It was in the qualifying round, so no medal was directly at stake. But it was pure sport, and I couldn't leave my seat. Actually, I was in bed. I required no commentator intoning through misty eyes about the water polo star who had the sick sister in the stands, the father who'd sacrificed, the childhood disease which no one thought she'd survive. We just watched the action, and whether NBC believes it or not, that's what about 98 percent of his viewers want, too.
Life is tough.
We all know that. We tune into the Olympics for something grander than a maudlin story line. Now kindly wipe the Vaseline off that lens and show us the goddamn games, live, 24-hours a day if possible. Package the three hours of prime time if you must, replay to your heart's content, but give us the wondrous spectacle that is the one and only human event that can capture the eyes of the world when it isn't at war. Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel.