Is NBC Aware Non-Americans Are Competing At The Olympics?

by Glynnis MacNicol | 10:39 am, February 22nd, 2010

» 18 comments

You know for an Olympics Games that very few people were supposed to be interested in watching NBC’s coverage Vancouver 2010 is getting a whole lot of attention. And a whole lot of complaints! Has NBC done anything right where the Olympics are concerned? Um…nothing pops to mind but we’re certainly open to suggestions.

In the meantime, add American chauvinism to a list of grievances that include time delayed broadcasting, pathetic Internet coverage, and the idiotic decision to put last night’s USA vs. Canada hockey game on MSNBC instead of NBC. And now this, dare we say scathing, piece from the NYT‘s Alessandra Stanley:

At a time when American athletes are amassing record numbers of medals, and NBC is drawing an impressive number of viewers, sports fans couldn’t ask for more fulsome, pro-American coverage — they could ask for a little less. NBC anchors, including those paid by the news division, glom onto the glamour and reflected glory of winsome champions, as per Matt Lauer’s no-boundaries embrace of the skier Lindsey Vonn on “Today” after she won the downhill race. He draped a chocolate gold medal around her neck, gave her flowers (“just because we adore you”) and hugged her tight (“we are so proud of you”) — as if he and Meredith Vieira had spent the last 15 years rising at dawn to drive her to training.

All nations give special, fawning attention to their own teams. But NBC commentators seem so wedded to script — and prepackaged gauzy biographies — that they act as if any deviance from the party-hearty line will somehow appear unpatriotic.

And this, which I think actually gets to the heart of the problem.

NBC has been so intent on fellowship and the thrill of victory that it has neglected the thrill of an agonizing defeat, namely Russia’s. NBC paid only cursory attention to Russian bitterness over Yevgeny Plushenko losing the gold medal to the American Evan Lysacek, even after the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin weighed in with neo-cold-war disdain. The 2014 games are to be held in Sochi, a Black Sea resort, and Russia will be the host. For viewers seeking an international playing field, CNN may be a better bet.

Youch! Here’s the thing. Stanley is of course right (and she’s apparently not the only one complaining), NBC’s coverage is very ‘rah, rah America.’ However, as someone who grew up on both Canadian and American coverage of international sporting events I can tell you this is not a new phenomenon: American coverage has always been like this. Something, Americans who grew up near enough to the Canadian border to get CBC or CTV coverage can also attest to.

I suspect that if the uber-patriotic tone of NBC’s broadcasts is getting special notice this time around it has more to do with viewers’ ability to tune into a wide variety of coverage and voices via the Internet than it does with a change in tone. The Internet has simply made everyone more internationally savvy and more sensitive to its lack…except for NBC, who may or may not be aware the Internet actually exists as it relates to the Olympics.

Alessandra Stanley, CBC, CTV, Matt Lauer, NBC, New York Times, Oh Canada, Vancouver Olympics 2010

AikidoJoe

So an American TV channel covering the Olympics for an American audience is being too pro-American? Please. Go bitch about something else. I sure hope countries around the world aren’t being too patriotic in their coverage and not devoting too much time to their respective athletes. This whole piece is just stupid.
http://www.abramsresearch.com/ Dan Abrams

I don’t know why an American network can’t be “pro-American” when covering the Olympics? Its sports coverage not news. Do we get upset at Obama when he roots for his hometown sports teams? Of course not and he is supposed to represent all Americans. Its just sports. Now I need to figure out how to get more pro-American coverage on Mediaite! USA!
Facebook User

The NBC coverage has been so Pro-American that the Russian hockey game was on NBC and the USA Canada game was relegated to their cable channel…
http://www.facebook.com/people/Cary-Skelton/555336753 Cary Skelton

I agree with you Dan Abrams and AikidoJoe. We are afterall…American! I’m pretty sure all of the other countries in the Olympics are doing the exact same with their coverage. Why are people so upset to see patriotism for their own country? Shouldn’t you be proud? I mean look at us, we’re dominating anyways! I’ll have to try and help you get more pro-American coverage for Mediaite, Dan. Let’s go, USA!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Jones/1384303476 Chris Jones

An American TV network promoting America during the Olympics? The bastards. This is so typical of the left. Patriotism to a leftist is like garlic to a vampire.
ImNotBlue

Dan Abrams says:
February 22, 2010 at 12:30 pm

Now I need to figure out how to get more pro-American coverage on Mediaite!

You could start by firing half of your editors…

…and then the other half.
http://www.abramsresearch.com/ Dan Abrams

@Chris Jones. . . its so typical of . ..well.. . in this case not the left but a Canadian!
Glynnis MacNicol

Is Alessandra Stanley Canadian? She’s the one who has the problem with it. My point is that this is not a new thing, American coverage has always been like this. As I say, if people happen to be more aware of it this year it may have more to do the “wide variety of coverage and voices via the Internet” than anything else.
libra blue

A little off topic here, but what bothers me about these games is that so many athletes just change citizenship to be able to compete in the Olympics. They don’t have any sense of national pride. It is ridiculous to be proud of someone who changed loyalties just to compete. How can the citizens of that country be proud of those “victories”?

There should be some rules about this.
txvoodoo

I agree with this. I’m a fan of ice skating and dancing, and NBC consistenly has been sparse in showing non-US competitors unless they’re in medal contention, yet the show US skaters who have no shot in hell of getting a medal. In a sport that uses both objective and subjective criteria in its judging, it helps a lot ot see the whole field so that you can have a good reference for comparison.
txvoodoo

@Cary Skelton – fyi?I have been watching some coverage from other nations (if you can, find Eurosport channel online) – they’ve been showing ALL the events and contestants. NBCU has many channels which aren’t being used at all – heck, put the prelims of ice skating on Bravo, it’s a natural fit! Put some Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo!
kit9

‘NBC paid only cursory attention to Russian bitterness over Yevgeny Plushenko losing the gold medal to the American Evan Lysacek, even after the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin weighed in with neo-cold-war disdain.’

This is flatly false. NBC repeatedly talked about Russian outrage and repeatedly and SPECIFICALLY mentioned Putin’ comments. I saw Lycacek grilled about it three times and they had a panel discussing it including Scott Hamilton and Dick Button. Sloppy sloppy reporting from Stanley.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kathy-Kitt/628413749 Kathy Kitt

This sound like they’re reaching for things to bitch about. Of course NBC is rooting for the home team. I was born in Buffalo and root for all the teams from Buffalo. My brother, who was also born in Buffalo, roots for the Rams; that makes no sense. Go Mediaite!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Cary-Skelton/555336753 Cary Skelton

@Kathy Kitt – Go Bills! :) ‘Nuff said.
glmoring

This is so untrue. The coverage favors Canada. One night I was watching the U.S. curling team play, and the announcer starting talking about the Canadian curling team and then the Canadian hockey team. After 30 minutes had gone by, they finally got back to the U.S. game. Also, It seems as if the Canadian hockey team is the only team that matters to team. They all said the Canadian team was so much better then everyone else. When the U.S. beat them they said it was the biggest upset since 1980…WRONG!! The U.S. pros were playing the Canadian pros, and the U.S, pros were just better that night..Get over it!!!!

When I was U.S. television, I want to hear about the U.S. teams, NOT about other countries. Sorry, if Canadian television talked about the U.S. teams 24/7, The Canadians would be pissed.

GIVE US BACK OUR U.S TELEVISION…PLEASE!!!!!!
giussepina

Wow, when I watch the Olympics, I really enjoy learning about other nations and their athletes and customs. My favorite story from Vancouver has been the Slovenian cross-country skier who broke four ribs in a training-run spill, decided to compete anyway, and won a bronze. It seemed like a natural American television story: an athlete from a country of one million people, competing through pain and adversity to get to the podium – but I never saw it on American television.
badr

Does NBC realize USA is #1?
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