2012 Summer Olympics

          Nearly every day of the seventeen or so days of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London I watched something. I will admit, most of my dedicated viewing was in the beginning and waned as the second week was reached. This is because many of the events of interest to me were held early on. While I have heard complaints of the tape delay, it did not really bother me. The main reason for this is probably because the sport most important to me, tennis (is anyone surprised by this?), was aired live and even put on its own channel. That was a brilliant decision in my opinion. I had a great time watching tennis in the morning and part of the afternoon, then switching to gymnastics, swimming, and diving at night. Often times I already knew the results of the night events, but that was okay. I still wanted to see how everything happened. One thing I did not like about the tape delay was how little I was able to see of certain things. If an American was not involved, or struggling, the viewers were not allowed to watch. There was a lot of the gymnastics I missed, especially with the men, because it was not aired. Only once out of the entire competition was the rings apparatus shown. Why? I do not know. Also, so often, what I wanted to see was not shown until the end of the broadcast. That is very frustrating as I do have things to do the next day that require me to be awake and not half asleep. This lateness did, however, expose me to events I would not usually seek out such as beach volleyball and track and field events. One day I watched badminton and fencing as I waited for the end of a rain delay so a tennis match could resume. I cannot say I always understood what was going on or how things worked, but the different events were interesting to see. 

          The Olympics started with an Opening Ceremony that I thought was very interesting. I liked the historical and children’s literature pieces. Now, could some of my enjoyment have been because of the appearance of Kenneth Branagh? Mmm, I have to say yes. Even if Mr. Branagh was not part of the festivities I would have really enjoyed the ceremony. Everyone did a very good job, although I must admit, David Beckham on his boat did, in many ways, steal the show. That man definitely has a presence. After the entertainment part of the ceremony, came the entering of the different countries. I always love reading the little details about each country coming in. The two commentators also did a good job with the extra tidbits of information. What I also really liked was how the cauldron was lit by future athletes. It showed there was not any favoritism to past athletes and that while it is important to remember history, the Olympics are truly lit up by the current participants and the future. 

          I was a little puzzled with the Closing Ceremony. It was fun, and I enjoyed watching it, but I was confused by some of the things that were not part of it. The theme was British music, but there was zero mention of Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne, or Adele. These are some big names in music and I was greatly surprised not to see them included somehow. They did not even get a video of them performing as did Freddie Mercury and John Lennon. There also was not a recognition a la the one for David Bowie even though he himself did not perform. Despite these omissions, I did like the concert and thought it was a good way to end the Olympics.
           Sadly, there is one giant complaint I have about the Olympic Games. While Bob Costas did a great job, as always, I cannot say the same for the other commentators and news media. The Olympics are supposed to be about good sportsmanship and unity, and a good percentage of the commentators and news media rejected this spirit and became downright nasty. I do not find it necessary to tear a person down with obvious glee because they lost a race, whether they were the favorite to win or not. It is offensive to say a man does not have the right to wear the colors of his country for the sole reason that a golfer happens to wear one of the colors as well. I am pretty sure the country used the color first and for much longer than the golfer. Humiliating a young athlete in front of the entire world for smashing his tennis racquet, which happens in every tournament throughout the year, is wrong and just plain mean. It is insulting to undermine the First Lady’s intelligence by speaking about her as though she is a child. I believe it is quite two faced to ridicule an athlete during their race and then turn around and act as though nothing negative was said when he/she wins. There is zero point in denying what was said. It is all on tape, providing clear evidence to the contrary. One more thing, can political ads please not be permitted during Olympic broadcasts? Talk about something that does not represent the Olympic ideas of good sportsmanship and unity. Not by a long shot. 

          I think the commentators and news people (minus Mr. Costas) could take a serious lesson from the athletes. There was the runner who won a gold and first ever medal for his country. Even though he was excited about his win, this man made sure to shake the hand of every other participant before he went over and got his flag. Then we were shown the gymnast who excitedly watched, hugged, and congratulated the other performers, even as they did better than he. To the very end he looked excited and happy to just be a part of the event. Also, which some may not have noticed but I did, I witnessed a coach hug a winner who was not his own athlete, or even from his country, as though he was. On top of this, the winner out did the coach’s athlete, but none of that made a difference. Finally, I read about a swimmer who did not win the event that was supposed to be his. Instead of resenting the one who did win, he helped the winner through the medal ceremony as the winner had never been there before. On top of all this is the acknowledgement of the Paralympic Games. I have never seen or heard so much mention of these games, even if most of it was in commercials, but I believe it is about time. These are the things the Olympics are about. Commentators and news media please take note. I hope it is better next time around. In the meantime, I will hold to the belief that the athletes will continue to show what the Olympics are truly about.