Rio Confidential: How NBC hijacked Michael Phelps’ Olympics swimming farewell

MICHAEL PHELPS’ last-ever Olympic swim showed once and for all who was king of the pool in Rio, writes MIKE COLMAN.

MICHAEL Phelps’ last-ever Olympic swim showed once and for all who was king of the pool in Rio. NBC.

If it wasn’t enough that everyone in the stands — athletes, journalists and spectators alike — were there way past midnight because TV network NBC decreed that all swimming finals should start at 10pm local time to fit in with prime viewing periods in the US, they then held up the medal ceremony the best part of an hour so they could interview Phelps and film him with his family.

The large crowd, which had paid big money to be part of Olympic history, were forced to sit listening to the same three songs blaring out through the sound system at full volume, over and over again.

The feelings of excitement and goodwill that had filled the aquatic centre as Phelps played a key role in his team’s win in the 4x100m medley relay — and then headed under the stand to a standing ovation — were soon sucked out of the building like air from a balloon.

Michael Phelps poses with his gold medal from the 4x100m medley relay.

The more the giant screen exhorted, ‘Make Some Noise’ and the pool announcer boomed, “enjoy the music”, the more disillusioned the crowd became. As 10 minutes became 20, 30, 40 and 45, with no sight of Phelps, the PA system was drowned out by whistles and boos.

By the time he and his teammates arrived for the presentation of Phelps’ 23rd gold medal, the ceremony was something of an anticlimax. The tears of emotion that Phelps had shed earlier in the week after winning his 19th gold medal were nowhere to be seen.

The only member of the Phelps family to be bawling his eyes out was his three-month-old son Boomer. It was way past his bedtime — to which the media covering the meet would say, “we know how you feel kid”.

For eight nights, reporters and photographers had arrived in plenty of time for the 10pm start, and with post-race interviews, press conferences and producing copy, followed by a two-bus ride to their accommodation, would not be in bed before 4am — then be back in time for start of the heat session at 1pm.

Michael Phelps speaks during a media conference in Rio de Janeiro.

All so that NBC could beam their Olympic coverage into the homes of tens of millions of interested Americans.

Except they weren’t interested.

According to Nielsen, NBC’s ratings for the Opening Ceremony were down 35 per cent on those recorded four years ago and overall Olympic viewing is down 20 per cent from London.

The reason is that NBC — or No Bloody Clue as they are known in Rio — decided to dedicate its early live coverage to the Michael Phelps Show, while showing other events on delay.

With so many other streaming options enabling viewers to watch sport live on any number of platforms from phones to tablets to laptops, not too many are sticking around to watch NBC replays of events in which they already knew the results.

They were going to bed at a sensible time. Which is what we wish we could have done. Thanks very much, No Bloody Clue.

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Originally published as Rio Confidential: How NBC hijacked Michael Phelps’ Olympics swimming farewell