Everyone Had a Relay Bad Time in Sydney

In reference to why the television ratings were down for the Olympics, I offer this reason: Blame the commentary.

Consider Bob Costas’ discomfort with Dot Richardson’s enthusiasm on winning the gold in softball. Consider the appalling attitude of the women’s gymnastics announcers, declaring when someone fell, “Oh, that’s it for her. She’s out.” Consider the inordinate attention given to Marion Jones’ husband, even though he wasn’t competing. Consider the commentary that continually focuses on losing the gold instead of winning the bronze.

With its conspicuous omission of positivism, NBC has gone where no other network has gone before. They have made us all, athletes and viewers alike, feel like losers.

CAMBRIA GORDON

Pacific Palisades

*

To the excellent comments of Randy Harvey, may I just add that I hope he does not find it necessary to watch a tape of the closing ceremony upon his return. It would show that it was not just the delayed status of the Games that kept viewers away in droves, but the execution of the broadcasts. After finding the time to show two hours of the, for most people, arguably less than exciting marathon, the closing ceremony was made unbearable to watch because of the continuing need to interrupt the show with trivial questions to the American athletes on the field, who, like the producers of the network, showed absolutely no respect for the performers of the actual show.

At 10:30 I gave up and turned my set off.

RUDI SCHEIDL

Lake Forest

*

NBC never could have pleased everyone, live or tape delayed. But how stupid can they be to air the closing ceremony starting at 9 p.m. and ending at midnight? On a Sunday, no less.

Not everybody is on strike.

MICHAEL KREMER

Fountain Valley

*

Darn it, NBC, until the very last day you never got it. I wanted to watch the closing ceremony, not mostly American athletes spouting cliches and self-serving statements.

HECTOR SANTOS

Los Angeles

*

Those magnificent sprinters who won Olympic gold medals in the 4x100 relay--Jon Drummond, Maurice Greene, Bernard Williams and Brian Lewis--behaved in a manner that disgraced their flag, their nation, their race and themselves. They were not “youngsters” or “kids” but men who should have realized that they were representing their country in an international arena.

KEITH E. ROBERTS

Mission Viejo

*

I was taken aback by the picture of the U.S. men’s 400 relay team draping the flags around their bodies like towels until I read the caption. Maurice Greene summed it all up nicely for us in the first three words of his sentence, “I don’t think anyone was offended by our actions.”

You sure didn’t think that time, Maurice.

DOREEN LORAND

Downey

*

Our relay team could be a huge asset for the XFL. Hopefully, that will be the only offer they get.

DANNY CULPEPPER

Beverly Hills

*

While I was appalled by our 4x100 relay team’s vainglorious display, I can still take pride in the way our other 90-something medal winners conducted themselves. Unfortunately, I don’t think the rest of the world will see it that way.

JOHN MITCHELL

Santa Monica

*

As I watched the men’s 4x100 Olympic team take gold, I thought for a moment I was watching a rerun of “American Bandstand.” The prancing, dancing and self-adoration was embarrassing. I was waiting for them all to sprint to the center of the field, spike their gold medals on the 50-yard line and declare Australia theirs!

JOHN COMES

San Clemente

*

As a track and field coach for many years, I took offense with the poor display that our men’s 400-meter relay team showed during their victory lap, disrespect to our flag, our national anthem and to other athletes.

The U.S. Olympic Committee should have a rule that if you do any sort of taunting, you will be disqualified.

JIM BUSH

Los Angeles

*

Now that the smoke from the closing ceremony fireworks has drifted away, it’s time to reevaluate the Olympics and see if they come anywhere near justifying the billions of dollars spent on them. The claim is easily made on the Olympics’ behalf that the Games increase international understanding, that they help participating countries know one another better.

Yeah, sure, just like the people of Miami and Buffalo have gotten to know one another better from the many times the Dolphins and Bills have played each other. In truth, anyone wearing a Dolphin sweatshirt into Ralph Wilson Stadium would be risking their physical well being, and I’m sure the converse is true.

Some try to put the improved international understanding on an individual level and say that the Games are in effect preparing future ambassadors. But who says athletes would make the best ambassadors? To what country would we send Dennis Rodman or Brian Cox?

The saddest thing about the Olympics is that the Games shared newspaper space with stories of the World Bank, the IMF and many countries wrestling with the problem of how to relieve the debt owed by desperately poor countries. As Olympic records fell each day, so did thousands of children, from hunger or from easily preventable diseases. How must the billion-plus people who subsist on a dollar a day have felt when they saw the splendor of the Games--if they were even within range of a TV to see them. I’m sure that some poor countries spent more on their Olympic athletes than they do on health care or education.

KENNETH J. RUMMENIE

Buffalo, N.Y.

*

Over at last! The 2000 Olympics turned out to be the most disgraceful display of disjointed coverage, bloated events, distracting side stories and blatant commercialism in the history of the games. It was a thorough disappointment.

Indeed, if they keep adding events, we can expect to see things like skateboarding, marbles, jet skiing, aerobics and basket weaving in future Olympics. What happened to coverage of the 800- and 1,500-meter runs?

How embarrassing it will be for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the birthplace of the Games, if Greece and the world have to endure such a spectacle.

DANIEL B. JEFFS

Apple Valley

*

The difficulties the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team experienced are not because the rest of the world is catching up to the United States. Instead, it lies in the players selected. None of the players on this year’s team have ever won an NBA title, in contrast to 1992 and 1996. Only one player--Vince Carter at North Carolina--even played on a Final Four team. Many have a history of being emotionally fragile. Alonzo Mourning, for example, allowed himself to be psyched out by Dennis Rodman’s mind games in two Bulls-Heat playoff series, and Jason Kidd helped get his coach fired at Cal because practices were too intense and demanding.

These players may be physically gifted, but they don’t know how to win.

HARRY HELMS

Ridgecrest

*

The more I see the pros play in the Olympics, the less I care about seeing them play in the NBA.

RON OVADIA

Irvine