The Games of August

I did not watch the 2000 Olympic Games because they took place in September and conflicted with another of my favorite things, college football. I did not watch that much of the 2004 Olympics because most of NBC’s coverage was in standard definition and in 2002 I became addicted to HDTV. But I am riveted to these Olympic Games in Beijing.

There is so much to like about what I have seen the last 10 days I hardly know where to begin. But here are a few observations from the front of my tv set.

The USA Basketball Team, under the direction of Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, has to this point, won games, and just as importantly, fans. If all NBA teams employed teamwork and defensive tenacity as Team USA does, in addition to the players’ remarkable athleticism, I would watch more NBA games.

The United States has been dominant in many women’s team sports. I can’t help but think that Title IX and the increased funding of women’s collegiate sports that began in the early 1980s, has played a profound part in this success.

So much has already been written and said about Michael Phelps. Deservedly so. He is a very rare athlete-talented and driven, like another Michael I once had the privilege of covering. I will always remember Phelps’ miracle victory in the 100 fly, when his fingers somehow found the wall first when he appeared beaten. I’ll also create a special footnote in my mind for the role Jason Lezak played in anchoring the relay races that produced two of Phelps’ record eight gold medals.

Kudos to NBC for the technology that helped viewers understand just how special were Phelps’ performances and his victories. The underwater cameras showed clearly Phelps’ dominance on the walls (starts and turns). The network’s slow motion replays really told the story of the swimmer’s several narrow escapes. Two or three of his gold medals could easily have been silver. One more discovery from the underwater cameras-I never knew swimmers exhaled through their noses!

I come from a family of Iowans, so I confess I’m predisposed to root for Shawn Johnson of West Des Moines. Her power has been matched only by the athleticism and grace of Nastia Liukin. They’ve both won medals, but in my opinion, their performances warranted more gold. The Chinese gymnasts have been impressive, but most of them look 12. And while it seems the sport of gymnastics has finally eliminated bias in judges (the Russian judge gave her a 5!), there now seems to be a new problem - incompetence in some judges (she fell off the apparatus but there were no deductions).

Track and field has been disappointing in some events (shot put, sprints and women’s marathon), but eye catching in others. How about the 1-2-3 sweep in the 400 meter hurdles, featuring St. Augustine’s student Bershawn Jackson? Or the tenacious performance of former UNC star Shalane Flanagan, who three days after suffering food poisoning finished third in the grueling 10,000 meters. Did the food poisoning really result from washing a salad with Chinese tap water (that’s what has been reported).