Not only is the over-the-top jingoist and inane commentary contrary to the ideals of the Olympic games, the 3-6 hour tape-delay and excessive editing to make room for commercials is unacceptable in an era of Twitter and live streaming.

NBC has shown contempt and derision for its American audience, saying:

"It was never our intent to live stream the Opening Ceremony or Closing Ceremony. They are complex entertainment spectacles that do not translate well online because they require context, which our award-winning production team will provide for the large prime-time audiences that gather together to watch them.[1]"

It's clear that being able to pay top dollar does not indicate competence or humility on the part of the broadcaster and it should be the IOC's responsibility to ensure a basic experience for all the viewers of the Olympic games when possible.

Short of banning NBC from bidding on the rights to broadcast the Olympic games, stipulating a set of guidelines that must be followed by the winning broadcasters would also be a step in the right direction.

1. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-olympics-nbc-defends-blackout-20120727,0,6531230.story