Whats going on with the olympics announcers?

Question

So I was watching the 2008 Olympics women's gymnastics all-around, which is my first time ever watching an Olympics event, and I must say that I was hooked but not because of the talent and hard work that was demonstrated and not because of the two Americans that received the silver and gold medals but because of how the announcers on NBC were criticizing the Chinese gymnasts. First of all I must say that I am not a huge fan of the Olympics and am not cheering for anyone but just happened to catch it on TV. So I was watching this event and while doing this I noticed that the announcers on NBC were constantly criticizing the Chinese performances and kept adding that the Americans did way better. I can see why they did this because there rooting for there team, but then I noticed that other female gymnasts from other countries started to perform and the announcers were complimenting them. This continues throughout the whole event and I start to think, "Why were most of the things NBC said about the Chinese negative?" I then start to wonder has this happened in past Olympic competitions. And why did NBC criticize the Chinese team constantly and make a big deal out of every little mistake they saw. Am I being to over dramatic about it? Or has anyone else noticed it? Again, this question is coming from a guy that does not watch the Olympics normally nor has any knowledge on it; I just caught it on TV.

Answer 1

I noticed this too, which is why I had to mute my television. The woman commentator was absolutely useless. Oh if I had a nickel for everytime a person accuses China of cheating..  

Answer 2

americans don't like to lose. that's the bottom line. They are the biggest crybabies in the world. the announcers simply show how the rest of america (at least most of the country) is thinking.

it is a shame really.

I too am neutral, I just watch for the fun... but when those idiots open their mouths I get so frustrated. America is not unbeatable, and sometimes things don't go your way.. get over it. don't look for excuses. that makes you seem less civilized in my opinion,

But mute is the only option.

Answer 3

The announcers believed the judges were favoring the chinese competitors and giving them higher scores than they deserved and giving the americans lower scores.

The new scoring system sucks!

Answer 4

The announcers began to be critical when they noticed that the Chinese were getting very high scores although they were making several big mistakes.  The U.S. comparatively weren't getting very good scores when they were performing at the same (or better level).

The announcers may have gone over the top, but the scoring needs to be a little more consistent as well.

Answer 5

Because China is cheating. Those gymnasts are too young to be eligible.

Everyone knows it.

Plus the judging was atrocious.

Answer 6

yeah it's not really polite of them.  how would they feel if someone did the exact same thing to them? it's a shame