My Olympic Gripe

Like many people, I have spent way too many hours watching the Olympics over the past two weeks. I know NBC was going for the “Media Gold” with the broadcast; but their attempt to cover more, make it flashier, deliver quick sound bites, etc. left me cold. They have eliminated so much of the human element. I wonder where their research was on this. I can’t believe I am the only one that misses it. For example…

• They rarely showed the medal ceremony for any events or athletes. In years past, this was always part of our household’s favorite part of the broadcast. It gave you a chance to see the emotions of the athletes. It helped build your respect for their accomplishments.
  


• My second point uncovers my inner research nerd. Why have they stopped showing individual judge scores for competition such as gymnastics or diving? It was always exciting to watch the returns build as each judge voted. And of course there was always the controversy over whether a judge may be holding any biases. Now, you don’t see the judges and have no idea what countries they are from.
  


• Finally, the closing ceremony was spectacular. I doubt if another country will top that in a long time. But the athletes were an afterthought, almost treated as a nuisance to the performance. There were no close-ups on the athletes. We didn’t get to see the camaraderie that has built over the past weeks – among team mates and across countries. We didn’t see that enemies can become friends, when they interact one-on-one.
  

I love the Olympics, but please bring back the human element!