A couple of months ago the Olympics was not on my radar. I knew the games had been awarded to London, but I hadn't given much thought to the precise dates when competition would take place. Then little by little we started carrying more stories on our newscasts about the London games. I started seeing more about it on television, print, digital and social. Now that we are just hours away from the opening ceremonies I am ready and open to soak in the ceremony and the sport.
The games certainly are not what they once were in the days of amateurism and the Cold War. There was a much greater intensity and sense of sacrifice. That era is now long gone. There is no point lamenting those times. In fact, with less nationalism involved the Olympics in some ways are now more of a pure competition. Less political and more reliant on the athletes coming up with great performances to enterain and distinguish themselves.
We do not yet know who this year's stars will be. We do not yet know what story lines will develop. We do not yet know how viewers will adapt to London being five hours ahead. In this digital world of social media there will be no avoiding results of key events before the prime time coverage gets underway.
That's just part of any Olympic competition in this era. High tech high definition television coverage available on 7 NBC networks. Social media discussions and Twitter fees from athletes reacting to the stress and joys of the games.
Tune in starting Friday night. It promises to be fun.
Any questions or comment please forward them to mattsmemo@CNYcentral.com. I may even use some of your thoughts on NBC 3 News at 5:00, the 10:00 News on CW6 or on CNYcentral.com.
The opinions expressed in this blog are the sole responsibility of the author and are not reflective of the views or opinions of Barrington Broadcasting, WSTM-NBC3, its management or employees.
