Somebody asked me this weekend about the status of whether we’d boycott the Sochi Olympics. Well, other than Obama saying we wouldn’t at his press conference on Friday, I hadn’t seen a good round-up of the issues involved, so here’s a good one, and this is infuriating:
NBC Universal, which has paid $4 billion dollars for the rights to cover the Olympics from 2014 through 2020, has also been squirmy. Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin’s letter (pdf) asking them to include news of Russia’s human rights violations alongside their standard Olympics coverage has elicited a hasty if mealy-mouthed response from the network saying that it will “provide coverage of Russia’s anti-gay laws if the controversial measures surface as an issue during the upcoming Winter Olympics”. In short, they’re punting for now and hoping we’ll all forget about it.
We’re supposed to sit through hours of treacly-sweet NBC puff pieces about the noble struggles of our Olympians, but NBC isn’t going to commit to saying a word about Russia’s awful treatment of gays unless, what, beating up homosexuals is part of the opening ceremonies? I guess some skier’s struggle with a pulled hamstring is more important than the killing, maiming and scapegoating of a whole segment of the host country population.
Sending our athletes to Sochi has the potential to cause more agida for Russia than a boycott simply because Americans will pay very little attention, positive or negative, to Sochi if there aren’t Americans competing there. But, while NBC has our attention, how about committing a little bit of journalism to show everyone how assholic the Russians really are?
And, yeah, Stoli is Russian vodka, but it is funny to see Stoli’s parent company start telling us it’s really Latvian vodka now that it’s being boycotted.
(via Dan Savage)
JPL
Why would NBC bother covering issues have to do with the gays when they don’t even cover the klan rally at the Missouri State Fair?
also, too.. Move on had a negative ad about Petraeus so both sides..yadda, yadda, yadda…
raven
“We’re supposed to sit through hours . . .” You are? I didn’t realize it was mandatory?
I Heart Breitbartbees
@JPL: First, there’s a Missouri State Fair? I had no idea. Second, the KKK is irrelevant. Their political wing, sometimes called the Tea Party, is far more important and worrisome. Third, you expect NBC to engage in journalism? They haven’t done that in at least 20 years. Why would you expect them to start now? All they’ve done since the HW Bush years has been infotainment, not reporting.
mistermix
@raven: If you want to watch the Olympics you’re going to sit through a bunch of that crap in order to watch some of the actual sports.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@raven: In the minds of the NBC execs, yeah, you are.
That’s why I, ah, arranged to get the BBC’s Summer Games coverage. Probably do the same this time.
Chris
@I Heart Breitbartbees:
Here you go – http://news.yahoo.com/missouri-fair-clown-draws-criticism-obama-mask-004950184.html. JPL, I assume that’s what you were referring to? I just posted it in the last thread.
MomSense
Unfortunately the way NBC covers the Olympics ruined the games for me. I really don’t want to see 15 minutes of a sob story about the athletes and then tune in to the competition only when the Americans are competing. I wish there were a c-span for the Olympics so we could just watch the athletes without the other stuff.
I don’t know what to say about holding the games in Russia now. It can’t possibly be safe if the current discriminatory laws are in effect and even without these laws, the bigots are so emboldened and dangerous. Probably boycotts of Russian products combined with organizing to move the games are the best chance at getting Putin to repeal these laws.
JPL
@I Heart Breitbartbees: Since they receive the republican talking points everyday, I guess it was over looked. The tea party is inclusive to include those former members of the klan, I guess.
Angela
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: How did you do that? That’s what I want. I loved the BBC coverage of the summer games that I was able to watch online.
JPL
@Chris: I left you a response.. We have entered the age where political correctness is a sin and klan rallies are just an expression of free speech.
After reading about the fair last night, I had a feeling, that this morning the news media would report on it and talk about common decency and democracy. hahahahahahaha
NotMax
In a gazillion hours of Olympics broadcasts, NBC spends what – like 28 minutes? – covering anything other than American athletes?
Oh, and totally OT;
Not that it is the least bit relevant , but following up on the wooden spoon thread below, have multiple ones with the Brazilian figa fist on the end of the handle, made under the auspices of distant relatives who had a furniture and woodworking factory there.
Just now remembered them; they always elicit a comment when dragged out for use.
Baud
@JPL:
Don’t forget Dixie Chicks. Both sides!
The Red Pen
@I Heart Breitbartbees:
It wasn’t an actual Klan rally, but an offensive and scanry performance involving a rodeo clown in an Obama mask and an announcer whipping up the audience to call for him to get gored by a bull.
It would be shocking, but this was in Sedalia. (Read the article. You will go “Oooooh, well that explains a lot.”)
raven
@mistermix: No, say it ain’t so.
hildebrand
Yep, the best way to watch the Olympics is to find any alternative to NBC. We simply don’t watch the mother-ship coverage.
The Red Pen
On topic:
I’ve already heard of athletes planning civil disobedience. There may be a news story for NBC to cover whether they like it or not.
raven
@The Red Pen: They better watch that civil disobedience stuff in Mother Russia.
NotMax
NBC = No Bothersome Content
JPL
@The Red Pen:
My ignorance is showing, since I’m not sure what a klan rally is like. Their actions were over the top and it would be appropriate for the media to cover it.
Punchy
If it “surfaces”? Its going to be the most dominant topic all Games. NBC purchased a broken and defective product without a waranty and is about to learn why doing buisness in Russia is a fool’s errand.
boatboy_srq
At least we’re talking about NBC: they have at least a hope of rediscovering journalism. If Fauxnews had the IOC contract, we’d see them celebrating how Gud und Proper Russia was cracking down on the “degenarates.” They might even do a segment on Orthodox concurrence with the anti-LGBT attitudes there, and introduce to their viewers the revolutionary idea that Orthodoxy might be [gasp] Xtian.
Violet
@The Red Pen: They can get disqualified from competing. Given the time and effort they’ve put in and the limited number of times they have available to win an Olympic medal, they may not want to risk it. I guess less elite athletes (ones who are pretty sure they’re not going to win a medal) might risk it. Is there any chance the entire USA team could be disqualified if enough athletes protest in some way?
raven
@JPL: You haven’t seen one???
mistermix
@Violet: Would they be disqualified for, e.g., wearing a rainbow flag?
mr.peabody
Who are we to lecture anyone about violating human rights, especially after the last 12 years? I believe in equal rights for all, but our standing to preach to any other nation has been badly damaged.
Anyway, the Olympics aren’t the big event that they used to be back when we only had 4 channels to watch. Plus, with the Cold War over, it takes out the American superiority over the Russians thing.
fka AWS
@mistermix: What about after they won a medal in the competition?
The Other Bob
Is it possible for the Obama administration to grant all athletes diplomatic immunity?
fka AWS
@mr.peabody:
Who says it’s just the U.S.?
I Heart Breitbartbees
@MomSense: Absolutely! They did some crap about Apollo Anton Ohno having a rebellious streak, and it turned out to be a love for ice cream or something equally stupid. As a result, he’s now the most annoying game show host alive. Every time I hear him say “Minute to win it. Every. Second. Counts!” I want to put my hand through a cinder block. Yes, we know these athletes overcame some heavy things in life. Guess what? So has everyone else. There are those here who have doubtlessly lost a parent or sibling when they were young, nearly died of some disease, seen loved ones die of horrible diseases or in horrible accidents, or overcome or watched their loved ones struggle with mental illness or addiction problems. Please let me know if I’ve left a particular type of sob story out. Like you, I’m sick of it!
Violet
@mistermix: I heard that if they alter their uniforms in any way they can be disqualified. Don’t know if it’s true, but it wouldn’t surprise me. They can probably put things inside their helmets/under their hats and then take those off and show them to the TV cameras. I’ve seen athletes put pictures of their family members under helmets before so that’s probably okay.
I would guess there are very specific rules about not wearing anything that is “political.” They risk angering the corporate sponsors too, and on an individual basis loss of a sponsor could mean the end of subsidized training.
Capt. Seaweed
@Punchy: This is exactly right. NBC is gonna have to cover this story, kicking and screaming if necessary, because it’s a big story now and it ain’t gonna get any smaller. You’ll have to tell me how it works out: I stopped watching the Olympics when NBC pretty much ruined it with the neverending saccharine sweet stories and flag-waving. It stopped being about sports and became about product placement too also. Fu*k that.
NotMax
@mr.peabody
Raising a toast to the memory of the DuMont network.
Violet
@I Heart Breitbartbees: I didn’t know he was hosting that show, but he can’t be any worse than Guy Fieri who hosted it originally.
I Heart Breitbartbees
@The Red Pen: Ah, a rodeo, a boring “sporting” event with a fan base that overlaps with those who think watching people drive in an oval for two or three hours is fun. These same assholes who engaged in this blatantly racist and disrespectful behavior were screaming bloody murder when anyone deigned to point out that Dumbya Bush was anything less than perfect for eight years. It’s okay, though. They’re too stupid to recognize their hypocrisy.
JPL
@Violet: Can they have a tatoo? Altering the uniforms is a not allowed but a little rainbow on the arm probably is okay.
MikeBoyScout
Might I humbly suggest we stop asking for a “boycott”, whining about vodka and bemoaning that the corporatized media carry water and we instead find a way to help individuals on the ground in Russia.
Less yappin. More action.
Violet
@JPL: A tattoo is probably fine. Although I’d guess there are rules about that too because if someone had a giant FUCK YOU AMERICA! tattoo across their forehead, I would think they might not be invited on the US Olympic team. There may be rules about tattoos with profanity and other “offensive sentiments” or whatever.
As for visible tattoos, it’s the winter Olympics. Except for figure skaters, most athletes are very covered up.
Splitting Image
Olympic coverage has been terrible for a long time. I remember watching a running event where the network did a spotlight on how difficult a year the American had been having – changing coaches, losing an endorsement, maybe breaking a nail, etc. In the next lane over during the race was a Croatian runner who had done her training during the war that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia. It was quite vomit-inducing.
In fairness, the Canadian coverage is no better, except that there are always fewer Canadian athletes to gush over. They are just as bad as NBC if there is a Canadian competing in the event but there are always events going on where no Canadians qualified. They (usually) manage to broadcast those without ruining them for everyone. The coverage of the Vancouver games was absymal. It wasn’t too bad for the first week or so, but then it became a hockey tournament with some added trimmings.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Angela: Hooked up a computer to the TV and used Expat Shield to stream it from the website. I would have cheerfully paid the Beeb for streaming access, but, yanno. Loved it. Got to watch all of the swimming and diving instead of just the Michael Phelps heats, saw all of the gymnastics, most of the track and field, got to watch the pentathlon….
There are some newer options born of people’s frustrations with Expat Shield, Beebify for one. Pretty easy to use.
The Red Pen
@I Heart Breitbartbees:
The only rodeo I’ve ever attended was staged by the International Gay Rodeo Association. It featured an event called a “drag race” where two teams competed to see which one could get a drag queen onto a horse fastest.
It was not boring at all.
raven
Yea, it all sucks, the world is fucked, America is to root of all evil and:
I Heart Breitbartbees
@mr.peabody: Who are we to lecture anybody about human rights? You don’t have to be perfect to be better than Russia.
TRIGGER WARNING!!!
I’m sure you’ve read about their immigrant roundups where they’re being placed in concentration camps or their tacit support for the neo-Nazi “Occupy Pedophilya” and “Occupy Gerontophilya” goons. America is not perfect. Far from it, but holy fuck! It doesn’t take much to be better than the Russians.
Belafon
@The Red Pen: I believe that’s where Dale Gribble found out his dad was gay.
Lee
I’m more worried about a terrorist attack than how much the Russian hate the gays.
I truly hope I’m worried for nothing.
mr.peabody
@fka AWS: I didn’t say we were the only ones. But our hands are not clean either.
techno
Let’s see. Here in Minnesota—a state that just adopted gay marriage and last fall rejected a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage—had its “professional” football team drop its very cool and handsome punter because he was too outspoken about the rights of homosexuals.
I’d say let’s stop the crazy Russkie-bashing and clean up our own act first. Personally I am sick to death of the crazy people who still want to fight the Cold War.
The Other Bob
The list of countries that are as bad or worse than Russia when it comes to human rights is not a short one. To limit our boycott to Russian vodka, while ignoring products from China, many middle east countries and elsewhere is pretty hypocritical.
mr.peabody
@I Heart Breitbartbees: Reminds me of the old joke about haggling over the price a woman would accept for sex.
Russia may be an awful, terrible place, but we have our own issues. Just because many things have been hidden or swept under the rug doesn’t mean they didn’t happen.
I Heart Breitbartbees
@Violet: You’d think that, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, you’d be wrong. When I’m around a television that’s on GSN and they have it on, I have to leave the room. It’s the worst thing on television, bar none. I would watch Freddie Got Fingered, followed by the rest of Tom Green and Paulie Shore’s movies, before I would watch Ohno’s fail brigade. It’s more painful than watching Horse on America’s Got Talent.
ericblair
@The Other Bob:
No. You don’t get diplomatic immunity in another country until that country formally accepts your diplomatic credentials. So actually Russia would have to give them immunity, which is kind of unlikely, and there’s no treaty justification for doing it anyways.
I Heart Breitbartbees
@The Other Bob: The list of countries that have threatened to arrest our athletes and others during the 2014 Winter Olympics begins and ends with Russia. That is an important difference. Putin has created a major international incident. It’s not too late to shift this to Vancouver. They still have the facilities from 2010. Yes, China is worse, but not by much, and at the rate things are going, not for much longer.
Roger Moore
@NotMax:
And maybe twice that long showing the actual sports. I’m betting there’s more time spent showing fluff pieces about the athletes than showing them compete, and more time showing commercials than either.
MomSense
@Chris:
HOLY FSM, the announcer is a school superintendent.
MikeJ
@techno:
Bullshit. They dropped him because he cost to much for his skills. They could get somebody just as good for half the price, so they did.
Botsplainer
@Capt. Seaweed:
Not really. Nine out of ten people on the street really don’t give a shit because it doesn’t impact them and they don’t watch much news.
ascap_scab
I can hardly wait to see Kathi Lee and Hoda doing hard news while getting drunk on Stoli.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
Wonder if we’ll see this as an Olympic summer sport in a few Olympiads.
Steeplejack
@MomSense:
Where did you see that? It’s not in the AP story.
Anybodybuther2016
@MikeBoyScout:
Are you new?
JPL
@Steeplejack: I just googled it.. the plot thickens, the announcer has hired an attorney to protect his good name.. I presume… link
Jane2
@MikeBoyScout: This. Boycotting a company’s vodka to affect government policy is like boycotting Bud Light to affect America’s…if only it was that easy. Well, it’s easy for the boycotters, just like calling for a boycott of the Olympcis is. And both have the same effect on policy….zero. But hey, people feel good.
Yatsuno
@MikeJ: He’s also playing in Oakland, and still as vocal as ever.
Jane2
@I Heart Breitbartbees: Actually, Vancouver doesn’t have all the facilities from 2010. And such a boycott call ignores that fact, plus the logistics and the all important “just who is going to pay for it?”
Steeplejack
@JPL:
Hmm . . . Thanks for that.
Hawes
Boycotts aren’t fair to the athletes. I knew a guy who got screwed out of Moscow in ’80.
But I hope the athletes force the issue to the fore.
This might the first time figure skating will be compelling for me since Gillooly kneecapped Nancy Kerrigan.
Hawes
Boycotts aren’t fair to the athletes. I knew a guy who got screwed out of Moscow in ’80.
But I hope the athletes force the issue to the fore.
This might the first time figure skating will be compelling for me since Gillooly kneecapped Nancy Kerrigan.
evodevo
The Olympic Committee isn’t going to do squat. All the proper payoffs and bribes have been made/received, and the money is gone. Costs have been sunk. Sorry, campers. Russia it is.
I Heart Breitbartbees
@ascap_scab: How would that be different from their normal broadcasts?
M31
I like the Stoli boycott–it personally affects the pocketbook of a Russian billionaire, and if anyone has a chance to get Putin to back down, it’s them.
Will it work? No, but it might get some attention to quality US vodka producers.
Jane2
@M31: Michael Bloomberg is an American billionaire. How much influence has he had on federal firearms legislation? Squat.
burnspbesq
@JPL:
If you’re not for free speech for people whose ideas make you vomit, you’re not for free speech. It really is that simple.
Randy P
@MomSense: Actually I did watch something like an Olympics c-span in 2012. It might have been on NBC’s site, I don’t recall. But whoever it was had enough streaming video including prelims for me to quickly reach saturation. Totally unedited.
There was so much in fact that I never got to see Gabby Douglas do her thing because I didn’t make time to watch the hours and hours of women’s competition in gymnastics.
Bill Murray
NBC is covering the World Track and Field Championships which are in Moscow and they have had one of their 5 minute spots on the issue of homosexuals and Russia. It featured Greg Louganis
Origuy
@I Heart Breitbartbees: Preparing for any big sporting event is more than building facilities. It’s recruiting and training volunteers, scheduling buses, booking hotels, designing and making the awards, scheduling the events, etc.
The Red Pen
@Hawes:
We could just think of it as “International Brotherhood Month” (be grateful it doesn’t last all year!) and sweep the nastiness under the rug.
I don’t really care. The only International sports event I’m attending next year is the Hockey World Championships in Minsk. If anyone else is going, we can do a BJ meetup. I suggest Sushi Manga, but I’m open.
I Heart Breitbartbees
@Origuy: Oh well, maybe we could bend them over like Ned Beatty in Deliverance over some trade dispute until they cry for mercy. It wouldn’t be great for us, but at least it’s not China.
Ruckus
@raven:
You mean I’m gunna have to go out and steal a TV and cable service so I can keep up my patriotic duties and watch NBC? Cause I sure not going to spend any of my hard lost money to to it.
Once again we need to follow the money and boycott that. NBC paid 4 billion? Just for the rights? And what is the production going to cost? That’s going to be some pretty expensive advertising. Boycott the advertisers and NBC. That will be far more productive.
Rorgg
agita.
TG Chicago
Bob Costas is usually a cornerstone of NBC’s Olympics coverage. And he spoke out against guns on the air after that NFL player killed his girlfriend then himself. So unless Costas is backwards on gay rights (unlikely, I’d think), I bet he’ll bring it up.
Still, I’d much rather see the IOC move the games. It seems the only reasonable solution.
Heliopause
I don’t recall NBC interrupting their puff pieces to tell us how Canada is trying to destroy the entire world for the sake of short-term profit, or how the USA rounded up its native population into internment camps, extinguishing some groups in the process. Or maybe they did and I just missed it. Lucky me, I get Canadian TV on my cable package and I don’t have to watch Triumph des Willens on NBC at all if I don’t want to.
accidentalfission
@hildebrand: The new 30 year update to Carl Sagan’s Cosmos was produced with the help of Ann Drunyan and Neil DeGrasse Tyson and will stream from Netflix in 2014.
I wonder if streaming Sochi Olympics will be avaialbe from somewhere?