Sometime yesterday, squeezed in the middle of cleaning some of the house for my in-laws, saying good-bye to the Wife for almost a week, getting Youngest to a birthday party, watching rugby, archery, swimming, gymnastics, cycling, volleyball, and I think something else, making lunch for 4 and dinner for 6, getting Youngest home from a birthday party, doing some laundry and looking at the lawn while thinking, "I should mow that, but it ain't gonna happen for at least a week," I realized that I have failed you, my 5 loyal readers. (Random patting myself on the back side-note, I think I may have to increase that number to 8, maybe even 10, double my previous number of loyal readers. For that, all I can say is thank you. I am honored to have you.)
I have failed you, because I gave you some guidelines for watching the Olympics, but I gave you no real information. Today, we will begin with some real information, before reflecting on quite a lot over the last 36 hours.
First, and most important, the big number. NBC is showing 2,084 hours of Olympics programming on TV. If you had several DVR's, the time and no need at all for human interaction or sleep, and you started watching the Opening ceremonies at 7 pm on August 5, you could finish and still have a few hours to get ready for your Halloween party.
Next, the really big number. Including on-line content, NBC will be showing 6,755 hours of coverage. If you watched all that, with no sleep or human interaction (and ignoring what would definitely be some repeat coverage), you would finish in time to take a shower and go to work on May 13, 2017. Most importantly, you would have only 271 days until the 2018 Winter Olympics start. That's right, if you watched all of the on-line and TV coverage of Brazil 2016, when you finished, you would have less time to wait for Pyeongchang 2018, than you just spent watching the Olympics. That's the dream. I want to live a life where all I do is watch Olympics, until the next Olympics.
Sadly, I need sleep, and I have kids who need human interaction. So I can't live the dream.
Moving on from the numbers, we go to the easy stuff. All Olympics golf will be on The Golf Channel. That was kind of a no brainer. This is more evidence that golf shouldn't be in the Olympics, but we will save that for another day and a lot more space.
Tennis is on Bravo. I guess that is supposed to remind you to say "Bravo" after a particularly good match or shot. Today is a double service for you, valuable information and bad jokes.
NBC shows the marquee events, especially in prime time. That includes diving, for reasons I haven't understood for the last 17 Olympics. (I was there in spirit.) If you want to see gymnastics, swimming, track and field, Keri Walsh-Jennings and any other time a US athlete wins a gold medal, just watch prime time on NBC.
NBCSN is showing other generally higher ratings events. You will get a lot of US team sports, such as the Women's Field Hockey game, Women's basketball game and Men's Basketball game, all today (field hockey may be over). These will be mixed in with other sports, but generally, if you want US Team sports, NBCSN is the place to be. Kind of like lane 3.
USA is showing some random stuff. If you are tired of watching the Women's Road Cycling Race and Archery, and want to try something different, check out USA. Or MSNBC, or CNBC. You can get some good stuff, and these are particularly good places to check out something new or watch the best Water Polo teams, but if you are all about the red, white and blue, these aren't the places for you. (Little known fact about your favorite Olympics blogger, I am a fairly good poet.)
Those are the basics. If you do an internet search for Olympic viewing, you will get enough hits to give you reading material to fill that gap between finishing the coverage and starting to watch the 2018 Winter Olympics.
One other piece of advice. Don't let your spouse go away for a week in the middle of the Olympics. If you have 3 kids. That puts a big dent into available time to watch. Kids are so needy. If you don't have kids, I imagine sending your spouse away for a week makes things a lot better, and easier to follow Guideline #1.
Today's Olympic Story Line - The Refugee Team. I admit I am a couple days behind on this one, but I was moved. One of the loudest cheers during the Parade of Nations was for the Refugee Team, a team of 10 athletes who are competing under the Olympic Flag, because they have no nation and they are refugees. It is likely that you have already heard about the Refugee Team. I was most likely moved by Yusra Mardini, the Syrian swimmer, who helped swim a boat of refugees across the Mediterranean Sea after the motor failed, and we all know my feelings about swimming. However, this is also a time to see a lot of good from the Olympic movement. We have doping and scandals and political unrest in host countries and sewage filled waters and too much money. We also have 10 athletes without a home, getting the chance to live their dream and compete in the Olympics. Regardless of your political leanings, and I make a great effort to keep this non-political, this is a reminder that refugees are people. Real people who were forced from their homes, but still have hopes and dreams, and talents and abilities, just like the rest of us. None of them will win a medal, but they get to compete. And that is what it should really be about. Take a moment to read about these amazing athletes here. Really, take a couple minutes.
Reflections on What Has Happened (Focus for this will be on US sports and medals, but we will touch on other stuff as time permits) -
There is a lot.
1. The Women's Cycling Race was almost identical to the Men's. Two women had a lead going over the last climb (three in the men's race). They looked like they would be the medal winners. Then one of them crashed, in one of the scariest, most painful looking cycling crashes I have ever seen (two cyclists crashed in the men's race.) The one survivor continued alone and looked like she was going to win (just like in the men's race.) Then a group of chasers (two in the men's race, three in the women's race) passed the leader with less than 1000 meters to go (less than 200 meters in the women's race.) Heartbreak for both Mara Abbott and Rafal Majka. At least Majka got the bronze. Abbott was passed by three riders with 200 meters to go and was shut out. I learned less than half the men's field finished the race. I realize you want to make the Olympics Road Race challenging, but things got a little out of hand with the number of crashes.
2. Michael Phelps and the Men's 400 free relay won gold. Really, nothing to say about Phelps except GOAT. His underwater kick off the turn in the second leg was the difference and shows one of many reasons he is the Greatest of All Time. Special nod to Ryan Held and Caeleb Dressel for great swims in their first Olympics finals and pure emotions on the medal stands. And Nathan Adrian for being Mr. Reliable in the anchor spot.
3. Katie Ledecky - I think this girl may have a future in swimming. Congratulations to Leah Smith for earning the bronze and getting almost no mention from anyone for her efforts.
4. The US Women's gymnastics team looks Katie Ledecky-esque.
5. The TV coverage needs to do a better job showing the distance between the shooter and the target in archery. It doesn't look as impressive until you realize they are 70 meters away and about 50% of the world's population couldn't even see the target, much less hit it with an arrow.
6. Do Women's divers gain an advantage by wearing a suit that only covers about 15% of their butt? I only ask because almost all of them do it. I noticed this first while watching some of the US Diving Olympic Trials. (Please note, I don't even like diving and I watched the US Diving Trials. Wow! I have a problem.) As a healthy, heterosexual male, I appreciate the effort, but it seems like it would be distracting to have that much butt hanging out of your suit. Someone, please educate me.
7. Kayak is more fun to watch than I remember.
8. I enjoyed the Opening Ceremonies, but I was frustrated by the commentators. Seriously people, a little follow-up would be nice. If you tell us that Afghanistan's top athlete isn't at the Olympics this year, tell us WHY!! Don't leave us hanging.
9. Brazil's Men's soccer team has scored 0 goals in two games. Maybe the fans are yelling ZIKA at the games to drown out the performance of their men's team.
10. Big debate among some of my friends. What do you like better, indoor or beach volleyball? Discuss among yourselves.
11. I was asked by a friend if he should expect any world records in swimming. I said a few, particularly from Ledecky. Adam Peaty, Katinka Hosszu, Ledecky, Sarah Sjostrom and the Australian Women's 400 Free Relay later, we have five. For those of you counting at home, that is five world records in eight events. I may have undersold it.
12. It seems unfair that Gabby Douglas was the third highest qualifier for the individual all around in gymnastics and can't compete in the finals. If we are that good, let us sweep the medals.
13. I watched a US table tennis match between a US athlete, of Asian descent, and a Spanish athlete, of Asian descent. This isn't doing much to refute stereotypes.
I am missing a ton, but too much already today. Seems a day off was a bad idea.
Predictions Sum Up -
Two days of predictions, plus the things I predicted before last night's finals:
1. Bob Costas does not get an eye infection. So far, so good.
2. NBC goes to commercial right before Latvia enters the stadium. WRONG! The Latvians were not shunned. Plus, NBC has improved the way they do it, so not that important anymore.
3. The opening ceremonies are praised, but not as much as Beijing. Seems to be true.
4. US Men's Water Polo loses to Croatia. Sadly, yes.
5. US is not leading the medal count after tomorrow. Wrong! Thanks, in part to Virginia from Virginia in shooting, the US was tied for the medal lead after Day 1.
1. Women beat France in soccer. Yup!
2. Silver for Women's 4 x 100 free relay. Yup!
3. Gold for Chase Kalisz in 400 IM. WRONG! And he seemed a little too disappointed. See Cody Miller for the proper reaction to winning an Olympic medal of any color.
4. Silver for Maya DiRado in 400 IM. Yup!
5. Silver for Conor Dwyer in 400 free. WRONG! And that was a crushing fall out of the medals.
1. Ledecky, Smith go 1-2 in Women's 400 Free. WRONG! Bronze for Leah Smith.
2. Silver for Vollmer in 100 Fly. WRONG! Bronze. Very impressive and the Wife loves when Mom's win medals.
3. Bronze for Kevin Cordes in 100 breast. WRONG! Cody Miller gets the medal for the US. Cordes gets 4th.
4. Gold for the US in Men's 400 Free Relay. Yup! I did predict that. I thought Anthony Ervin's swim in the prelims looked so good, I had faith we would take a close relay. Turned out to be not that close.
Predictions -
1. US beats Spain in Men's Water Polo.
2. Women's basketball beats Spain by more than 30.
3. Someone continues the Men's US 100 backstroke Gold Medal streak. (I will believe this until I see it not happen.) I am thinking Plummer. Murphy 4th.
4. Kathleen Baker makes it a 100 back sweep for the US (I'm feeling good about backstroke, but expecting to be crushed.)
5. Dwyer medals in the 200 Free.
6. Walsh-Jennings/Ross don't lose a set. Again.
What to Watch for:
1. US Women's Volleyball v. Netherlands. There will be a full volleyball post at some point in the future.
2. Trap Shooting at 3 pm on MSNBC. Another chance to watch something you have never watched before. And will never watch again.
3. Men's Synchronized Diving. How much of the Men's butts are hanging out of their suits? Does this negatively impact their performance?
4. Phelps and Ledecky swimming, but not in finals. Interesting finals looming tomorrow.
5. My Insiders are hard at work, so I should have some interesting things as this journey continues.
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