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The Numbers Don’t Lie: NBC Is Doing a Crappy Job Covering the Olympics

By | February 25, 2010 | Olympics | 3 Comments
Bob Costas

Bob Costas

If you were hoping to watch sporting events this Olympics, allow me to chuckle at your cute naivete. If, however, you’re really into commercials, Bob Costas’ fireplace, and blimp shots, then you are probably in media heaven these days.

Complaints about NBC’s coverage of these games is nothing new. My Twitter friends have been pretty vocal about it and we even heard from our own HeadlessMom about the absurdity of not being able to see coverage of the Olympics, even though they’re happening in her own time zone.

But what separates bitching and serious criticism is raw data and David Bireman at the Wall Street Journal has given fuel to our fire.

An analysis of NBC’s 3 ½-hour program Friday night showed that there were 56 minutes, 41 seconds of commercials over 24 breaks—that’s three more minutes than actual event action that was showed.

Even more damning? This chart:

NBC Olympics Coverage Breakdown

NBC Olympics Coverage Breakdown

By the way, charts = science, so don’t even try to question it, mkay?

Obviously, this is not groundbreaking bad coverage. Most major sports events have a similar focus on advertising dollars over actual sports. But I think people are angry because the Olympics offer a chance to see sports that you don’t normally catch. I get that it’s a rare marketing opportunity, but the fact that these events can captivate even the most indifferent viewer should be at least a little respected and NBC should let us see a little more of the awe-inspiring feats that we tuned in to see in the first place.

Canadians Are Sore Losers

By | February 24, 2010 | Hockey, Olympics | 4 Comments

This photograph was taken in Vancouver after the United States beat Canada 5 – 3 in men’s hockey on Sunday.

torcida-Canada

Is this a sore loser or is she just trying to look on the bright side of things? I can’t tell. I’m too busy gloating.

I hope the Swiss have their “At least we have neutrality and awesome chocolate” signs all ready. They are going to need some cheering up tomorrow.

[photo via Joe. My. God.]

Olympic Miracle(s) On Ice

By | February 22, 2010 | Hockey, Olympics | 1 Comment

Today is the 30th anniversary of the 1980 USA men’s hockey team’s “Miracle on Ice” win over the top-ranked then-USSR in Lake Placid that paved their way to beat Finland in the finals and win the gold medal.

miracleonice

So I enjoyed Team USA 2010′s 5-3 win over Canada tonight in Vancouver because I am all for the home team, especially when they play a game so incredibly worth watching,  but also because I thought the timing was fairly perfect.

It was clear from the sea of red and white in the stands in the arena tonight that Canada’s powerful national hockey heart was in this game. But Team USA clearly had their collective heads and skill sets in it and Canada actually played some sloppy hockey at crunch time, especially considering the level of talent on their roster. And to give credit where it is most obviously due, USA Goalie Ryan Miller, who has a little day job with the Buffalo Sabres, was a beast who played like he had no intention whatsoever of losing. He made 42 saves to Team Canada goalie (and New Jersey Devil and kind of a big deal in general) Martin Brodeur’s 17, proving once again that it doesn’t matter how many shots you take – it matters how many go in.

Profound insight, yes. I’m sure that’s why you came here.

Much is being made of the relative youth of the U.S. team, although an average age of 25 just doesn’t seem that young to me. Adjectives like “gritty” and “scrappy” and “raw” and “new” are being thrown around in articles and interviews. But sometimes you just play better and that’s how it shakes out.

The NHL Olympics hiatus disrupts the regular season, sure – especially for people like, oh, yeah, me, who has not a single touchstone Washington Capital on Team USA (or Canada, for that matter. Mike Green’s probably all “how ya like me now, EH?”) and dreads a USA/Russia match wherein I will indeed hope that Alex Ovechkin has a bad night. But it is kind of a kick to see national mashups of players who try to beat each other on any given NHL night working together for the win. And quite simply this was great hockey, well played – a fast game without a lot of crazy penalties in a pumped arena. It made me love a game I love even more, and I think if I didn’t already I’d understand why people do.

USA  now heads straight from these preliminary games to the quarterfinals, while Canada’s loss means they have to play Germany in a classification game tomorrow to advance. And if they win, which they are likely to do? They play Russia. Meaning? Canada’s Sidney Crosby (and usual Pittsburgh Penguin) vs. the aforementioned Ovechkin. In the Olympics.

I’ll just leave it at that for now.

Well played, Team USA. Really.

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Ski Jumping Scandal?

By | February 19, 2010 | Olympics | Comments Off

simon_ammannSki jumping is one of many sports that I only see every four years when it’s featured in the Olympics.  Despite pretty much forgetting that it exists in the interim, unless I happen to play it on the Wii Fit, I’m always enthralled by it and it’s one of my favorite events.

I didn’t think there was really much room for scandal in ski jumping. You sit at the top, go really fast down the hill, jump, lean forward at a freakish angle while birds look UP at you and say, “Holy *&^),” then land gracefully. Repeat. But, alas, there is a ski jumping scandal afoot.

Apparently, Austria and Switzerland are BIG ski jumping rivals. And the Austrian team isn’t quite sure that Swiss ski jumper Simon Ammann earned his gold medal last Saturday in an honest manner. They informed the International Ski Federation that they suspect Ammann is using improper bindings on his skis, which allow him to be flatter in the air and therefore go much farther. The bindings are also generally considered unsafe.

The Austrian team informed the ISF and the Associate Press that if Ammann does not change his bindings for tomorrow’s event, they will protest the results. Well, they’ll protest if he beats an Austrian, that is.

NBC has the full story and video of Ammann’s gold medal run. Take a look. What do you think? Something not right there?

Drunk on Women’s Hockey

By | February 17, 2010 | Hockey, Olympics, Women's Sports | Comments Off

Two periods into the USA v. Russia women’s hockey matchup (I’m assuming this will be the only one), I have a few observations to add to my post from Saturday:

  • OMGSOMUCHWOMENSHOCKEY!!1!!!11!!1 It’s so awesome, I kinda can’t believe it.
  • The US team is just as dominant as Canada, but it feels like they pulled up a bit in their 12-1 win over China. Luckily Russia hasn’t completely given up in this game, so the US hasn’t slowed up as much. Their scoring does seem almost lazy at this point, though; like, “oh, deflection into the net. OK.”
  • The reason Cammie Granato seems more relaxed doing off-camera color commentary during play than doing on-camera commentary between periods? It’s not Cammie Granato. That’s A.J. Mleczko doing the game color commentary. I’m glad I finally figured that out.
  • I hope we see Erica Lawler again in the medal rounds. She sat this game out after a full-speed crash into the boards in the game against China.
  • TWO HAT TRICKS FOR JENNY POTTER. (Did I mention that she and I have something in common? Yep, we’re both the only moms on our respective hockey teams.)
Jenny Potter (Photo by Tyler Ingram)

Photo by Tyler Ingram

  • I did end up watching the Canada-Switzerland game, and I’m glad I did. Switzerland played much better than they did against Sweden in their opener, in my opinion.
  • I can’t wait until the rest of the world starts investing in their women’s hockey programs the way the US and Canada do. A.J. mentioned a couple times during the China game that there are a billion people in China, and only 166 registered women hockey players, and Slovakia goalie Zuzana Tomcikova rightly pointed out that when ice hockey was first added as an Olympic sport back in the 1920s, Canada regularly beat opponents 20 or 30 to 0. The rest of the world eventually caught up in the men’s game, and I look forward to the day that happens in the women’s game.

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