[QUOTE=dalej42]
Like I’ve mentioned in other threads, if you get away from the main NBC coverage, you can actually see the events and not hear sob stories. No one overcame autism during the boxing events on CNBC this morning.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, but all of the good events are on the main NBC coverage (heavily edited and we are only shown what they think we want to see) but if you want to watch Australian Rules Cricket at 3am, then CNBC is a good thing..
[QUOTE=astorian]
Look, the Olympics haven’t been a true SPORTS event in the U.S. since 1972.
In 1972, millions of rich white girls in the U.S. fell in love with Olga Korbut. Ever since, the Olympics have been aimed at FEMALE viewers, not men.
Look at the commercials- do you see the kind of ads you’d see during a NASCAR race or an SEC football game (beer, pickup trucks, etc.)?
The Olympics today aren’t an ESPN program. They’re a Lifetime Network show with sweat. The soap operatic profiles are aimed at female viewers. Cause let’s face it, men don’t give a rat’s ass whether LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony had happy childhoods!
[/QUOTE]
I don’t know… I’m sitting here watching Womens Olympic Beach Volleyball and wondering why this sport doesn’t have its own channel yet.
[QUOTE=Green Bean]
ADD is so 4 years ago. I predict at least one sob story is going to include Asperger’s Syndrome.
[/QUOTE]
Nah. Autism is the afflicition of the moment in the US.
I’m not used to the US-centric coverage. This is the first Olympics I’m watching from the States, and I’m surprised at how much it bugs me that I’m not going to see much of my country’s athletes.
I know, it’s completely understandable that an American network focuses on American athletes… I guess I just hadn’t really thought of that.
I’ll see what I can get online from CTV or somebody.
[QUOTE=Cubsfan]
Nah. Autism is the afflicition of the moment in the US.
[/QUOTE]
And Aspberger’s is on the autism spectrum. See, everybody’s a winner!!
[QUOTE=Antigen]
I’m not used to the US-centric coverage. This is the first Olympics I’m watching from the States, and I’m surprised at how much it bugs me that I’m not going to see much of my country’s athletes.
I know, it’s completely understandable that an American network focuses on American athletes… I guess I just hadn’t really thought of that.
I’ll see what I can get online from CTV or somebody.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t know if content is blocked for non-Canadian ISPs, but there is a LOT of footage being streamed “live” off of cbc.ca (CTV doesn’t have Olympic coverage). I watched the Opening Ceremonies online at work yesterday.
Of course, if you do that, you’ll hear about Kyle Shewfelt. You know Kyle Shewfelt, right? I mean, if you haven’t heard about Kyle Shewfelt, you really should. Because Kyle Shewfelt has an amazing story. Kyle Shewfelt is a gymnast. Kyle Shewfelt was world champion (or something) two years ago. Then tragedy struck Kyle Shewfelt. Kyle Shewfelt had a bad landing on a floor routine. Kyle Shewfelt broke not one, but TWO legs. Actually, Kyle Shewfelt broke both knees (or something). Kyle Shewfelt had to have surgery to fix them. Kyle Shewfelt might never have done gymnastics again (though as injuries go, if it were just you and me and not Kyle Shewfelt, it wasn’t that big a deal). But because it was Kyle Shewfelt, we have to be reminded that Kyle Shewfelt went from being a top athelete, to a man who did not have the use of his ( Kyle Shewfelt’s) legs. But now Kyle Shewfelt is at the Beijing Olympics, in his big comeback. Kyle Shewfelt is competing in the team event. Kyle Shewfelt’s team (that would be Canada, btw) didn’t actually advance to the finals. Kyle Shewfelt ranked 9th overall. Kyle Shewfelt is not slated to compete in other events (I think), though he is an alternate for a couple of them. Kyle Shewfelt really has nothing more to do for the next 2 weeks. But did you HEAR about Kyle Shewfelt’s amazing return from his injuries? You know, where he had not one, but TWO broken legs? If you haven’t, you really should…
And coming up on CBC’s Olympic Coverage, swimming, fencing, boxing, and 32874 video stories about Kyle Shewfelt’s injuries and his amazing (so what if he’s not competing anymore?) comeback! You know, from when he broke both - yes, both!- of his legs!
(Ok, I love watching the Olympics. But I am sick to death of hearing about Kyle Shewfelt. You know, with the two broken legs).
[QUOTE=Antigen]
I’m not used to the US-centric coverage. This is the first Olympics I’m watching from the States, and I’m surprised at how much it bugs me that I’m not going to see much of my country’s athletes.
I know, it’s completely understandable that an American network focuses on American athletes… I guess I just hadn’t really thought of that.
I’ll see what I can get online from CTV or somebody.
[/QUOTE]
Does Canada still have an olympic team? 
Man. If all the Olympic athletes had their parents eaten by wolves, then they went through bankruptcy, broke several limbs, had heartbreaking relationships, trained 28 hours every day for the last 674 years, then I’d hate to see the training regimen. I mean, who’d ever want to be an Olympic athlete if the qualifications were so rigid?
“So you want to be an Olympic athlete. Are your parents alive?”
“Yes.”
“Next!”
The OC was the most boring ever. On top of that, NBC broadcast more commercials than MTV, it seemed.
Quote of the night, from Bob Costas: “While you were watching the commercial, China has advanced two hundred years.”
[QUOTE=Antigen]
I’m not used to the US-centric coverage. This is the first Olympics I’m watching from the States, and I’m surprised at how much it bugs me that I’m not going to see much of my country’s athletes.
I know, it’s completely understandable that an American network focuses on American athletes… I guess I just hadn’t really thought of that.
I’ll see what I can get online from CTV or somebody.
[/QUOTE]
You have to understand that the U.S. coverage has nothing to do with Athletes or Athletics.
See in the U.S. there are people who watch “sports”(not just follow but watch, this is important). These people watch NFL, College football, baseball, Nascar, NBA, College basketball, and somewhat hockey. These people care about the details and the stats of these sports, they know everything. They also like Beer, Sausage, trucks, and Bruce Willis movies. Networks pay much money to get the rights to show these events. Companies that make Beer, sausage, trucks, and Willis movies, pay the networks a lot of money to put their commercials on, to sell their beer etc. to the fans, and the circle of life is complete.
NBC bid in the billions for the rights to show the olympics. Unfortunately the previously mentioned sports fan dont really watch the Olympics. They may follow it a bit in the paper or online. But they dont atcually watch it, which means no eyes on commercials, so no beer company etc. commercial money comming in. So NBC rebranded and reformulated the Olympic coverage to get people who don’t watch “sports”, namely women, to watch. These people arn’t as much into the physical competetion and the rules and the stats, as they are into the personalities and stories and big dancing spectacles, so the sporting takes a back seat. But there are eyes on the TV and companies that make cellphones, and minivans, and shampoo are willing to pay for those eyes.
So dont feel bad that you arn’t seeing coverage of other teams, we arn’t even seeing coverage of the American teams, just a few emotional stories that happen to relate to the games, that have been nutured and promoted for months.
[QUOTE=jtgain]
Does Canada still have an olympic team?
[/QUOTE]
Yes. Kyle Shewfelt is on it. He broke both his legs last year…
[QUOTE=mnemosyne]
Of course, if you do that, you’ll hear about Kyle Shewfelt. You know Kyle Shewfelt, right? I mean, if you haven’t heard about Kyle Shewfelt, you really should. Because Kyle Shewfelt has an amazing story. Kyle Shewfelt is a gymnast. Kyle Shewfelt was world champion (or something) two years ago. Then tragedy struck Kyle Shewfelt. Kyle Shewfelt had a bad landing on a floor routine. Kyle Shewfelt broke not one, but TWO legs. Actually, Kyle Shewfelt broke both knees (or something). Kyle Shewfelt had to have surgery to fix them. Kyle Shewfelt might never have done gymnastics again (though as injuries go, if it were just you and me and not Kyle Shewfelt, it wasn’t that big a deal). But because it was Kyle Shewfelt, we have to be reminded that Kyle Shewfelt went from being a top athelete, to a man who did not have the use of his ( Kyle Shewfelt’s) legs. But now Kyle Shewfelt is at the Beijing Olympics, in his big comeback. Kyle Shewfelt is competing in the team event. Kyle Shewfelt’s team (that would be Canada, btw) didn’t actually advance to the finals. Kyle Shewfelt ranked 9th overall. Kyle Shewfelt is not slated to compete in other events (I think), though he is an alternate for a couple of them. Kyle Shewfelt really has nothing more to do for the next 2 weeks. But did you HEAR about Kyle Shewfelt’s amazing return from his injuries? You know, where he had not one, but TWO broken legs? If you haven’t, you really should…
[/QUOTE]
Wanna grab me a beer when you stagger into the kitchen?
[QUOTE=The Tof]
I don’t know… I’m sitting here watching Womens Olympic Beach Volleyball and wondering why this sport doesn’t have its own channel yet.
[/QUOTE]
And I’m now watching it in HD live and thinking this is even better than football in HD. Of course, NBC is still making their bugs and graphics 4:3 safe, but I’ll take that complaint either to the Pit or to a different forum altogether.
[QUOTE=mnemosyne]
I don’t know if content is blocked for non-Canadian ISPs, but there is a LOT of footage being streamed “live” off of cbc.ca (CTV doesn’t have Olympic coverage).
[/QUOTE]
Just tried it from Michigan. “Sorry, this video is not avaiable in your area.” We get CBC (channel 9, Windsor), and watched that in previous Olympics, but we’ve got an HD TV, and CBC isn’t broadcasting here yet, so we’re watching NBC. We watched CBC for the previous winter Olympics even though we had HD, but NBC seem to be showing more live this year.
Of course, the Womens Olympic Beach Volleyball doesn’t hurt…
[QUOTE=astorian]
The Olympics today aren’t an ESPN program. They’re a Lifetime Network show with sweat. The soap operatic profiles are aimed at female viewers. Cause let’s face it, men don’t give a rat’s ass whether LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony had happy childhoods!
[/QUOTE]
Can you then explain to me why I have to endure at least 48 shots of LeBron’s mom (Gloria: why do I know her name?) each time I watch a Cavs game?
[QUOTE=ZenBeam]
Of course, the Womens Olympic Beach Volleyball doesn’t hurt…
[/QUOTE]
No joke. I just found my new favorite sport…
[QUOTE=Boozahol Squid, P.I.]
Can you then explain to me why I have to endure at least 48 shots of LeBron’s mom (Gloria: why do I know her name?) each time I watch a Cavs game?
[/QUOTE]
Because she isn’t out driving drunk and cussing out police officers?
I think NBC threw in the towel on the sob-story bios. Did anyone else see the one on the swimmer from San Francisco, whose backstory was… she likes to cook. No, really. They had a brief chirpy interview with her, show her shopping at the fish market, cooking in her kitchen. For a brief moment, I figured that we’d learn her fishmonger had some horribly incurable cancer yet bravely managed to get her haddock so she could continue training. But, no. She just made some bruschetta for her friends, and that was it.
Almost surreal, really.
This time the UK funnelled millions of Lottery money into supporting Olympic athletes who had ‘a real chance of a medal’.
One boxer, Frankie Gavin, failed to make the weight and has gone home without competing.
All that money wasted. :rolleyes:
Now that’s a sob story. :smack:
[QUOTE=Gala Matrix Fire]
I predict at least one sob story is going to include ADD.
[/QUOTE]
Just saw it. Michael Phelps overcame ADHD to become the world’s greatest swimmer.
Still, the human interest stories are far less common now than back in 2000, and they’re even rarer outside of NBC primetime. I’m seeing backstories on many non-US athletes, too; for instance, a minute or two on the white swimmer from Zimbabwe, whatshername …