Why is US media manipulating the overall medal standings and placing the US on top?

Question

It is International Olympic Committee policy to rank the medal standings table according to the number of gold medals, not total medals won. Why are US Web sites placing the US as first when it is clear that the Chinese are smashing all countries (US included) these games on the gold department? What will sites like Yahoo and ESPN do when at the end of the Games, China leads in both departments? Isn't this misleading?

Answer 1

Are you Chinese is that why it is bothering you? Why don't you email people at Yahoo or ESPN and ask them, both companies are American owned wouldn't you think so it makes sense. If we were to get on a Chinese website it would be the total opposite.  

Answer 2

it's just smoke and mirrors mate....nothing to worry about as no one can dispute the real facts - i.e. there will be 302 Olympics Champions by next week, from a host of nations.

Answer 3

If we aren't winning everything, then how can we be the best in the world? I feel another cold war coming on...

Answer 4

The USA cant handle geting beat  

Answer 5

Its pure bitterness. America can't stand to finish second to anyone and its considered a failure to get a medal other than gold. Look at the men's basketball - in 1988 the US only won bronze so in 1992 they stacked their team with multi-millionaire professionals, (who probably couldn't care less about the Olympic ideals), so that they would win gold.

Some countries like Britain are too much the other way in that they celebrate the achievements of their losing athletes, ie: Paula Radcliffe.

Thank goodness Team GB is doing so well for once and is looking good for London in four years time!

Answer 6

China won't lead both departments.  They are terrible at track & Field and the US is probably the best.  So after all is said and done, we will have the most medals and the most golds.  

Answer 7

Just because our media counts the overall medal wins DOES NOT mean that we are not (or does not) acknowledge the total gold wins as well...  

Answer 8

I agree. I think they should rank according to golds too.

The US has a TON of bronze medals. Very misleading indeed.

Answer 9

This question is asked a lot and I think it's so funny the way some people try to explain it by saying it is to give credit to silvers and bronzes. By their logic a country with 100 bronzes would be placed higher than one with 99 golds. Madness really.

Also, a lot of Americans simply deny that this is the first time they've done it like this, despite web searches bringing up loads of US medal tables from 2004 which are ranked by gold medals.

It's worrying how to see how people can be so easily manipulated media machines.

Answer 10

And the media do not want to inform the American public that gold = 5 points, silver = 2 points, bronze = 1 point, and that if the points are being tallied up, USA actually lost by A VERY BIG MARGIN (China leads by 59 points based on points for medals obtained).

But then, the USA media like to cheat and lie, so what they are doing now is not surprising.  **Manipulation is cheating, too.