Screw the Features

[Samuari]

Show us the events. Sure there are wonderful stories about these Olympic athletes, but damn, it seems that we are seeing more features than competition. Sunday the longest baseball game in Olympic history was played between the US and Japan. They managed to find time to show us four pitches, in a thirteen-inning game. More time was spent interviewing Tommy Lasorda the manager of the US team, then on the entire game. The same has been true in other sports. For instance, On Tuesday Lenny Krazelburg won the gold in the 100m backstroke. At least twice the time was spent on the feature about his family’s emigration, then it took him to swim the event. I’m not say to cut out all the extraneous information, but the competition is why we have the games, after all.

 

[Siren]

Amen

 

[MADDOG]

I have to disagree. I'm sure they can over do it, but don't you think that knowing what an athlete went through to get to that great position makes their victory that much sweeter or their loss so heartbreaking?

I love the background info. It's what makes it glorious. Otherwise, it's just sport.

MADDOG

 

[Samuari]

I have to disagree. I'm sure they can over do it, but don't you think that knowing what an athlete went through to get to that great position makes their victory that much sweeter or their loss so heartbreaking?

I love the background info. It's what makes it glorious. Otherwise, it's just sport.

MADDOG

Some background is fine, but Lenny Kratzenburg's story was told each heat a total of three times. Most of these stories can be told in 2-3 minnutes, perhaps as teaser for a sports magizine show. The problem is two fold: 1) You focous on a very few athletes because if you have them featured, you have to show their competion, at the expence of other equally worthy events; and 2) the time that the features themselves take up limit the ability to show the enormance deversity that is the summer games.