It'd be great if you guys could get the RSS feed for the Olympic page up and running. It's not working in Safari.

I am always amazed at those who complain about spoilers. Don't they know that spoilers are performing a valuable public service?

Don't want to sit through the latest snooze-fest M. Night Shamalama movie but still want to know the pathetic "twist" that will have everyone groaning, having just wasted 2 hours of their life to see? Spoilers!!

Have to work late and miss the finale of "So you think you can dance?" Why sit through 2 hours of Tivoed hype and build-up that can never be lived up to by the eventual winner? Spoilers!!

Went into a coma and missed the Superbowl or the 2000 election (this actually happened to a friend of mind)? What's wrong with you? SPOILER!!!!: The friggin' Giants won and Bush stole it! There, I said it!

Life is short. I don't have time to watch everything in its entirety, and that goes double for the Olympics. And "Citizen Kane"! Thank the jeebus for spoilers and their valiant public service!!

Now if someone could just spoil this damn election for me so I know if I should get my hopes up...

King...

You don't actually care about the Oympics and horrible coverage by US television networks, do you?

Why do they show more,"up close and personal" features than actual sporting events?

Why do they only, with a few excetions, events featuring featuring spoiled, classless, American medal winners?

Why don't they ever show the TEAM HANDBALL finals?

I certainly will not watch 1 minute of NBCs Olympic coverage.

Finally, what about adverts for the Olympia Beer Co?

...anything you might tell us too soon. And I never would criticize anything you did not tell us, unless you did not tell us too soon.

But you have not told us anything yet, so fire away! Time zones can be sooooooo tedious!

MrRed King...

What.

You don't actually care about the Oympics and horrible coverage by US television networks, do you?

No. That's why I spend 72, or now 211, hours a day stapled to a chair in front of a TV every two years when the Olympics are on. Because it's a big snooze to me.

Why do they show more,"up close and personal" features than actual sporting events?

They don't. They used to, but not lately. The NBC prime-time show still does too much of this for my taste (that is, any), but doesn't do nearly as much as it or ABC used to. During the bulk of the coverage, all day and overnight on the various hench networks, there's almost none of that stuff. This has been true for several Olympics in a row now.

Why do they only, with a few excetions, events featuring featuring spoiled, classless, American medal winners?

I don't know about spoiled and classless, but NBC shows Americans a lot because it is -- sit down, this is going to shock you -- an American TV network, broadcasting to Americans. In America. Ever read the baseball scores in the San Juan paper? All they talk about is what the Puerto Rican players did. "Dickie Thon went 1-for-8 with a bunt single in the third inning as the Astros beat the Padres 17-16 in 22 innings Tuesday." Imperialists!

Why don't they ever show the TEAM HANDBALL finals?

I think they do. I mean, I've seen team handball. I don't like it so I certainly didn't seek it out. How have I seen it if they don't show it?

I certainly will not watch 1 minute of NBCs Olympic coverage.

Attaboy!

Finally, what about adverts for the Olympia Beer Co?

Joke over my head I think.

...but then, to spoil World Cup matches, you'd have to actually watch a few.

Why all the soccer hatred, Kaufman?

...the TV schedule says that, once again, Modern Pentathalon won't be televised (although it will be available as an online video...what's that you were saying about saving our bosses money?)

I don't know why this isn't a more popular competition. It's a uniquely Olympic event, and I think that, with a little exposure, it could become the curling of the summer games.

For those who don't know:

The original pentathalon at the ancient Olympics supposedly represented the five skills needed by an ancient Greek warrior: sprinting, jumping, wrestling, javelin, and discus. For the first modern Olympics, the pentathalon was updated to reflect the skills required by a "modern" (read: late 19th century) soldier who was trapped behind enemy lines. The five modern events are cross-country running, swimming, fencing, pistol shooting, and horseback riding. As an extra curiosity, because a soldier trapped behind enemy lines would have to ride a strange horse, the competitors don't bring their own, familiar horses, as in other equestrian events, but are randomly paired with horses just before the competition begins.

And yet some people want to get rid of the modern pentathalon and replace it with golf, or ballroom dancing, or korfball...

I had NO IDEA the Olympics were coming up, and then YOU had to come along and completely effing ruin it for me.

Normally I like to just sit around, blankly staring at the television, and every few years or so get delightfully surprised by the seemingly out-of-nowhere appearance of (almost) every country on Earth coming together peacefully to vie for athletic glory.

Thanks a lot, jerk.

Who are watching this live here in US of A , at work (hey it is Friday) using one of the various internet feeds ...

tvuplayer for me

No, wait... That's a winter sport, right?

...is that the spoiler not be in the headline. I remember in one of the previous Olympics when I avoided SI.com, ESPN.com, etc., to miss seeing US Basketball results. I "cleverly" decided to go to NBCOlympics.com for the schedule, the *one place* that I figured wouldn't spoil the results, since after all the reason I hadn't seen it is because their tape-delayed coverage hadn't aired. No such luck.

I do recommend you tune in team handball at least once, though--it's basketball for normal people! It pales in comparison to takraw (the 'volleyball with the feet' game), but that isn't in the Olympics yet.