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Sunday, August 17, 2008

This probably won't be the last I have to say about the Olympics. Probably. Maybe.

Couple of notes from last night at the Olympics.

First, showing events live on both coasts isn't the only thing the CBC beats NBC over the head with. I watched both networks' coverage of the 1500 meter freestyle, and even though CBC was a complete homer for Ryan Cochrane, they still ran circles around NBC, who took until five minutes into the race (after a commercial break) to mention him. Were it not for the occasional check-ins on the status of Larsen Jensen, I might have thought I was hearing the Australian broadcasters, so focused were they on Grant Hackett. In the process, as they called Hackett's doomed-to-failure chase of ???, they missed a pretty good chase for the bronze.

Second, I was probably the worst track athlete in the world in high school for two years, stumbling to Charlie Brown-like finishes in the most junky heats of the 100 and 200 (the latter of which I only raced in because I needed a second event), but I still consider that enough experience to put my TV analyst cap on regarding the 100. Usain Bolt may have cost himself more than a more unbeatable world record by celebrating several meters short of the finish. He may have made himself some enemies as well.

If other sports like basketball, but especially sports with a lot of tradition (and at over 2500 years, there's no sport with more tradition than track and field), are any indication, there is probably an "old guard" who stands for doing things "the right way", which at least in the eyes of some, usually means "don't have fun". I don't know this for certain, but I'd be shocked if there weren't some people who will say of Bolt, "he's too cocky" - regardless of whether he is or not - "he's too showboating, he let up with 15 meters to go in the 100, he's too Hollywood" - you're nodding your head, Tom, you know what I'm talking about!

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