The Internet Has Always Hated NBC's Olympics Coverage
The internet is having a tantrum over NBC's terrible coverage of the Olympics. It's an entertaining spectacle, but nothing new. Since the early days of the World Wide Web, it's been used to shit on NBC's coverage of the Olympics.
The fantastic Twitter account wwwtxt, which tweets real quotes from old message boards and Usenet groups, has dug up some vintage griping from the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Amazing how little has changed in two decades:
NBC "coverage" of the Olympics is about the worst I've ever seen.There's 30% sports, 30% fluff, and 40% commercials. ☯92JUL
— wwwtxt (1988–94) (@wwwtxt) July 30, 2012
You can tell this was the first year Bob Costas hosted:
By the way, I like the NBC Olympics circus. They have a wide selection of buffoons. ☯92AUG
— wwwtxt (1988–94) (@wwwtxt) July 28, 2012
Even back then, snobby "cable-cutters" were above it all:
The Summer Olympics is coming and I wish to catch it, but I don't want to acquire ‘cable' for the only thing I'd watch all season. ☯92JUN
— wwwtxt (1988–94) (@wwwtxt) July 30, 2012
And this person's faith in the market was proven unfounded:
NBC screw the viewers-and the market forces screw them. Survivial of the fittest. ☯92AUG
— wwwtxt (1988–94) (@wwwtxt) July 30, 2012
Bonus CBS complaining:
On a related note, could anyone supply me with an address/phone number so I can complain about CBS' weak Olympics coverage? ☯92FEB
— wwwtxt (1988–94) (@wwwtxt) July 30, 2012
The internet Olympics backlash was always there, as if complaining about Olympics coverage was built into the very architecture of the World Wide Web. The difference is, back then a bunch of computer geeks complaining on Usenet groups didn't amount to much. But today, with the #NBCfail hashtag trending and Twitter-addicted journalists joining in, the internet has become an unstoppable whining machine. The squeaky gears of progress turn on.
