Watching lesser know atheletes from lesser known countries win in lesser known countries is a good reminder that the world is a lot bigger than we usually remember. And that just getting to the Olympics is all sorts of amazing.

Of the hundreds of options of competitions, there isn't even one where I could dream of coming in 18th.

Go Dude for Togo!!

Or anything other than a 15 second clip of archery, badminton (dang, so fast!), handball (what a great place for wanna-be NBA stars to rock!), modern pentathalon, rhythmic gymnastics (ribbons, and hoops, and balls, oh my!), sailing, shooting, softball (rocks!), synchronized swimming (gorgeous, except for the all-too-necessary noseclips), TKD, *and Field*, trampoline (unbelievable), triathlon, weightlifting, and wrestling (*both* kinds).

There is so much more to the Olympics than the build up to an American win or loss, so much more in the competition itself as it unfolds rather than the predigested 'up-close-and-personal' clips we get to build up the drama that's left in the time-delay editing.

Take a risk, NBC.

I was shocked by NBC's take on the 4x100 relay victory of the United States. A 32-year-old veteran swims the most incredible relay leg in history and NBC's headline is,

"Phelps wins gold medal #x"

What do we see over and over again? Phelps celebrating. I'm guessing, by the sheer volume of Phelps-ernalia that NBC decides beforehand what the stories will be. That way they can get all the shots of the athletes and relatives back home. Evidently NBC has decided this years stars will be 1) Michael Phelps 2) Shawn Johnson 3) the Redeem Team 4) Tyson Gay and to hell with everyone else.

And it's not like Americans don't participate in the sport....

Every junior high, high school and most colleges have a wrestling team.

I have a theory that there might be more coverage this time - there are women wrestlers....

If that's what it takes ----

The secret to getting the most out of the Olympics (as a viewer, that is) is to stay away from NBC and the supposed glamour events. Look to MSNBC, USA, heck even the Korean channel, where the sports are more interesting and infrequently interrupted by ads and overblown special features. Who needs NBC's coverage of synchronized diving when team handball is on in Korean?

Seriously, things had been bad for awhile, but after realizing that I would never see the sports I wanted to see in the coverage, I've given up.

I will say that Kaufman's description of the Togo win brought a tear to my eye. Those are the moments I love, but professional basketball players, swimmers who might as well be pros, and an insistence on glamor sports mean that type of coverage is rare.

Why watch?