But if NBC saw wads of advertising cash in rosy audience projections, it was, perhaps, because they found themselves in a bind of their own making. To make things worse, one of these happened to be the Nike chainsaw ad. A masked serial killer thwarted by a young scantily dressed woman with a low resting heart rate and expensive Nike shoes was just a little glib for many viewers, who duly registered their complaints. NBC dropped the ad, leaving Nike a touch bewildered. Nevertheless, if Olympic ratings continue below what the network promised advertisers, Nike may be able to collect a few freebies in the coming season.
All sport is contrivance, but the triathlon seems more contrived than most.
It is sport as Ian Fleming might have scripted it, indeed I was reminded of more than one James Bond film as I watched them ploughing across Sydney Harbor then legging it to their bikes while clambering out of the dripping swimming gear. The International Olympic Committee might as well add a fourth leg, whereby competitors have to climb into dinner suits and down a Martini.