The Great and Spacious Building of NBC

Why do I compare NBC with The Great and Spacious Building?

NBC was the television network covering the Olympics this year. They did a HORRIBLE job. I feel that the true fans of the Olympics were not taken into account when they decided what they would show on tv. Instead they decided what events would attract Joe Schmoe American, who really doesn't give a rat's butt about the Olympics, but just wants to watch it.

As you may know I ran Track and Field and Cross Country in high school. I would refer to myself and a Track Junkie! I check track websites and forums almost daily. If there has been a large track meet anywhere in the world I probably know about it. Not just during the Olympic year but every year. So what events do I want to see on my tv during the Olympics? TRACK I wanted 800m, 1500m, 5000m, and 10000m. Thats it! Did I get it? Some, at 2am.

Instead I get hours upon hours of those BUTT UGLY volleyball girls. Seriously, do we need to see them celebrate for 20 minutes after they win? couldn't NBC have switched after the match was over to another event? NO, because apparently Joe Schmoe wanted to see May-Trainer sprinkle her mother's cremated body onto the sand, how sweet.

Also, I got a face full of Michael Phelps. He did great, obviously. Yes I enjoyed watching him win so many events during the first week of the Olympics, BUT I hated how NBC WHORED his name on everything dubbing him the "Greatest Olympian of All Time." You can now buy a special DVD about him produced by NBC. Just because he won the most gold's, at one games, doesn't make him the greatest Olympian ever. (for an in depth analysis about why he is not the greatest olympian ever go to Nate Houle's blog, he will argue that Usain Bolt is just as good if not better. How swimming is 0 impact on bones and joints, enabling you to do more events, all of Phelps' races were about the same distance using the same kind of muscle fibers (fast twich) and yadda yadda, how it's not possible to do all events in Track. should be good. Link) If Usain Bolt were American we would be seeing NBC pimp his name on everything. And even though swimming had been over for a week I was still seeing his ugly mouth on my tv, while they could be showing me Track.

Here are a few examples of what NBC did wrong:

"Live" coverage...not quite. Try 40 minutes after. If you went to nbcolympics.com you would see the results and pictures of events that were supposed to air "live." example: I knew Phelps won the 100m butterfly, even though at the right of the tv it said, "live."

Mens Steeplechase Final: The day of the steeplechase final NBC showed 1h 30m of the 20km Racewalk...seriously the race walk? Then they showed 2h 30m full coverage of the Womens Marathon, both favorites dropped out and no americans running. They show both those races, THEN I have to stay up till 1:30am to watch the Steeplechase (which is a very exciting event to watch due to the water pit) So it finally starts, after a lap and an half they cut away to the womens high jump! Then after that they cut to a commercial! NO JOKE! Then they come back to the race, almost over. the race was won in 8min 10sec....An 8 minute race!!!! and they can't show all of it, but they show ribbon dancing?!? ALSO that night during prime time they showed the women's Pole Vault, cool, but as they showed it you could see the winners of the Steeplechase taking their victory laps! ummm hello NBC.

Also the did not show full coverage of any distance events, ALL were shown later than 1am. Ever heard of Bekele? no. NBC failed you. He only won the 10k and the 5k. Both were Olympic Records (he holds both world records) and the fashion in which he won was so impressive. Just blew everyone away. The 5k was probably the best 5k ever ran, he led the whole race, which is tactical suicide, then blew everyone away the last two laps. running a 12:57 an OR. That is 3.1 miles. 4:10 per mile! The last mile was 3:58!

At the bottom right of the TV it would say stuff like "phelps in 30" and show a little clip of him....well they did that with the 100m and it said, "Bolt in 23min" and IT SHOWED HIM WINNING the race! What if i wanted to be surprised? Nope, more than once during Track they told us who won before they showed it. Thanks.

The guy doing the interviews at the track was a jerk! After Lolo Jones caught the 9th hurdle and lost the race, he asks her to describe it. Then after Wallace Spearman gets bronze in the 200m, but then gets DQ'ed for stepping on the line. The guy says, "you got disqualified, you stepped on the line. How does it feel to lose your bronze?" Or defending champion in the 400m Jeremy Wariner after he gets second, "do you think you got second because you switched coaches?" Wariner walks away.

What were the original Olympic events? Track and Field. Stick to the basics. I guarantee there are more hard core track fans than gymnastics or swimming. Who watches gymnastics outside of the Olympics? Nobody.

I just wanted to rip that crappy rug of off Bob Costas' head and punch him in the face. If it weren't for Heroes and The Office, the best two shows on tv, I would never watch NBC ever again. Did I get my point across? If not I've got more ammo.