The RoCHUS Olympics

So, the Olympics. I was initially excited about the Olympics (unlike my friend here). And seeing that several channels had coverage basically making it possible to watch 24 hours a day got me excited. I thought that maybe this time they would show some sports other than gymnastics, swimming, and track and field. And they did (do).

BUT. And this is a big BUT. It appears that the only teams in this Olympics are the USA and China. Which is shocking, since there are about 200 countries in the world and I'm pretty sure that at least a few of them sent athletes to the Olympics. Or China used those 15,000 people in the opening ceremonies to dress up as Australians, Russians, Monacoans, Germans, etc. Which I wouldn't put it past them to do.

Anyway, I'm starting to get incensed with NBC and it's affiliates. I thought at first I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe China threatened to shoot them if they showed anybody but China and the USA. (That's a little mean, I know.) But then I just started to get angry.

What tipped the scales for me? The men's gymnastics team all-around finals last night. While at one point the French were leading and China was 5th, we were stuck at home watching Yang Wei pace while the judges worked really hard to rewind the video of his routine and go through it again in slow motion, to make sure they took all of the deductions off (another story completely, but just as angering). We were stuck staring at Jonathan Horton give his buddies high fives after sticking a routine. Then 5 minutes later, after watching him sit down and scratch his butt, we got to see his surprisingly low score.

It is interesting that Japan came in second, because they only had 1 person competing for their team apparently. I saw one guy do one vault. Amazing that he could carry his country to 2nd place all on his own. And what of France, who were leading at one point (although eventually came in last)??? Where were they? The Russians? The Germans - who were actually in the USA's rotation??

WHAT THE HECK!?! I'm thoroughly disappointed by NBC's coverage and their ridiculous feel good stories about who knows what. Isn't the Olympics supposed to be a feel good story itself - where athletes from all over the WORLD get to compete at the highest level in the world, when otherwise they have less opportunity than athletic powerhouses like the US and China?? Frankly, I now want all US and Chinese teams to lose. So we can watch someone else. Call me unpatriotic. I don't care. There are other people in this world who work just as hard, even harder, and overcome more obstacles than the Chinese, and definitely the Americans, to get to this event.