The London 2012 Summer Olympics opens this coming Friday. That is something like two days from now.
This morning I was reminded, by a blog comment, of a blogging I wrote way back on April 22, 2008, titled Boycotting the Beijing Olympics.
That above mentioned blog comment...
Michael Robinson has left a new comment on your post "Boycotting the Beijing Olympics":
Thank you. Now I have something to link when someone asks me why I don't watch the Olympics. I looked forward to the 2008 opening ceremonies for years and this guy ruined it.
I had a pretty good idea what had me in boycott mode over 4 years ago, even before I re-read what I wrote.
Bob Costas.
I was boycotting Bob Costas and his non-stop yammering that had me turn off the Athens Olympics Opening Ceremony.
Below is part of what I had to say on April 22, 2008....
I only made it through a couple hours of the Athens Olympics opening ceremonies. I like watching all the pomp and ceremony and trying to hear the music. But Bob Costas would not shut up. It was so distracting. If someone had been in my house watching TV with me and they yapped on and on like Bob Costas I would issue an ultimatum, either shut up or get out of my house.
When I wrote about Boycotting the Beijing Olympics I said when I lived in Washington, near the Canadian border, I could watch Canadian coverage of something like an Olympics and see way fewer commercials and hear no Bob Costas boobery.
On April 22 of 2008 I did not know that by the time of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony I would be in Tacoma and thus able to watch the Olympics Bob Costas-free on Canadian TV.
Til you get to watch such a thing without a babbling boob like Bob Costas you can't possibly realize how much better this makes the viewing experience.
It has long been a mystery to me why the non-stop yammering is deemed appropriate, let alone necessary.
I wonder if I can get Mexican TV here in North Texas? Even if the Mexican TV coverage had their version of a Bob Costas boob doing non-stop commentary, at least it would be in Spanish and thus not distracting because I would not understand what was being said.
I suppose I will try and watch the London Opening Ceremonies on Friday, eternal optimist that I am, hoping that NBC has figured out they need to muzzle Bob Costas.
Showing posts with label Bob Costas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bob Costas. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Canada's Inferiority Complex Ends With Triatholon Silver

In the second paragraph Callaghan writes, "What's with Canada's inferiority complex? It's like they're all from Tacoma." He goes on to say he likes the Canadian coverage better than NBC, but that it gets tedious listening to the announcers make excuses when the Canadian fails, "which is often."
Sample excuses offered by the Canadian announcers were things like, "Was your suit too tight?" "Did you have to get up too early?" "Or is it the bad air?"
And then Callaghan writes, "And they have to tart up the slightest accomplishment. A swimmer who doesn't drown is dubbed the Canadian Michael Phelps."
So, last night, during hot dogs and strawberries and grilled corn (delicious, best corn ever) we sat down in front of the Flat Panel and watched the Olympics on Canadian TV. It is so much more watchable than NBC. Very little of that non-stop blathering and constant need to have some bizarre narrative, like Lucy's grandma died at 99 a week ago and Bob Costas is sure Lucy was thinking of grandma during that back flip into the pool.
The event we were watching was the Triathlon. I'd not seen this before. It started off with what looked like 100 guys jumping into a lake at the same time with a giant pagoda looking over them. They swam for quite a distance, like a synchronized line. Then the line gradually broke up and became a sort of thrashing triangle. On and on they swam.
During this we were informed of the story of the Great Canadian Hope who none of us America-Centric Americans had heard of, a guy named Simon Whitfield. We were quite a ways into the swimming before we realized there was an American or two among the swimmers.
After the group was done swimming for miles and miles they one by one got out of the water and ran to a bike which they pushed to the start line and hopped on, slipping their feet into shoes already attached to the pedals.
The bike course went on for miles, I mean, kilometers. They had to repeat this course, I think, 6 times. For about 300 feet, I mean, 100 meters, or so, they pedaled in front of cheering people in a grandstand.
I gave up watching after the first time around. I did not make it to the running part. It seemed like the Canadians were covering pretty much every second of this race. With a break for local Canadian news out of Vancouver, which was amusing in itself, with a Brit accented Weather Girl with very unfortunate helmet hair.
This morning I learned that the Canadian Triathlete, Simon Whitfield, he being the Great Canadian Hope, came in second, getting a silver medal. I'm sure the Canadians were quite happy.
Back to that Callaghan guy. I thought his comment that Canada had an inferiority complex, in the same manner as Tacoma's, was interesting. I've not noted manifestations of Tacoma having a civic inferiority complex due to being in the shadow of its more robust Seattle partner in the Seattle/Tacoma Metro area. I've long made note of how Fort Worth comes across in its media as having a massive inferiority complex regarding how it feels about its Dallas partner in the D/FW Metroplex.
I can see where Canada is sort of like Fort Worth and Tacoma, not quite the success story of its nearest neighbor. But that's nothing to have an inferiority complex over. There are a lot of really good things about Canada, Fort Worth and Tacoma, even though they are a bit overshadowed by America, Dallas and Seattle.
In other words, America, Dallas and Seattle are gold medal type places. Canada, Fort Worth and Tacoma should be quite pleased to be silver medal type places. And nothing stops them from aspiring to gold medal status. It'd be a great thing to see Canada become a Superpower. Fort Worth, not so much.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
China Olympics Opening Ceremony

I tried to watch the last Olympic's opening, that being the one in Athens. But NBC's Bob Costas' constant pointless yammering ruined it for me. So, I bailed.
In Tacoma I had the option of watching the China Show live on Canadian TV at sometime like 3am and then again, repeated that afternoon. The Canadians did not run the re-run again in Primetime.
In past Olympics, the Canadians let you just watch the show, for the most part, they don't have some yapper constantly narrating that which needs no narration. How do those people watching it live, in person, manage without the help of Bob Costas pointing out the unneccessary?
So, we were stuck with the NBC American Bob Costas hosted edited version. I was ready to bail if Bob Costas talked too much.
I made it through almost the entire spectacle. I don't even know if Bob Costas was saying much of anything during most of the show. Because the over the top, incredibly well-done, Chinese Opening Ceremony was so jaw-droppingly impressive it didn't matter if some NBC talking head was yapping too much.
The only time I noticed Bob Costas being annoying was when the USA team came into the Bird Nest Stadium. They'd been making note of how the Chinese received various nations. As in the Japanese were received coolly. Which is totally understandable, seeings how Japan has treated China badly over time. Hong Kong and Taiwan were greeted loudly.
So, of course I was curious to hear how the Chinese reacted to the Americans walking into the stadium. But all I could hear was Bob Costas droning on about nonsense I did not care to hear. Eventually he shut up and the other talker, the name of whom I do not know, remarked that the Americans had been loudly greeted by the Chinese. We didn't get to hear that though.
We did see our Supreme Glorious Leader put his jacket back on in the sweltering heat when the American team walked into the stadium. I don't recollect an Olympics where so many of the major world leaders were in attendance.
Other than a couple times, when the pyrotechnics and light display reminded me of the Nazis' infamous Nuremberg rally, with huge spotlights making pillars of light into the darkness, and one unfortunate moment when some Chinese in uniform pretty much did a goosestep, this Opening Ceremony seemed like the best of this type thing I've ever seen.
Very enjoyable. But. NBC. Please fire Bob Costas.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Boycotting the Beijing Olympics

I'm talking about my personal boycott.
As in not watching because the coverage drives me nuts. No, it's not that there is more time spent on commercials than on covering events.
It's the non-stop yammering of the commentators.
I only made it through a couple hours of the Athens Olympics opening ceremonies. I like watching all the pomp and ceremony and trying to hear the music. But Bob Costas would not shut up. It was so distracting. If someone had been in my house watching TV with me and they yapped on and on like Bob Costas I would issue an ultimatum, either shut up or get out of my house.
Unfortunately the only way to shut up Bob Costas is to change the channel or turn off the TV. I don't understand why American TV powers-that-be think we need to hear so much yammering. I used to live near the Canadian border and could watch Canadian TV. The Canadians are very well mannered and shut themselves up during something like an Opening Ceremony.
I don't watch the Winter Olympics anymore for the same reason. Pretty much the only part I find interesting is the ice skating. And a lot of that interest is borne of the same type base thinking that has rednecks going to car races hoping to see a spectacular wreck. But I did not watch a single second of the last Winter Olympics. I knew that that constant yammering while the ice skating was going on would make it unbearable. I don't know if Dick Buttons is still the chief commentator or not. He is really unbearable. So earnest. Over ice skating.
I did watch some of the Closing Ceremony of the Athens Olympics. I saw the part where the Chinese put on a show as a sort of preview of their Olympics. Dozens of long-legged Chinese beauties in skimpy very non-communistic outfits put on a dancing routine that reminded me of the Shanghai nightclub scene at the start of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
The Chinese Olympic preview was very well choreographed and fun to watch. As I'm sure their Olympic Opening Ceremony will also be. And I would watch it. If I knew there was a way to keep Bob Costas and his ilk out of my TV viewing room.
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