Summer Olympics all year round!!!
When it comes to olympic fandom, I dare say I’m in the top 1 percent. For two magical weeks every two years, I make it my personal mission to absorb as much olympic coverage as humanly possible. During this time I talk about the olympics constantly, I watch TV a minimum of 12 hours a day, and I nobly sacrifice my personal life in support the many world class athletes who have devoted their lives to sports most people have never heard of.
During my lifetime, olympic coverage has come a long way. Although I did not pay much attention to the 1984 olympics (I was only 3), I imagine they were available on a single black and white channel with no sound. By 1992, however, NBC had introduced the triplecast, allowing viewers to watch live events on 3 separate pay-per-view channels for the low low price of $170 dollars. Needless to say the network lost millions.
In the coming decade, however, cable olympic coverage blossomed. By the 2006 Winter Olympics a super fan like myself could comfortably watch the olympics on 5 separate cable channels at no extra charge (NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA and Telemundo). In 2008 I’m happy to report that NBC is kicking things up a notch. The network is currently planning 3,600 hours of coverage, most of it online. By recording the coverage, and limiting myself to a modest 10 hours of Olympic viewing per day, I will have enough olympics to last one whole year! I will then take the following year off, and begin anew in 2010.
Update (8/8): As of today the Olympics are one year away. I hadn’t realized the Beijing 2008 Olympics started on 8/8/08, but it certainly makes sense. Tonight at 7:30 NBC is airing a half-hour program called “Olympic Zone”. I wonder if that counts as part of the 3,600 hours.