The Games of Sochi

As we near the end of Week One, what is our take-away from the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi? Other than the breathtaking opening ceremonies? (And the Yanks’ somewhat slow start in these 2014 games).

So far, the Sochi coverage has been dominated by:

• Sports that will move the ratings needle in the U.S.
• News of the warm weather in southern Russia
• Bob Costas’ unfortunate case of pink eye

We can set aside any in-depth analysis of the second two points. I’d like to take a moment to come back to the first thought.

American audiences tend to flock to certain sports. So, there will always be a pronounced spotlight, for example, on figure skating. Some of the so-called extreme sports – slopestyle, halfpipe, you get the drill – are also quite popular, so we’ll get a heaping helping of those as well.

We also see traditional favorites, from time to time, such as Alpine skiing and ski jumping.

Americans won’t receive much biathlon coverage. And don’t expect laser-like focus on cross-country skiing either. Curling, despite the recent fascination, hasn’t yet broken into the primetime repertoire. And I expect that if I want to spend a lot of time watching ice hockey – my favorite selection – I’ll be looking to the “NBC family of networks.” (i.e cable).

Maybe we’ll get more hockey during the medal rounds?

When we chatted about The Sochi Games with Holly over the weekend, she told us about the banter with her Canadian counterpart (he says Canadians take this Olympic stuff fairly seriously).

Also, we compared notes about the French coverage compared to what she is used to seeing on American tv. For one thing, she said, the coverage is broader (she watched some biathlon action just the other day). She says the French commentators are more partisan in their approach…and somewhat more demonstrative.

That’s hard for me to imagine, especially when I heard some of the dramatic U.S. commentary during the weekend figure skating action. Or when someone wipes out on the slopes.

For me, the takeaway is this: I’m not nearly as much of a fan of the winter games compared to the summer olympics.  Maybe that is because I prefer those types of sports? Perhaps the reason is because the summer time is a little less hectic and you can afford the time to tune in and really watch.

OR it could date to 1996, when Lisa and I were privileged enough to be able to attend the Games of the XXVI Olympiad – the Atlanta Games – in person.

In any case, winter or summer, it is nice to have the Olympics around for a while; a nice diversion in this ongoing cold winter. It’s good to cheer on our American athletes and see the breathtaking countryside in which they are competing.

And, for NBC, I’m sure the games is a nice boost during February sweeps. With that in mind, I predict you’ll see more skating in the days to come!

JG

Originally posted 2/11/2014