I like the Olympics. I like almost everything about them. I like the snowboard cross. I like bobsledding. I like it when figure skaters hit the perfect quad and when short-track speed skaters careen into walls. I even like the biathalon, for goodness’ sake. Every night for the last week, my family has postponed its normal evening habits (you know, baking cookies and singing ’round the piano) so we can all spend hours watching Apolo Ohno and Torah Bright and features about polar bears and Bob Costas’ purple ties.
But if I had to make a couple of suggestions to NBC, it’d consist of this:
Let’s see more curling, less invasive camerawork.
While I think NBC’s done a pretty good job covering the Olympics, the producers do have a habit of pushing their cameramen in places that, frankly, make me feel kinda voyeuristic. Hey, I love the performances. I like interviews. But when it comes to what are typically private moments, can’t we give these athletes a little space?
Wednesday night’s coverage offered up two pretty good examples.
One involved American Shaun White, aka “The Flying Tomato,” aka the gold-medal winner in the men’s halfpipe competition. Before his final run, the cameraman caught him talking with his coach, and the coach let loose with a couple of strong, not-appropriate-for-prime-time words. Announcers immediately apologized for the language, and it’s unlikely any fines will be levied. Still, you’d think the folks at NBC would’ve suspected that, when they eavesdrop on coach-to-athlete banter, they might catch wind of the occasional curse and would’ve taken a preventative step or two: a seven-second delay, perhaps (I know, we like to watch our sports live, but NBC tape-delays almost everything anyway), or better yet, move back the microphones. ‘Cause frankly, what White and his coaches talk about doesn’t add much to the Olympic experience for me.
The camera didn’t catch Lindsey Vonn, American gold-medal winner in the women’s downhill, cursing when she embraced her husband after her winning run. But viewers were subjected to the longest, most tearful hug in history. Some folks thought it sweetly emotional. I thought it was invasive. I mean, it was neat to see how tearfully happy Vonn was after the race, and how excited she was to share the moment with her hubby … but a little of this goes a long way. The camera eyed Vonn and her husband embrace for what seemed to be 10 minutes. Both of them, very aware the camera was keying on them, spoke in shallow, made-for-television platitudes … after the first hug and rush of emotion, the scene felt (to me) uncomfortable and awkward. I could almost feel them psychically pushing the cameraman away, hoping against hope he’d focus on someone else for just a bit.
Of course, the cameraman didn’t. Tears make for good TV, you know.
I know, I know … it’s the age in which we live. Half the competitors we see will probably get their own reality shows before the year’s out, where they’ll invite us all into their homes, their bathrooms and maybe even their laundry baskets. So perhaps I should just acknowledge that all this is where we are. We don’t hold our sports stars or celebrities at a comfortable remove anymore. We’re reluctant to give anyone a little space.
Still, for me, a little space would make the Olympics even more enjoyable. Would it be for you? And, while you’re here, tell me what else you like, or dislike, about the games.
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