Today, on a happier note, we can report that NBC have done just that – apologised.
Earlier this week, the gay entertainment blog AfterElton.com led the protests about NBC’s coverage, only for the US television network to issue their lame excuses. AfterElton.com pointed out exactly how much time NBC did devote to many other athletes’ personal stories during its coverage of the Games:
Michael Phelp[s]’s record setting eight Olympic gold medals and his relationship with his mother, Usain Bolt’s gold medals and world records, and even Sanya Richard’s relationship with her fiancée who plays for the New York Giants.
Was Mitcham’s win simply not that noteworthy? Given that he single-handedly kept the Chinese from winning every men’s diving gold medal, that explanation is highly unlikely.
At the time, Greg Hughes, a spokesperson for NBC Sports, responded pathetically:
We don’t show everyone. We don’t show every ceremony. It’s not possible to cover the entire personal story of every athlete regarding their performance. It’s just not possible to single out coverage.
However, according to a story in Pink News, Gary Zenkel, NBC’s head of Olympics, has told AfterElton.com that they were at fault:
We regret that we missed the opportunity to tell Matthew Mitcham's story. We apologise for this unintentional omission.
The story is being widely reported in the Australian media, and you can read all our coverage of Matthew Mitcham here.
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