As the Olympics draw nearer the end a few things have coalesced: The Shani Davis incident, Emily Hughes, Bode Miller, Lindsey Jacobellis, Janica Kostelic, the Austrian Team and their coach, Michelle Kwan, and a host of others. It’s anyone’s guess what story will finally capture the attention of the world press, though I feel fairly confident it won’t be the story that deserves it. Let’s start with Shani Davis. He is a excellent speed-skater who made the Olympic team for several events, including the team pursuit event. Two days before the event he informed the team he would not compete in that event. Now, there could be many reasons for not wanting to compete, but there is simply no excuse for waiting until the last minute to make that decision. Contrast that with how Michelle Kwan behaved; putting her team and her sport in front of herself. Shani Davis deprived himself and three of his teammates a nearly certain Gold Medal in the event because he had an event, not the next day, but two days later. He chose himself. That’s fine, and I don’t fault him for that. After all, most people would. But I still say Michelle deserves praise and recognition for her behavior. The coverage continues to be abysmal. I could go on for pages about how poor a job NBC does, but what’s the point? They are safe with a long term contract and have no reason to change their ways, even in the face of getting their asses handed to them by the likes of American Idol in the ratings.
Feb 222006