Dear NBC Olympic Announcers... | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

Dear NBC Olympic Announcers...

Take the time to step back and recognize the greats of the 31st Olympiad.

16
Dear NBC Olympic Announcers...
vrsvet

Being in communications, I know how quickly information changes during a long-term broadcast, but my issue is not about facts -- but rather the words simply said about some of the athletes and viewers. These athletes work so hard to achieve their dreams and you keep taking credit away from as if they aren't the ones breaking records, being symbols, or even just winning gold.

When swimmer Katinka "Iron Lady" Hosszu won her 400-meter individual medley at the beginning of the Olympic games, her husband was credited for her win, not her. She's the one who just perfectly swam four separate strokes faster than anyone in the pool, and it really is an accomplishment. Despite a time when she was taking performance enhancing drugs, she is clean and faster than ever. Her husband, who, yes, is a coach for Hungary's team, is not a swimmer in the pool. He is not helping her at each stroke. All this man does is love her unconditionally and that's all that should be mentioned about him. Taking credit from where it is due is why many women are so upset with sports. Though it isn't just the "Iron Lady's" husband who is being mentioned at the games when unncessary.

When Katie Ledecky won gold in the 400-meter freestyle by almost two seconds at the age of 19, the announcers were quick to tell you that she swam like a man. She doesn't swim like a man, she swims like Katie Ledecky! Everyone, no matter who they are, has the ability to do anything they want if they want it bad enough. Why did no one talk about how bad-ass she was when she called out Katinka "Iron Lady" Hosszu at the beginning of the games either? She loves the sport and is an amazing athlete. I know that you mean well, but it is down right insulting when you compare us to anyone but ourselves.

Knowing women watch the Olympic games more than men should have been an opportunity to strategically sell commercial slots to. That is not what the NBC higher-ups decided it seems. Everyone knows that the Olympics is expensive. That is just a given, but saying that women aren't interested in the result, only the journey due to it being like the "ultimate reality mini-show" is just rude and insulting. As a former athlete, I loved to watch the sport but for the Olympics, you get the opportunity to learn about sports you never would have thought to watch on your own. We should not be categorized by a television network but rather used to find out which sports are watch most by what kinds of people and advertise that way...It's more strategic and you'll get a better result while insulting less people.

With 293 female athletes (over 50 percent) competing in Rio this year, historic things are happening and will still happen. Take the time to credit these women the way you take the time to credit the men in the same sports. Give these women the chance to have the moment they have worked so hard for.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

Yoga love

A long over due thank you note to my greatest passion.

23672
A person in a yoga pose surrounded by a supportive community of fellow yogis with a look of peace and gratitude on their face the image should convey the sense of strength mindfulness and appreciation that the writer feels towards yoga
StableDiffusion

Dearest Yoga,

You deserve a great thank you.

Keep Reading...Show less
Arts Entertainment

Epic Creation Myths: Norse Origins Unveiled

What happened in the beginning, and how the heavens were set in motion.

4887
The Norse Creation Myth

Now, I have the everlasting joy of explaining the Norse creation myth. To be honest, it can be a bit kooky, so talking about it is always fun. The entire cosmos is included in this creation myth, not just the earth but the sun and the moon as well. This will be a short retelling, a summary of the creation myth, somewhat like I did with Hermod's ride to Hel.

Keep Reading...Show less
Old school ghetto blaster sat on the floor
8tracks radio

We all scroll through the radio stations in the car every once in a while, whether its because we lost signal to our favorite one or we are just bored with the same ol' songs every day. You know when you're going through and you hear a song where you're just like "I forgot this existed!" and before you know it, you're singing every word? Yeah, me too. Like, 95% of the time. If you're like me and LOVE some good throwback music, here's a list of songs from every genre that have gotten lost in time, but never truly forgotten.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

27 Hidden Joys

Appreciation for some of life's most discredited pleasures.

35805
Best Things in Life

Life is full of many wonderful pleasures that many of us, like myself, often forget about. And it's important to recognize that even on bad days, good things still happen. Focusing on these positive aspects of our day-to-day lives can really change a person's perspective. So in thinking about the little things that make so many of us happy, I've here's a list of some of the best things that often go unrecognized and deserve more appreciation:

Keep Reading...Show less
beer on the beach

Summer is hot and humid, and it's almost like summer was made specifically to drink the refreshing, cold, crisp wonderful, delicious, nutritious nectar of the gods. Which is none other than beer; wonderful cold beer. With summer playing peek-a-boo around the corner while we finish up this semester, it's time to discuss the only important part of summer. And if you haven't already guessed, it's beer. There are few things I take more seriously than my beer, in order are: sports... and beer. Here are my favorite summer brews:

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments