Why is NBC 'Medal Count' for the 2008 Beijing Olympics different?

Question

I was on NBC's website and I saw that they count how many Medals a country wins instead of how many Gold Medals a country wins. Why? I saw CBC and BBC count how many Gold Medals a country wins. Even the official site of the 2008 Olympics counts how many Gold Medals a country wins. Is it because China has more Gold Medals putting USA at second? I think that is so sad! OH poor Americans...They also keep complaining about the scores in Gymnastics...I am not rascist and I'm from USA...This is just my opinion!

Answer 1

I have 30 gold 20silvers and 10 bronze

you have 35 gold

all my medals are still worth more than yours together and since the olympics is a fight between the world they might as well make it 1 medal regardless of color

if it were only a few contries in the olympics it would make more sense to have a point system but since its all up for grabs for any1 they make it equal

Answer 2

I'm pretty sure that that is why NBC has it like that, but what you have to understand is that this does not happen just in America. I always read people accusing America of this and while America does this, so does every other country in the world. We don't live in other countries so we don't see it, but I can assure that it is there.  

Answer 3

National Past time of the Americans = Whine

They whine about everything.  

Answer 4

The US has always counted all medals as they feel one medal is as important as another as far as accomplishment.  They also give a tally of Golds and NBC on tv, when announcing daily tallies,  always announces that China is way ahead of US in the winning of Gold medals.

Answer 5

So true. Everyone knows that total Gold medals followed by total Silver etc. determine the medals table order.

It's funny that the US should do that as the country epitomizes Winning is everything and Second is nowhere.

Answer 6

NBC, Yahoo, and most everyone else has always done total medal counts on their main pages.  Thats nothing new at all.

Getting gold is of course best, but when you get all golds and very few bronze and silvers, thats showing that you're focusing more on just certain events where you can cherry-pick gold medals with one really good athlete.  Aside from gymnastics and diving, most of China's golds are in obscure sports like shooting.

Having a solid overall medal count is indicative of a strong overall national sports program that's producing competitive athletes. America's been doing well and is still ahead in total medals, even DESPITE the fact that many of the US's athletes that were expected to medal, like in shotput and boxing, didnt.  That shows that the US program can routinely produce actual quality competition across the board, not just one-and-dones.

Answer 7

the people in the USA count differently to the rest of the world... and are very eager to make every medal count.... after all it may well mean the difference between first and second... and while people from the US are eager to point out that they have a history of counting this way saying they consider that all colour medals are a grand acheivment and should be credited as such... it seems to be more contentious these games as the US seem set to be displaced from the first place by the Chinese on the official tally boards and in the eyes of the world.... not an issue in the recent past... and coming across as sour grapes from the americans to many outside that country....

but, I ask, had micheal Phelps.. achieved 8 bronze medals at these olympics, rather than 8 gold medals, would they still be calling him the greatest as I have seen so many american do on these boards? (and btw do not agree with as it seems to disparage other olympians outstanding achievements), great yes but would they be singing his praises to this extent were his medals of a different colour... clearly gold does mean more than silver or bronze to the USA....

... and, I suspect, ultimately, means that gold means more to many of them than they will care to admit to (just look at the threads re the gymnastics), when defining the overall tallys...

Answer 8

The official site listed the US as ranked 1 because of total medals. It did show China with much more gold but the ranking went by total medals. Also, go to h**l everybody else complaining about America.

Answer 9

The IOC orders Countries by Gold Medals

the U.S. sites, and even the U.S. Yahoo site has us ahead for simple appeasment

just switch over to

http://uk.yahoo.com/

and it shows the proper way, and how the rest of the world should see the medal counts

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s***w the point system, it is all about the Gold

as far as ranking the countries

Look at the 1964 medal counts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Summer...

The U.S. is listed first because it has the most golds

eventhough the Soviet Union had more medals