Canada may as well be in a depression the way that NBC is framing their coverage of the Olympics.
On Saturday night Jennifer Heil was second last to go in the Women's Mogul's ski finals. After a sensational run, she found herself in first place with American Hannah Kearney still waiting to do her final run.
Kearney, as any fierce competitor would, put up the run of her life and took the gold medal, leaving Heil with silver.
Alright so now that that recap is done, let me tell you what really gets on my nerves. NBC...you douchebags...you one sided, narrow-minded douchebags.
For those who were not watching the Olympics Sunday, NBC aired a midday segment hosted by Al Michaels that framed this event's story to make it seem as though this result would dampen the hearts of Canadians and that are Olympics were ruined.
Also featured in this segment was a video montage "recapping" the events of the previous night. During this video were video shots of Kearney celebrating (understandably) but also of Jennifer Heil in tears. Towards the end of the video when attempting to "capture" the essence of Canada, they also showed a shot of a tractor...because apparently a tractor is a valid representation of Canada.
Alright rant almost over. First of all, NBC, as proud Canadians, we recognize the efforts of our athletes. To any Americans who buy into this travesty of a video and believe that Canadians are depressed over Jenn Heil's silver, get over yourself.
The Olympics are not about focusing on the fact that until last night, Canada had not won a gold medal on home soil, it is about recognizing our extremely talented athletes who may not receive the recognition they deserve outside of these games.
The ONLY person who should be disappointed is Jenn Heil, and seeing as she is NOT, we should not be either. All Canadians, including myself, are so proud of Jennifer and the effort she put forth. Perhaps CTV should make a few video montages showing how Apollo Anton Ohno's silver medal in short track was a let down for his country. Oh wait...it isn't a tragedy and CTV has this quality called class...something NBC may want to think about.
Hannah Kearney had the run of her life and deserved her victory. A huge congratulations to her is in order, so congratulations Hannah!
However, Jenn Heil will always be among the top names in Canadian sports and we want her to know that her name is held in very high regard!
Live.It.Up.
Just thought I'd mention, Kearney was actually favoured to win gold in 2006 before finishing something like 23rd. She had a bad run I suppose (I didn't see it or don't remember it). But it's not like she came out of nowhere. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
ReplyDeleteI agree the piece they showed might have been a bit out of line... of course Canadians will be proud of Kearney... and a silver. But, Canada HAS stepped outside its comfort zone in showing unforgiving and "uncharacteristic outburst of Canadian pride" patriotism in these Olympic games. American (and international) media has noticed this. We FINALLY are getting more comfortable with this idea (hockey aside, of course). We can welcome the world AND say "we're going to kick you ass". NBC, who has covered this topic, might THINK we would be upset by Kearney's silver... understandably enough. Our Canadian pride and quest for gold is pretty evident.
ReplyDeleteAnd, in regards to the footage of Canadian tractors... this NBC piece is quite positive... http://bit.ly/coAXr1 Shows the great relationship between Canada and the US... maybe we even learned something about patriotism from them.
On another note, not sure if CTV is a perfect example of "class" as you mention. Showing the footage of Nodar Kumaritashvili's crash, in my opinion, is quite the opposite. CBC would have known better.
And even worse has been the British media. I'm not sure WHAT they're thinking... calling these games the worst in olympic history... talking about bad weather (Brit's complaining about RAINY weather... wow) and just in general being tools (for a lack of a better word). This article by the Guardian UK really got me riled up... http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/feb/15/vancouver-winter-olympics-2010
This Lawrence guy needs a geography lesson. Salt Lake City, US is further south from Vancouver and Sochi, Russia (2014 Winter Olympics) has even a milder climate than Vancouver.
At least our Olympic logo doesn't look like Lisa Simpson involved in a sexual act (http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/3454/)
and I can't wait to see to the weather during London's 2012 olympic games... I'm sure it won't rain at all.