We're almost to the half-way point in the Olympics. I have to say that NBC has generally done a somewhat shitty job in the way they're showing stuff, mostly because of their streaming restrictions. I don't subscribe to cable, so if it ain't over the air, I don't see it.
I'm really not that into swimming or track and field, but there have been some interesting stories around some of the athletes. I couldn't believe NBC actually did a feature on a Brazilian athlete today. The flag waving and focus on just Americans has been wholly boring in most cases.
I have to give a shout out to Missy Franklin, the high school kid winning swimming medals. Obviously there's only so much you can tell by way of TV, but she seems like the kind of kid that every coach wants to have as an athlete. She's so grounded about the whole thing, and her attitude is amazing. It's a nice change from the self-absorbed attention-whoring of many professional athletes (especially basketball players from Akron).
Gymnastics hasn't been nearly as interesting to watch as it has in previous years, and I'm not sure why. The US men failed spectacularly, but even the women didn't interest me much.
I'm a big fan of team sports, and watching volleyball has been amazing. The US women are amazing this year, and I find it validating to see them using components of the same offense I like to use with my J.O. teams. They have an outstanding array of players, and most of them play defense as well as offense, something you don't see enough of in high school and college. I've seen every match so far. If they beat Turkey on Sunday (it should be broadcast live), they will have swept the pool. Quarter finals are Tuesday, semis on Thursday, medal matches on Saturday.
The men are less interesting to watch, in my opinion, because it tends to be more about power than defense and strategy. Beach is the same way, although the American Misty-Kerri phenomenon challenges that. Those girls sure can play some D.
Tennis hasn't been shown on NBC proper at all, which is a bummer, but given that Wimbledon just ended a few weeks ago, maybe not that surprising. Still, Maria vs. Serena is tomorrow morning (and sorry, I have to cheer for Maria on this one), and the men will deja vu with Federer and Murray meeting again for the gold (not sure when that match is).
I'm enjoying the competition, even if I'm completely annoyed with NBC. You don't get to see a lot of international volleyball on TV, so as a coach and player of 20 years, you gotta geek out on it whenever you can.
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