In my opinion, I actually thought the Olympics coverage overall was pretty well done. I liked the closing ceremony, especially the guy flying on a fan! That was cool. For those that didn't like the closing ceremony and the theme, let me expain just a little. First of all, the closing ceremony is supposed to be a happy time, a time of celebration at another Olympics gone by. That gives light to the jokers and other smiling figures. Add in Italy's renassaince history and I think the Italians enjoyed it
I also enjoyed some of the historical background features. This is the first Olympics that I watched indepth, and given all the new sports and rules (and the old sports too for that matter), an explaination was more than helpful. The bios of all the upcoming athletes were helpful as well. It is supposed to give the viewer a personal connection to the athlete.
As for the Bode Miller, speed skaters, etc. I tried not to follow it too much. After his third race, I knew that he was done. For everything else, just ignore it. This is American media for crying out loud. Why in the world would the American media suspend it fascination for controversy just because of the Olympics?
And finally, what I would like others to remember the most was the historical breakthroughs. Shauni Davis winning being the first black individual medalist in Olympic history, American women's snowboarding and all the breakthrough they made relegating the differences between male and female snowboarding to being just that: male and female; gender became the only difference. For all the moments (figure skating, speed skating anyone, gold hockey game?) and all the firsts (see above), that is what I will take away from this Olympics.
In closing, I don't care that other (and, in my opinion, crappy) shows beat the Olympic ratings: they sure didn't in my room and on my dorm floor.
Jeff
