<p>I used to love watching the medals ceremonies and listening to all the different national anthems. Now it feels like they only show it if an American won…(or, this year, dont show it at all).</p>
<p>I love the Star Spangled Banner and all, but I feel a little manipulated, especially when they ZOOM in on the eyes, hoping that someone tears up…</p>
<p>I believe the medal ceremonies are being handled differently in these Olympics. Instead of holding them right after the event, in the venue where the event happened, they are happening the next day, in a different place. So if NBC were to broadcast the ceremonies, they would be showing them a day after they showed the footage of the actual sporting event. It’s a stupid change, if you ask me – if I’m at the skating arena and just saw Charlie Davis and Meryl White win the gold in ice dancing, I’d sure want to also see them get the medals and hear the anthem. </p>
<p>ETA: And I’m sure this change did not come from NBC. I think they like showing the ceremonies.</p>
<p>I recall other Olympics were most of the medal ceremonies were held in one place, too - but at least at the end of the day the event took place. And when the skiing venues were far from the village they were usually held at that venue. Also, skating was always held at the rink. Don’t know where skaking ceremony has been held in Sochi because I haven’t seen any of those! </p>
<p>Ski cross and snowboard cross are the auto-racing of the winter Olympics.</p>
<p>It’s boring if there isn’t a crash or wipeout of some sort.</p>
<p>If you think it is getting too much like the X-games, you can blame NBC’s coverage. There are lots of events that get minimal coverage that are rabidly followed in other countries.</p>
<p>NBC is trying to please the American tv audience. Which event shows better in prime time, snowboarders flying through the air or curlers swishing brooms down the ice? Being retired, I can watch the daytime coverage and there was lots of coverage of curling. My biggest problem with the tv coverage is due to the time difference. Unless you turn off the computer, radio, and tv during the day and stay at home so you don’t hear people discussing outcomes, prime time is rather anti-climatic. Today I watched the women’s slalom on my iPad and had my heart racing as if I were skiing it myself. The other ski races I had heard the outcomes before they were shown. They did seem to show a lot of the different biathlons even though the Americans weren’t favored.</p>
<p>Being an Olympics fan going all the way back to at least 1968, I appreciate the increased coverage available now with at least 4 different channels and streaming video.</p>
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That still is the gold standard for me, although I did enjoy Davis and White. When the score for Davis and White was shown, the announcers exclaimed over the highest ice dancing score ever. I turned to DH and asked, “How about ten 6’s? Wouldn’t that be the highest ever?”</p>