Beijing 2008 Olympics!

Thanks for clairifying the year. I was just in grade school then, so I do not remember it as making America look bad. I thought of it as just another example of radicals who were creating havoc all over the country and making my childhood so depressing. It really upset me. I wanted to cheer for these guys, but I hated threir total lack of respect for our country. My immigrant grandparents were telling me to be proud to be American, and people were burning and shooting. I do not want to turn this into a politcal thread but these guys were following the example of the radical muslim brotherhood, not the peaceful movement of MLK. Thankfully, we have come a long way since then. I truly hope that we will have a black president someday. I just hope it is someone who is qualified in this dangerous world.

Did anybody see Rebecca Soni win 200m breaststroke gold last night?  I was shouting, it was so exciting!  She set a new world record, and beat defending champ Leisel Jones by 1.83 seconds.  It was just so awesome to see her pouring it on in the last 25 meters!

Yeah, I had a real shock last night when I (briefly) thought this weekend was the closing weekend of this year's Olympics.  When that happens, I go through a sort of withdrawal.

Anyway, not to worry--there are still lots of events left.  And, yes, they're not just on the main NBC network.  They're also on MSNBC, CNBC, USA, and even Oxygen.  All I could find on CNBC was boxing, which I refuse to watch.  The other networks have had some good stuff.

Don't tell anyone, 'cause it is probably considered sacrilegious, but I'm glad Michael Phelps swam his last race tonight ... he did, didn't he?  I am glad he won 8 golds, even though I was glued to the TV when Mark Spitz won his 7 golds and I think Spitz was (and still is) better-looking.  I happen to like guys with dark hair and moustaches. 

OMG, it's almost midnight, and the Olympic coverage just came back on again, after the evening news.  Gotta go!

otter 

Watching it all here in Australia as well and really enjoying it..even if America is giving us Aussies a bit of a caning (well we DO have a small population) !

jezza

There were a few more races tonight, Felicia.  And, yes, tonight is the last night for artistic gymnastics.  They will show the finals of the rythmic in a couple of days.  I would think track and field would be big over the next few days, but who knows...

I hope so or somebody at NBC could be sorry...lol...

Felicia, you can come to my house and we can all stomp around and hrumph together about the pathetic NBC coverage.  My dh was really p*ssed that there were gold medals in shooting and sailing and who-knows-what-else ('cause we won't find out), but none of it was shown on NBC.  At least, it wasn't shown when most people in the western hemisphere were awake and functioning.

Yesterday (I think) there was brief coverage of the "modern pentathlon".  The U.S. woman did not do very well in the final standings, because she was last in the fencing competition.  But, otherwise she did a respectable job, placing 1st in the swimming and equestrian competition.  That was it, though--they only showed her competing, and maybe they accidentally included one other woman.  The U.S. competitor had been disappointed that she couldn't get any sponsorship.  That's no surprise, considering the lack of coverage and attention to her sport.

One of the nicest Olympics-related programs I saw was on the New York NBC affiliate station this morning.  LXTV had a program called, "My 1st Time:  2008 Summer Olympic Games."  The program highlighted 3 U.S. athletes who were competing in the Olympics for their first time this year.  One was on the U.S. field hockey team; another was competing in fencing; and the third was in the 50-meter 3-position rifle competition.  The show was very touching and informative.  They talked about things I'd never imagined, like the pre-Olympics qualifying meets, and how the athletes get all the gear and clothing they'll need in Beijing, and the transportation arrangements from the U.S. to China.  Very nice.

Well, it's almost over, and there was so much we never got to watch.  But, we sure got to see a lot of skin on the beach volleyball court!  I guess that, plus women's gymnastics, and anything involving Michael Phelps, is what most viewers wanted to watch.  Every 4 years my dh complains that there really ought to be 2 different networks covering the Olympics.  Not just one, with a monopoly on coverage.  This year, NBC showed stuff on Oxygen, USA, MSNBC, and CNBC, but only after-hours.  During prime time, coverage was restricted to the single NBC affiliate's channel, and most of the air time was spent with interviews and personal interest stories.

Sorry.  This is so bitchy, it should probably be on Traci's thread.

otter 

Boo...and just now that I've gotten used to staying up until 12 or 12:30 AM!!  Now I have to readjust for "back to school".

Maybe I didn't stay up for it, but I never saw any of the athletes out and about --except a few still photos at the great wall.  the coverage was so restricted---only on the morning shows did I see Anyone, out and about.  I have a feeling that china didn't allow much access to the athletes or general areas of the country. 

I agree with 2 having coverage would a big help as well.  I missed the ones that were not covered and disliked the ones OVERcovered!  Kinda became a soap opera with only the major players being available.