Richard Zoglin makes a compelling argument in a recent op-ed at The Washington Post. Here is a taste:
Is NBC to blame for Simone Biles’s Olympic withdrawal?
I am overstating the case, of course. But to understand Biles’s decision to step back from much of the gymnastics competition at the Tokyo Games, it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room: the orgy of hype, hero worship and home-team hyperventilating that has come to define NBC’s coverage of the Olympics. Somehow, sooner or later, something like this had to happen.
The inflation of NBC’s Olympics coverage over the years has been so steady and relentless that we hardly notice it anymore. For the 2000 Games in Sydney, the network aired 437 hours of Olympics coverage on its broadcast and cable outlets. This year, the total is 7,000 hours, spread out over NBC’s main broadcast network, cable channels and various streaming options, including its new Peacock premium service.
Read the rest here.
