summer sanders
Edmund Gendreau
I agree with you 100%. Personally, I wrote to NBC to experss my opinion.
It would be great if others who feel the same way would also write.
Maybe NBC would take notice if they got enough complaints.
The invasion of privacy is enraging. It shows a total lack of respect
for one of the US's sports heros. Summer Sanders has earned better
treatment.
I also feel that the emphasis by TV on the disappointments that swimmers
suffer in meets like the Olympic trials and the Olympics has got
to be damaging to our sport. It can hardly be inspirational to
young swimmers watching this on TV.
By chance I ended up speaking with a man who will be involved with
developing story lines for the 1996 Olympic swimming. I mentioned to
him that I had been disappointed with the negative emphasis of the
coverage of Olympic swimming in the past. For example, it seems to me
we are always hearing about how few medals the swimming team might
win, as if it is unacceptable and a poor showing. And we so often
see the on-deck reporter sticking a microphone in the face of a
swimmer and asking questions that make it sound as though a silver
medal is something to be ashamed of.
I was amazed by his response. He said that "joe-six pack" american
demands this type of coverage. That the average american expects
nothing less than gold medal performances, and a lot of them. That
anything less is a failure and we ought ot be doing something about
it. he also said that he thinks professional athletes get the same
treatment.
I couldn't disagree more (but now you all know what you can expect from
NBC this summer). First, I don't believe that the olympic TV audience
would not respond well to a postive spin on the accomplishments of
our swimmers. Secondly, I don't believe that other sports are given
the same treatment as swimming. For example, I don't think that
track and field events are hammered at the olympics the way swimming
is. Also, Todd Christiansen was totally cool in interviewing athletes
after their races in 1992. He was always supportive, encouraging
and positive. Even in a big track and field meet I saw on TV
recently, the woman who did interviews was always positive.
Thirdly, the comparison to the treatment of professional athletes
is extremely weak. Professional athletes (in football, baseball,
hockey etc) are all adults. In swimming we have a mixture of adults
and children. I get especially upset when adult reporters stick a
microphone in the face of a 14 y/o girl at the olympics and ask
her embarrassing questions. It's not fair. Professional athletes
get paid big money. Swimmers don't. Professional athletes get
extensive coverage over a long period of time. They might have
great games (and get glory for them) and bad games ( and get
hammered for them), but it's not a one shot deal for them the
way it frequently is for swimmers at the olympics. Our swimming
ahtletes deserve to be glorified for whatever they accomplished, not
vilified for anything less than a gold medal.
And to add insult to injury, the man I spoke with had a lot to say
about the decline in the work ethic in US swimming. So don't be
surprised to hear an NBC swimming story line that says " swimming
is going down hill, and the reason is that our swimmers don't
work hard." Great. THat ought to be a real inspiriation to our
athletes too.
>
>Maybe its just me, but I thought the NBC news crew had done pretty well so
>far at this go around at the US Olympic Trials. But, if they interview
>one more swimmer right after they lost their chance to swim in Atlanta,
>I'll scream.
>
>Summer Sanders, visibly upset after not making the team in the 200 fly,
>was followed by a NBC crew. Mark Henderson, who was reported to be her
>boyfriend ( more times than I can count), tried to console her. She
>unplugged the wireless microphone they'd given him. Then, she walks away
>with him, they're still being followed. She has to practicly go into the
>locker room to talk to him before the NBC crew will leave them alone. We
>all love Summer Sanders, so please, leave her alone!
>
>And another thing, and I hope anyone involved in the Olypmics this summer
>reads this, if you go up and badger swimmers, or anyone else, after they
>have finished in a disappointing place/time, I don't what I'll do
>(probably write another letter like this one).
>
>I can not express how angry I am at the rude, inappropriate behavior of
>the people in charge of these news crews. Well, IMHO, I believe that
>there are times when you just leave people alone. You don't follow them
>around, gossip about their personal relationships, and then stick a
>microphone down anyone's throat when they're being consoled by a coach.
>It's just wrong. And if NBC pulls another one of these, they're gonna be
>in big trouble trouble with the swimming world in general.
>
>Drew in Tucson
>fa...@aol.com
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