Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Spectacular Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic's Opening Ceremony Telecast Was Not Totally Ruined By NBC's Bob Costas

Friday night's NBC telecast of the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics was the first time in a long time I made it through one of these events without bailing.

With that bailing caused by no longer being able to tolerate listening to the constant, interrupting, mostly pointless, blathering of Bob Costas and his cohorts.

The blathering and interrupting ruined the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics for me.

My view on the blathering babbling is that I have invited these people into my TV viewing area to watch an event with me. I did not invite them to be constantly talking, telling me useless trivia, which I have no interest in. If an in the flesh person were watching one of these events with me and they were constantly babbling, telling me tidibits of info about what we were viewing, I'd give that person one "shut up" warning and then with the next violation ask them to leave.

Now, with the Sochi Opening Ceremony we did have that regular NBC Olympic irritant, Bob Costas. And other information providers.

However, the incredible spectacle that was the Sochi Opening Ceremony overwhelmed the annoyance of  the NBC babbling. That and there seemed to be a lot less of it the babbling this time.

Perhaps the complaints by the millions of annoyed viewers have been heard.

One of the few times I did find the babbling annoying I think it was Bob Costas providing the annoyance. I am not sure, because the voice was not identified, but it sounded like him. It was when the USA team came into the stadium. A female voice said something like "Let's listen to the reaction as the USA team enters the arena."

I thought, yes, that will be interesting to see how the Russians react to the incoming Americans.

However, what I believe to be the Bob Costas voice began incessant babbling, with the volume of the babbling overwhelming whatever noise the Russians were making. Bob Costas felt we needed to know about the guy who was carrying the American flag, and to speculate as to how proud the guy's kids must be to see dad carrying the flag.

Yes, this was a very important observation for Bob Costas to share with us, much more important than just letting us peacefully, quietly watch and listen.

If Bob Costas had been in my TV viewing room, in person, that point in the ceremony would have been when he would have been asked to leave my abode.

Anyway, good job, so far, Russia, and Mr. Putin. Let's hope the whole show keeps going as well as the opening.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bob Costas Sucks. NBC does not have the directors and producers with the proper mind sets to cover sports-they specialize in operas (as is soap). We, as viewers don't see enough of OUR athletes, even if they are in last place. We don't even see all the events. Example: Saturday morning I turned on the Olympics only to have 2 hours of a curling match between the Russia and Sweden women. I can't believe some poor American that worked her/his butt off in some sport could not have been shown performing that event. I have quit watching. Eric Simpson