sharks and cheetahs

It’s like going from watching a bunch of sharks to watching a bunch of cheetahs. There are some thirty-two sports in the Olympics. NBC has shown roughly about two so far. Yes, swimming during the Olympics is one of the coolest things to watch. And yes, Phelps is pretty much the man. But, I also can’t help but blame NBC for going way overboard on Phelps’ “quest” for eight golds and how much they have missed by showing too much coverage of him. Granted, he will go down in history as one of the greatest Olympians of all time so it is great to be able to see and experience that as it happens. However, in the midst of it, NBC has overlooked the rest of the swimmers. This is a shame, because they are some of the greatest athletes in the world as well. The other sport that has been concentrated on – gymnastics.

What about the other sports? If we are speaking about the U.S.A. in general what about the sweep in women’s individual saber? If we look at the Olympics as a whole, why haven’t we seen great coverage of kayaking or equestrian? If we can become so interested in obscure sports such as gymnastics and swimming why not kayaking or other sports?

It doesn’t really matter. Swimming is just about over. The sharks are about done and the cheetahs begin their hunt. Track and field sets the tone for the second half of the Olympics. Some of the fastest and most gifted people will compete this week. I find special interest in track and field because I’ve competed in many of the events and have at least tried many of the others. Well, maybe except javelin. They never would let a high schooler within a hundred feet of one of those.

I’m sure NBC will be showing a little more of different sports. As the “less interesting” preliminaries finish and we move on to finals they will begin to show more of soccer, tennis, and basketball. It’s just a shame that we had to miss some pretty cool sports and will miss some more.