Beijing Olympics: Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak, Speedos, Bikinis and Bush
By Ed Martin TV / Video Download Archives
When those Ten Best Moments of 2008 lists are compiled by television critics a few months from now, new Olympic swimming sensation Jason Lezak’s power push in the final two seconds of the men’s 4x100 freestyle relay Sunday night should appear on most of them -- unless the seemingly inevitable moment coming a few days from now when Michael Phelps completes his mission to win a record-breaking eight gold medals in a single Olympiad is deemed more worthy.
Lezak’s amazing grab at for the gold may not have been as seismic as David Tyree’s once-in-a-lifetime game-winning catch earlier this year during the final two minutes of Super Bowl XLII, which propelled the New York Giants to a last-minute victory over the New England Patriots and also belongs on those Ten Best lists. But it was historic nevertheless. Indeed, the First Great Moment of the XXIX Summer Olympics was thrilling for everyone, including television viewers on the east coast who were up past their bed times savoring NBC’s ongoing coverage of the Beijing Games, which has been, in a word, grand from night one, with its presentation of the dazzling opening ceremony.
There will be much more to say about the Games during the next two weeks, and given the magnitude of coverage it will be increasingly difficult to come up with anything worth commenting on that has not already been dissected to death, at least online. With that in mind, I offer the following talking points, if only to enliven the ongoing conversation:
First, let’s talk about those teeny-weeny bikinis worn by the Women’s Beach Volleyball players. This is not exactly a new topic, but it surely made for a lively debate at a barbecue I attended on Saturday night – a festive outdoor gathering that was cut short by the lure of a gorgeous 47-inch flat screen in my hosts’ family room and the opportunity to watch scantily clad women in feverish athletic competition in awesome high-definition. The women in the room were appalled at the spectacle of female athletes baring almost all for no apparent reason, while the men had no problem with it and were utterly transfixed. Our hostess, Thea, was especially disgusted. She wanted to know why male beach volleyball players wore tank tops and board shorts while women were made to wear next to nothing by comparison while competing in the same sport. She was further distressed later in the evening at the sight of male swimmers wearing high-tech body-covering swimming suits.
“Let me get this straight,” Thea grumbled. “The men are wearing more clothing to swim in than the women are wearing to play volleyball.”
Second, let’s talk about those Speedo LZR Racers and other new competition swimwear. There were so many super-close calls during swimming competitions over the weekend -- especially the men’s 4x100 freestyle – that I found myself wondering: Are Americans doing as well as they are doing because of their LZRs? I have heard that swimmers who are sponsored by other companies, many from other countries, are already looking to discontinue their association with other swimsuit manufacturers and want to wear Speedo Racers instead. (I don’t know who wears what, but I know they don’t all wear the same brand.) Nobody can argue with the power, skill and sheer determination of Michael Phelps, and nobody can diminish Jason Lezak’s mighty triumph, but shouldn’t all things be equal in these contests? Shouldn’t competitors all wear the same thing? For that matter, shouldn’t Olympic victory fall entirely to an athlete’s body and personal skills rather than his or her clothing (including shoes) and other external elements?
Lastly, was anyone else unsettled this weekend by the oft-repeated sight of President George Bush sitting in the stands at different Olympic events looking like a super-fan? It is one thing for a president to attend the opening ceremonies and represent his country at so all-important an occasion, but quite another for him to remain on site to watch events and happily mingle with athletes while wars are raging in Afghanistan and Iraq and a brand new one is breaking out between Russia and Georgia. Discuss.
Ed Martin
Ed Martin is the chief television and content critic for MediaVillage. He has written about television and internet programming for several Myers publications since 2000, including The Myers Report, The Myers Programming Report, MediaBizBloggers a…
