Why U.S. didn't deserve the 2012 Olympics

I expect there are numerous reasons that New York didn't win the bid for the 2012 Olympics and wasn't even really in the running. Failure to build a stadium that could house many of the primary events surely helped sour the proposal. International joy over American foreign policy no doubt also helped.

But the absolute and total failure of any United States media to provide real coverage of the Paralympic events in Athens in 2004 should have been enough to make America ineligible to host any international Olympic party. After the Olympics, the Paralympics are the largest sporting event in the world with over 4,ooo athletes from 120 countries competing in the Summer Olympics of 2004. Although the Paralympics began in 1960, they have been part of hosting the Olympics themselves since 1988 and accommodations for the Paralympics are now well-integrated into the bid process of any credible host city candidate.

Yet, while Britain's BBC provided about 1.5 hours live coverage each day of the Athens Paralympics (twice the coverage time it gave in Sydney), there was no live coverage of any event on any day from any American network. Corporate sponsorship was eventually found for a two-hour recap of the 11-day event, which was broadcast two months after everyone competing in Greece had gone home. Even that coverage was incredibly obscure:

With only days to go before the highlight show aired, the Outdoor Life Network’s Web site listed only “TBD” (to be determined) next to “Paralympics.” And that could be found only after considerable searching; nothing on the network’s home page indicated that the Paralympic recap would be airing.

If only more U.S. media had been available in Athens to cover the continuing competition. Hmmm? But of course: NBC broadcast 1,200 hours across 17 days of the Olympics. The corporation sent 3,500 employees to cover nondisabled events, including dramatic feature stories of some athletes who competed despite physical trauma and impairment -- car accidents, battles with cancer, old injuries or even current ones. These features on nondisabled athletes are used to define the competing spirit of the Olympian and create compelling narrative.

But when U.S. networks turned down the rights to air the Athens Paralympics, they cited lack of viewer interest as a primary reason. As for print media, USA Today sent one reporter with six specific story ideas and a firm resolve to ignore any other interesting story leads.

In New York's bid for the 2012 Olympics (this on page 38), the best hope for a commitment to future Paralympic coverage the city could offer was that NBC stay for the competition beginning in 2010. Apparently, NBC scheduling (and it's associated platforms of MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, USA, Telemundo and NBC HD) is filled up with Queer Eye reruns until then. Comparatively, London needed only to mention they'd do more of the same coverage (in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012) to completely put us to shame. Actually, 40 other countries -- including China -- wouldn't have needed to promise anything better than their last effort to make the U.S. look bad.

All of this was noted in Greece by the rest of the world last year. If you didn't hear about it here in the United States, that's no big surprise.