# NBC's Olympic coverage - where was Bob Costas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601 "2018-02-26T14:20:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/1 "2018-02-26T14:20:46Z")
Putting this in CS because it’s about the TV broadcast not anything to do with the sports. My wife and I were wondering what happened to Bob Costas? Usually he’s hosting the primetime coverage, but for this Olympics they had Mike Tirico in the studio. My wife joked that NBC dumped him after that unsightly eye infection he had at the last Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/2 "2018-02-26T14:27:41Z")
Costas announced [last year](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2017/02/09/bob-costas-nbc-sports-stepping-down-olympics-sunday-night-football-nfl/97683870/) that he was stepping down from hosting the Olympics. He seems to be in the process of retiring from most of his on-air duties. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/3 "2018-02-26T14:42:55Z")
Ah, thanks. I must have missed that announcement. Or more likely, just plain forgot. Holy crap, Costas is 65? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/4 "2018-02-26T14:54:26Z")
Costas la vista, Bob. Really it didn’t matter who hosts the show or if they even have a host. All they do is introduce the next segment, that could all be done by graphics. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/5 "2018-02-26T15:30:47Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Holy crap, Costas is 65? I’m surprised he’s that young. He seems to have been broadcasting forever. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/6 "2018-02-26T16:12:36Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > I’m surprised he’s that young. He seems to have been broadcasting forever. He has been. He started doing NFL and NBA games for CBS in 1976, when he was around 24 years old, and was hired by NBC when he was 28 (so, 1980 or so). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/7 "2018-02-26T16:19:44Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > He has been. He started doing NFL and NBA games for CBS in 1976, when he was around 24 years old, and was hired by NBC when he was 28 (so, 1980 or so). Yep, I remember him working at the CBS radio affiliate in St Louis (KMOX) when I was growing up. I guess the fact that he’s only about 10 years older than me makes _me_ feel old, more than anything else. Yes it does seem like he’s been around forever! ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/8 "2018-02-26T18:06:54Z")
Was Matt Lauer ever going to get the gig before, well, #himtoo? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/9 "2018-02-26T18:38:26Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Putting this in CS because it’s about the TV broadcast not anything to do with the sports. Like much of the broadcast. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbcs-olympic-coverage-where-was-bob-costas/809601/10 "2018-02-26T19:15:45Z")
Costas spoke out about football concussions. A bold move since his employer has a big stake in airing football. > **[Bob Costas Says Football 'Destroys People's Brains' When Speaking on Its Future](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2743159-bob-costas-says-football-destroys-peoples-brains-when-speaking-on-its-future)** > > Longtime NBC Sports broadcaster Bob Costas said Tuesday that football "destroys people's brains" during a roundtable discussion at the University of Maryland... Costas didn’t want to work the 2018 Superbowl. [https://www.google.com/amp/ftw.usatoday.com/2018/01/super-bowl-2018-lii-nbc-where-is-bob-costas-comments-concussions-quotes/amp](https://www.google.com/amp/ftw.usatoday.com/2018/01/super-bowl-2018-lii-nbc-where-is-bob-costas-comments-concussions-quotes/amp)