I didn’t watch the Olympics, did you?

Did anyone out there know the Olympics were going on this month? Based on the national viewership numbers, it appears not. Whether it was because China was the host country or the fact the Olympics just aren’t that personal to many of us anymore, the fact is not many watched the 17 days of coverage.
    After the closing ceremonies Sunday night, it was reported an average of 11.4 million viewers watched the Olympics via NBC’s coverage, the streaming on Peacock and other sites. According to those who watch those numbers, that was the smallest prime time viewership for any Winter Games on record.
    Personally, I love the Olympics, especially the winter version because of the ice skating, skiing and snowboarding events. They are fun and exciting to watch and the U.S. has fielded stars in all of those events.
    However, this year, it was a very personal decision to stay off NBC and Peacock during Olympics coverage. China’s behavior on human rights, its threats to Taiwan and their handling of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who accused a Chinese Communist Party official of sexual abuse, were enough to turn over to other channels. And, let’s not forget where the COVID-19 virus came from and China’s lack of transparency.
    Then you can throw in the scandal surrounding Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who was on track to win the gold but gave a dismal performance after being allowed to compete despite the doping allegations against her.
    The overall viewership wasn’t even helped with a schedule that aired them right after the Super Bowl Feb. 13. That was the biggest night of viewership, according to reports, as 24 million tuned in.  
    It must be pointed out the low numbers above do not take into account those who may have been watching on other places including YouTube. The time difference between live coverage in Beijing and daytime hours in the U.S. may have factored in, too.
    But those factors aren’t likely the biggest reason for low viewership. People just don’t appreciate a Communist China hosting an international event pretending to be something they are not.