Draconator Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 http://www.nbcolympics.com/speedskating/51...html?qs=pt=espn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 It's amazing that I have managed to not go one day without having one prime-time event "spoiled." Mostly by news agencies (funny that I stopped reading CNN due to the spoilers, but then went over to MSNBC and sure enough...they had spoiler article titles on the front page too...). I guess I'll have to stop coming here until after the games as well... I know it's my fault for watching the stuff in 'prime time,' instead of turning the antenna and watching most of it live on CBC, but I don't have OTA TIVO, and that's the only way I'm even watching the prime-time stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 There's a reason the Olympics is getting killed by American Idol and other tripe. It's because you can get the results well before the events air in the evening. And as you said, it's almost impossible to avoid hearing about them, when they occur 5 hours earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 There's a reason the Olympics is getting killed by American Idol and other tripe. It's because you can get the results well before the events air in the evening. And as you said, it's almost impossible to avoid hearing about them, when they occur 5 hours earlier. 606440[/snapback] Well, it's getting killed because Americans aren't sweeping all the events, and a number of "bad" things happened early on (the worst from a ratings perspective being Kwan dropping out, then the Americans generally being "slow out of the gate"). And tell me what events are going on at 3am that can be shown live in Prime Time? It's kind of a Catch-22: don't tape delay and you'll have nothing when most people watch...And of course the "shrouded" at best advertising goes without saying. I know they were expecting 12-14 average ratings over the Olympics and last I knew they were still falling in that range... I'm going to watch any way, it just takes away from the excitement a little. What really killed me was the men's snowboard-cross results, because even knowing who won I was still kinda at the edge of my seat...just would have been a little more fun not knowing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 Well, it's getting killed because Americans aren't sweeping all the events, and a number of "bad" things happened early on (the worst from a ratings perspective being Kwan dropping out, then the Americans generally being "slow out of the gate"). And tell me what events are going on at 3am that can be shown live in Prime Time? It's kind of a Catch-22: don't tape delay and you'll have nothing when most people watch...I'm going to watch any way, it just takes away from the excitement a little. What really killed me was the men's snowboard-cross results, because even knowing who won I was still kinda at the edge of my seat...just would have been a little more fun not knowing... Same here. And my point was that it's almost impossible to not hear about the results before they happen, and that, along with the U.S. not medalling in all the events, is the main reason the ratings are suffering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet baboo Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 what the hell is shani davis' problem? he was such a dick in melissa stark's interview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 Thank God...Bryant Gumbel can finally rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 Well at least the original poster didn't say who on the American team won gold and silver... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buford T. Justice Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 what the hell is shani davis' problem? he was such a dick in melissa stark's interview 606616[/snapback] He's skating for himself, not for his country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 I guess there really IS an "I" in Shani Davis. What a tool. I hope Hedrick wins gold in the 1500 and Davis comes in 2nd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 I guess there really IS an "I" in Shani Davis. What a tool. I hope Hedrick wins gold in the 1500 and Davis comes in 2nd. 606715[/snapback] That result would make me very happy. What does it say about a guy who trains for years, finally wins a gold olympic medal, and he feels no joy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 That result would make me very happy. Actually I'd like some other American skater to win silver and Davis to win bronze, but I don't know if Cheek, ro someone else, is going to race, much less be a medal contender. What does it say about a guy who trains for years, finally wins a gold olympic medal, and he feels no joy? It means little money in endorsements. Good job, Shani! You've got a gold medal but made yourself unpalatable to Americans, off of whom you COULD have made good money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millbank Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 here is some more, just one article but< "I'm very impressed with Joey Cheek winning the silver and becoming a double-medalist for the U.S.,'' she said. I asked again about Davis. After all, hadn't he been the only male youngster in Hyde Park wearing a Bonnie Blair sweatshirt in the '90s? Wasn't she an inspiration for him? "I'm not allowed to talk about him,'' Blair said. "His mother sent me an e-mail and told me not to talk about him. So I can't talk about him.'' Why? "I have no idea,'' Blair said. "If you can figure it out, let me know. I've never said a bad word about him. Joey Cheek was great.'' Even on his proudest day, the one that made 17 years of hard work and racial slurs worth the pain, Davis couldn't escape the tumult that has made his rise so bittersweet. The story always spins back to his fiercely protective mother, Cherie, who is waging war against the speedskating world (and the world in general) and has let her battles unfairly harm her son's reputation. Shani Davis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 "He could have skated both. He's strong enough. I've seen him do six races in three days,'' said Davis' friend, bronze medalist Erben Wennemars of the Netherlands Look for another addition to mama Davis' e-mail shitlist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet baboo Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Thank God...Bryant Gumbel can finally rest. 606652[/snapback] you mean for this? Bryant Gumbel, who currently hosts a show on HBO called Real Sports, has concluded that the Winter Olympics events are not real sports at all. During the former Today show host's commentary on the HBO program, Gumbel remarked that he never watches them and pointed out that the ancient Greeks never heard of skating or skiing. "So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention," Gumbel commented. "And try to blot out all logic when announcers and sports writers pretend to care about the luge, the skeleton, the biathlon and all those other events they don't understand and totally ignore for all but three weeks every four years. Face it, these Olympics are little more than a marketing plan to fill space and sell time during the dreary days of February." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 you mean for this? 606972[/snapback] Who would've thought that back in 1924, they would've foreseen the necessity of selling TV time between the Super Bowl and the NCAA basketball tourney? (Neither of which existed at the time, of course... just like commercial television. Not that that's stopping Gumbel.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Thank God...Bryant Gumbel can finally rest. 606652[/snapback] Bryant Gumbel is a colossal tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draconator Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 "I'm not allowed to talk about him,'' Blair said. "His mother sent me an e-mail and told me not to talk about him. So I can't talk about him.'' Why? "I have no idea,'' Blair said. "If you can figure it out, let me know. I've never said a bad word about him. Joey Cheek was great.'' Even on his proudest day, the one that made 17 years of hard work and racial slurs worth the pain, Davis couldn't escape the tumult that has made his rise so bittersweet. The story always spins back to his fiercely protective mother, Cherie, who is waging war against the speedskating world (and the world in general) and has let her battles unfairly harm her son's reputation. Shani Davis 606826[/snapback] Maybe, a clue? From this link. Shani Davis is an unlikely speed skater. Born in Chicago, Davis was an avid roller skater before being introduced to the sport at the age of six. His mother, Cherie Davis, worked as a legal secretary for Fred Benjamin, who is now president of U.S Speed skating. She knew of Benjamin's participation in the sport and asked one day about getting her son involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draconator Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 Well at least the original poster didn't say who on the American team won gold and silver... 606653[/snapback] Because I care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Who would've thought that back in 1924, they would've foreseen the necessity of selling TV time between the Super Bowl and the NCAA basketball tourney? (Neither of which existed at the time, of course... just like commercial television. Not that that's stopping Gumbel.) 606986[/snapback] Yeah, and that's besides the fact that it's up to American Sports Journalism to validate the existence of something as a sport. So they take a break away from important sports like poker and competitive eating for three weeks... Nevermind that there are world cup circuits in all of these sports, and in many countries the top participants in these "non-sports" are superstars in their home countries before they even go to the Olympics... Probably fell off the T-Bar the one time he tried going skiing... On the subject, I saw Shani's post-medal interview and he actually smiled...once. Also noted that NBC sent a black journalist to do the interview... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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