshore mountains they were sketching in the newspapers, mountains sixty miles wide that could take on over a million people. When I’d installed sixty or seventy of these giant ski resort mountains around the world, a hundred million people could be on the slopes at once all year. There was already talk of a billion people taking up skiing. The poor Summer Games athletes would look around and say, “Hey! Anybody watching us?”

 

[GEddie]

People who have played sports when there were young are interested in watching that sport in the Olympics. Guys who played football in high school are fanatical about the Super Bowl.

Other sports too.

A good buddy who played tennis at the HS level couldn’t believe that I don’t watch tennis.

ICXC NIKA

 

[bluerose]

One of the effects of the televised Olympics in the U.S. is an increased interest in sports that people didn’t even know existed.

Our family has been involved as participants in figure skating since 1988 (and fans since the early 1960s). The reason my husband drove himself and our daughter down to the Ice House in Cary, North Carolina, and signed up for lessons is because of the Calgary Olympics and the Battle of the Brians. My husband decided that he wanted to be the first 40-year old figure skating Olympian.

Well, he didn’t make it, but our family has greatly enjoyed the sport ever since 1988, and I suspect that I will die in a skating rink someday. My younger daughter was only 3 when she started her Learn To Skate classes in Cary–now she’s 28, and she’s leaving this morning (Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014) for Colorado Springs and the National Championships of Synchronized Skating–she has been a coach for 12 years now. (She started coaching while she was still competing.)

In the sport of figure skating, we expect an “Olympic surge”, and rejoice! We could sure use more people in the sport of figure skating right now! That’s the main reason why our U.S. ladies and men are not winning Olympic medals anymore–the talent pool in the U.S. has decreased. We need a larger talent pool at the local level–that’s where our champions come from. They’re just kids who get started in the sport in their local rink and keep movin’ on up!

Some people in the U.S. are intrigued by unfamiliar sports like bob-sledding, luge, speedskating, etc. (Here in the Midwest, skiing is un-tried by most people!) Although many families don’t have the resources (money, freedom to move, etc.) to get started in these sports, some families do have the resources. They take a trip and head for a city in the U.S. where they can try out the sport, and then they decide to pack up and move so that they can continue in the sport.

We live close enough to Milwaukee (about 1.5 hours) that people drive up there to try out speedskating at the Pettit Arena. Over the years, we’ve seen kids start training up there. Some commute. Some move. So far, no champions, but we’ll keep working on it.

Or sometimes people make a push in their city for a skating rink so that the citizens can enjoy sports like hockey, figure skating, speedskating, and curling.

I think it’s important to remember that people should never get involved with a sport because they want to go to the Olympics and win a medal. People should do a sport (or any activity) because they love it.

Not to derail this thread, but have you read “Cracks in the Ice” by Deanna Klingel? It’s a YA book about a Mafia princess who dreams of becoming a professional ice skater. It is a 2013 recipient of the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval. It’s a fascinating look at the life of a young skater and an entertaining read! I haven’t had a chance to read your books yet, Cat, but I’m certain I’ll enjoy them (once I get a handle on everything else I have going on… but they’re on my list!)

And now, back to the Olympics discussion!

 

[empther]

Not to derail this thread, but have you read “Cracks in the Ice” by Deanna Klingel? It’s a YA book about a Mafia princess who dreams of becoming a professional ice skater. It is a 2013 recipient of the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval. It’s a fascinating look at the life of a young skater and an entertaining read!

The Tonya/Nancy controversy in the 1994 Winter Olympics gave me a kernel of an idea for my story. Ironically, my character, who is a nobody from nowhere, eventually makes this possible:

… As soon as the rock started coming down doubts about my ability to pull this off vanished. The mayor of Chicago assembled an audience to make an announcement.
… “Are you ready for this? I am negotiating with the IOC to make Chicago host to a combined, simultaneous Summer and Winter Olympics.”
… The audience rose to their feet and set new decibel records.

…No other city in the world and its surroundings was laid out in such a way it could handle the unimaginable visitor traffic like Chicago and its surrounding communities …

… “I can see it now” said Steve. “Somebody trains a girl to win gold medals in both gymnastics and figure skating the same week.”
… “Wow! I have to see that.”

Now, back to the Olympics.

 

[mikekle]

You can’t get people excited about a sport like bobsledding which not one person in 40,000 has tried.

This kind of statement has to come from an american! LOL

Unlike the US, most other countries put importance on sports other than the Us version of football, basketball, and baseball, unfortunately, these 3 are what most americans care about…sad imo.

 

[pnewton]

Unlike the US, most other countries put importance on sports other than the Us version of football, basketball, and baseball, unfortunately, these 3 are what most americans care about…sad imo.

Why would it be sad? We just have great taste in sports, of which football will always reign supreme. Beats that little kickball game they play elsewhere.

 

[empther]

Unlike the US, most other countries put importance on sports other than the Us version of football, basketball, and baseball, unfortunately, these 3 are what most americans care about…sad imo.

sad imo
that other countries don’t have the vast network of giant sports stadiums for football, baseball and other sports like the United States,
not to mention the smaller, but not always much smaller, stadiums of some 2,000 U.S. colleges and universities,
and tens of thousands of small stadiums in the high schools
and countless city government owned and operated stadiums and indoor arenas for public events of many kinds in addition to sports.

 

[empther]

football will always reign supreme. Beats that little kickball game they play elsewhere.

Even high schools in the U.S., if they have enrollment of sufficient size, have girls’ soccer teams.
Which is great for the girls. I’m happy for them.
But for true gorilla-war-mentality males, :slapfight:
nothing beats football !!! :extrahappy: :bounce:

 

[Bruised_Reed]

Unfortunately, I believe NBC has a contractual lock on the Olympics.

We’ll see the peacock again from Rio.

ICXC NIKA

:sad_yes:

 

[empther]

Originally Posted by GEddie View Post
Unfortunately, I believe NBC has a contractual lock on the Olympics.

But not forever.
When the contracts run out,
let the IOC itself broadcast the Games using ten cable channels at once.
Imagine twenty-four hour coverage. Full coverage of every sport.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

After the IOC sees the people’s ho-hum response to NBC’s coverage,
I hope they reconsider.
It all comes down to money, you know. You can’t get people excited about a sport like bobsledding which not one person in 40,000 has tried.
The IOC is dead unless they can get people excited about the Games.

I enjoyed the bobsledding especially the two-man because it made me thing of Daft Punk because of their helmets and I happened to be watching it when I was listening to my iPod. FWIW, Da Funk would be a great song for bobsledding if it was ever done to music like figure skating is.

Some people do enjoy watching sports that we aren’t involved with and seeing what humans can and are willing to do.

ABC Sports pioneered Olympic coverage fifty years ago and got it right. I noticed a change when NBC took over. They used TODAY Show “reporters” ( ) who didn’t know or care about sports. ABC had a regular sports staff. Give ABC another chance.

I agree. I was pretty young during the heyday ABC sports and I can note the difference. There were exceptions during these Games; I liked Terry Gannon and he’s been doing commentating for sports, including figure skating, for years. He sat along side Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir this year and Tara and Johnny got a lot of attention and favorable reviews (some were pleasantly surprised.) This is their first season commentating and, while they did a good job, Terry Gannon seemed to be mentoring them and all they worked well as a team. I don’t care for Scott Hamilton’s style. He gets overly excited and when he yells “OHH!,” it doesn’t matter if the skater wobbled a landing or nailed it, he always sounds like he got kneed in the groin. I can do without that sound. Plus, the chemistry between him and Sandra Bezic is tired. To me she sounded frustrated and like she needed to work in a more substantial comment after Scott’s innane “look at that!!!” type comments.

And I like Mary Carillo. The only thing I saw her do this year was a feature on the Trans-Siberian railway and afterwards she was talking with Bob Costas and two other guys and she was mentioned the new (10 year old) scoring for figure skating and how the new scoring made her fee depressed, sad and lonely, which I thought was hilarious. Then again it was around midnight so we both might have been tired.

 

[pnewton]

nfl.com/

We also play kick ball.

mlssoccer.com/

I think there are other sports, some with balls, some without.

 

[bluerose]

The ball season never ends… first they kick it, then they bounce it, then they hit it with a stick…

 

[tomarin]

To quote Shakespeare, a rose by any other name …