Well, did you, the good people of America, enjoy the coverage of the Paralympics? Wasn’t it fantastic? Wasn’t it inspiring? Wasn’t it awesome!
Of course, I don’t expect you to take this question seriously. There was very little interest shown across the pond in this sporting extravaganza.
The US television networks were not keen on offering coverage of the Paralympics, and (as I understand) few if any of the major newspapers have had much to say on the subject. Was there full front-page coverage in the major New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas or L.A. papers? I doubt it. There’s a story going around of an American businessman whose disabled son was due to compete in London. He came to the UK late during the Paralympic programme of events and was handed a British newspaper during his flight to Heathrow. He was astonished to see seven pages in a national newspaper dedicated to the Paralympics. He said, “Is this really happening? What’s going on in London?”
It is impossible to believe that people who so value courage and sacrifice as Americans do, were not interested in supporting their athletes like gold medal cyclist, Joseph Berenyi or gold medal swimmer, Mallory Weggeman. Many American athletes came to London competing after surviving motorcycle accidents, avalanches, comas and disease, being maimed while fighting in Iraq, and a host of other challenges. Why is your media, unwilling to see these Games as sport - instead of a spectacle?
People in the UK (especially the young) now see our Paralympians as a new generation of heroes and role models.
11 million people in Britain watched the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games - exceptionally good viewing figures for Channel 4, and in fact pretty good viewing figures for any TV programme in the modern age of multichannel upon multichannel television.
Despite the United States having one of the largest Paralympic teams, it was reported here that there would be less than 6 hours coverage in total of the Paralympics shown on US TV (Channel 4 showed more hours per day of competition) and some of which will not air until after the end of the Paralympic competition. I find it incredible that in the United States the major TV networks didn’t think there was enough of a demand to give extensive coverage to the Paralympics, despite the fact that global viewership of the Paralympics topped 4 billion!
Is it too much to ask that we afford disabled sport due respect by giving equivalent coverage to the Paralympics that the Olympics gets?
Sadly, the major commercial TV networks in the United States couldn’t find time in their schedules of mundane daytime soap operas and brain-dead quiz shows to air the pinnacle of sporting excellence for people with disabilities.
I hope that because there appears to be a lack of interest for the Paralympics by the US media, that people with disabilities are not still marginalised in the United States.
Graham, I hear you loud and clear and couldn't agree more! You have no idea how angry it made me to not be able to find TV or live streaming coverage! :bitching:
When I was in high school, in 1979, I volunteered at what used to be called "California Communities Pool for the Handicapped" (now "California Aquatic Therapy & Wellness Center"), in Long Beach. It was amazing to see what some of those people could do in the water.
For those of us who saw Roderick Sewell, a 19 year old double amputee, compete at Auburn Nationals and at the Auburn meet, last February, we were treated to some amazing swims for someone missing two lower legs. :agree:
Thank you, Graham, for a well-written post on a subject that definitely hit a nerve with me. :chug:
Edit: Forumites, check out this video: Swimming - Men's 100m Butterfly - S9 Final - London 2012 Paralympic Games - YouTube I don't know about any of you, but I would have loved to have seen this in prime time on TV! And, how about this one? Swimming - Men's 50m Breaststroke - SB2 Heat 1 - London 2012 Paralympic Games - YouTube
please provide some statistics of britain's great interest and press coverage in the paralympics of those years not hosting the event... then maybe your little holier than thou rant will carry some weight.
Regardless, Graham has an excellent point about the Paralympics not getting the press and TV coverage it deserves here, in the U.S.A.
David, please keep it civil.
Graham, as mentioned by other posters, there wasn’t much televised coverage of the Paralympics games, which was unfortunate.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet a few of the USA Paralympians and these are some amazing people. For example, Curtis Lovejoy of Atlanta was competing at his 5th Paralympics games. And not only is he a world class Paralympian he is an amazing role model and a pleasure to be around. His passion for life, swimming and helping others is truly inspirational.
One thing that I think affected the interest level here in the U.S. was how long after the Olympics the Paralympics occurred. I thought it was going to follow more or less immediately rather than weeks later.
please provide some statistics of britain's great interest and press coverage in the paralympics of those years not hosting the event... then maybe your little holier than thou rant will carry some weight.
I agree with Dave. Graham's post was full of negative assumptions. And how about his first sentence -- "Of course, I don’t expect you to take this question seriously." Sounded like he was attempting to give us a scolding when he has no idea how people here regard the Paralympics.
Any negatives were aimed at your media organisations, not at Americans in general. Of course, I don't know how the American people regard the Paralympics. I just feel it's a shame that your television channels didn't see fit to make it priority viewing. An opportunity missed.
I agree 100% about our media. As for your negative comments, I didn't feel you were aiming them at the American public at all; it seems to me as if you were misunderstood.
It's too bad the American media didn't give the American public a chance to even form an opinion! :bitching:
Is it too much to ask that we afford disabled sport due respect by giving equivalent coverage to the Paralympics that the Olympics gets?
Actually, yes, I think it is too much to ask. The media has an obligation to cover what people are interested in. At this point in time more people are interested in the Olympics than the Paralympics.
There are lots of inspiring stories and performances at the Paralympics, but the bottom line is the athletes at the Olympics are the greatest athletes in the world with no caveats attached (OK, maybe the caveat is that they must test clean). The Paralympic athletes are the greatest disabled athletes in the world--so there's that "disabled" caveat. It's sort of like comparing the NBA and the WNBA. There are plenty of great athletes in both leagues, but there's always going to be much greater interest and coverage of the NBA because these are THE greatest basketball players.
Actually, yes, I think it is too much to ask. The media has an obligation to cover what people are interested in.
TV barely ever covers most Olympic/Paralympic sports, regardless of who is doing them or for what glory. They don't cover Masters swimming, for instance. Just in terms of what non-swimmers might want to watch on TV, I doubt blind swimming is any more compelling than old swimming.
I did see a number of written news articles about the Paralympics, and good photojournalism. The NYT had an article about a guy who swam a 4:33 400 free one year to the day after losing his sight to an IED in (I think) Afghanistan, and another about the service in the Olympic Village that assisted athletes in repairing or replacing prostheses, wheelchairs, etc. Also a few stories involving Oscar Pistorius that raised (to me) very interesting questions about ability, disability, and technology.
please provide some statistics of britain's great interest and press coverage in the paralympics of those years not hosting the event... then maybe your little holier than thou rant will carry some weight.
Well, did you, the good people of America, enjoy the coverage of the Paralympics? Wasn’t it fantastic? Wasn’t it inspiring? Wasn’t it awesome!
Of course, I don’t expect you to take this question seriously. There was very little interest shown across the pond in this sporting extravaganza.
The US television networks were not keen on offering coverage of the Paralympics, and (as I understand) few if any of the major newspapers have had much to say on the subject. Was there full front-page coverage in the major New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas or L.A. papers? I doubt it. There’s a story going around of an American businessman whose disabled son was due to compete in London. He came to the UK late during the Paralympic programme of events and was handed a British newspaper during his flight to Heathrow. He was astonished to see seven pages in a national newspaper dedicated to the Paralympics. He said, “Is this really happening? What’s going on in London?”
It is impossible to believe that people who so value courage and sacrifice as Americans do, were not interested in supporting their athletes like gold medal cyclist, Joseph Berenyi or gold medal swimmer, Mallory Weggeman. Many American athletes came to London competing after surviving motorcycle accidents, avalanches, comas and disease, being maimed while fighting in Iraq, and a host of other challenges. Why is your media, unwilling to see these Games as sport - instead of a spectacle?
People in the UK (especially the young) now see our Paralympians as a new generation of heroes and role models.
11 million people in Britain watched the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games - exceptionally good viewing figures for Channel 4, and in fact pretty good viewing figures for any TV programme in the modern age of multichannel upon multichannel television.
Despite the United States having one of the largest Paralympic teams, it was reported here that there would be less than 6 hours coverage in total of the Paralympics shown on US TV (Channel 4 showed more hours per day of competition) and some of which will not air until after the end of the Paralympic competition. I find it incredible that in the United States the major TV networks didn’t think there was enough of a demand to give extensive coverage to the Paralympics, despite the fact that global viewership of the Paralympics topped 4 billion!
Is it too much to ask that we afford disabled sport due respect by giving equivalent coverage to the Paralympics that the Olympics gets?
Sadly, the major commercial TV networks in the United States couldn’t find time in their schedules of mundane daytime soap operas and brain-dead quiz shows to air the pinnacle of sporting excellence for people with disabilities.
I hope that because there appears to be a lack of interest for the Paralympics by the US media, that people with disabilities are not still marginalised in the United States.
Just in terms of what non-swimmers might want to watch on TV, I doubt blind swimming is any more compelling than old swimming.
Would this be compelling enough for you?
Swimming - Men's 50m Backstroke - S5 Final - London 2012 Paralympic Games - YouTube
