Olympics withdrawal

The dust from the London Olympics is settling and I realized last night that I had to find new programming--whether DVRed or real-time--to fill the void left by the nightly tune-ins to Bob Costas and his merry band of NBC reporters.  And, I'm already missing the nightly tape-delayed drama.

These Olympics, in our Twitter world, raised controversy given that there was no shortage of outlets for discovering the results even though NBC insisted on keeping those results secret until the night-time coverage.   Yes, a Today Show promo did spoil at least one such event but, for the most part, the network was steadfast in its desire to keep the plot lines thick.  While the Twitter-verse came up with #NBCfail as a result (this generation's "-gate" nomenclature), viewers still tuned in to the Peacock in record numbers.

Let's look at some winners and losers of these Olympics, shall we?

Loser:  Rowdy Gaines' insistent outdoor voice broadcasting of swimming got old quick.  He turned a very capable broadcaster, Dan Hicks, into his wing man with the constant "ohh's" and other exhaled sentiments which were delivered at octaves well above what was comfortable for we viewers.

Winner:  The biggest winner of these Games had to be U.S. swimmer Missy Franklin.  Franklin has the innocent teenage exuberance that is endearing coupled with articulate, well-grounded observations about her successes.  Her interview in the studio with Costas was one of the great moments of NBC's coverage.

Loser:  Let's to back to the Aquatic Center for this one.  Andrea Kremer, why did you insist on asking questions which re-stated just what the swimmers said?  Kremer's post-swim interviews were, in a word, awful.

Winners:  In addition to Franklin, these U.S. athletes excelled in their respective sports and stand to profit greatly from these games:  Michael Phelps; Ryan Lochte; Gabby Douglas; Hope Solo; the breakout star of U.S. Womens Soccer, Alex Morgan; and Kerri Walsh Jennings.

Loser:  The U.S. Mens Gymnastics team was built up with expectations which did not mesh with the teams' performance in London.  There were many heartwarming stories, and winning personalities, on this team so let's not classify this a "loser" but a "disappointment."

Winner:  Best name--Destiny Hooker.  Hooker, the U.S. Womens Volleyball star, not only has a cool name but looks like she stepped out of a fashion magazine.

Loser:  Tim Daggett and Elfi Shlegel redefined the word "melodramatic."  The two Gymnastics announcers, with cohort Al Trautwig, too often proclaimed a winner before events even began, forgetting that favorites don't often win.

Winner:  The gold medal U.S. Womens Soccer team gave us some of the best theater in these Games--the shootout win over Canada in the semi-final match and then the win over Japan in the final, avenging their loss in the World Cup final in 2011.

Loser:  The addition of John McEnroe to NBC's announcer lineup was a head-scratcher.  Mac is a terrific color commentator on tennis but a lifestyle correspondent/interviewer he is not.

Winner:  There were many stars of NBC's coverage but none was bigger than Costas.  Costas is, simply put, a pro and was built to anchor an event like the Olympics.  His wit and interviewing skills are on full display in this type of venue and he's a welcoming presence each night for an event which spans 17 days.  Let's also give a shout-out to Mary Carrillo who complemented Costas with plenty of engaging set pieces about London and the Games.

Loser:  The closing ceremonies.  The opening ceremonies were odd, quirky and thus typically British, but the ending event was a mash-up of weirdness and too much emphasis on the marginal in British music.  And, NBC's decision to air an episode of their new comedy, Animal Practice, before showing the "closing party" with The Who was just plain wrong.

Winner:  London.  NBC made this three-time Olympic host city look incredibly lovely with plenty of beauty shots.