Here’s the problem

Athletes train hard, often for their entire lives, to compete at world class levels and represent their countries at the Olympic Games.  It is typical that there is sacrifice from the athletes and their families, support from friends and neighbors.  In countries where there is no fully supporting national program communities will come together to support the athletes.  Dreams are realized and broken in the effort to reach the Olympics and during the Games themselves.

The Olympics are about individual and team effort, skill, support, endurance and character.  They are about elite athletic ability and performance.  There is a natural drama and elegance to Olympic competition.

That drives the network crazy.  They want to be in control.  They want to be the ones who create the story so that the Olympic Games are about the presentation.  Otherwise, what are they there for?  If the Games come with a built-in narrative then who needs a network and its commentators to build that narrative?  If you care about the sport and the athletes, then all the TV needs to do is point the cameras and provide an audio program so you know who is who.

But then the Olympics would be about the sports and the athletes and not about the network and there’s just too much ego there to let that happen.