very simple

For more on the absolute inanity that is the NBC Olympic coverage, this Slate article has a great analysis of the infantilization of gymnasts (in this case including several in their mid-20s). Because when you spend 15-20 years punishing your body into becoming an Olympic powerhouse, what you want to do is answer stupid questions about who takes the longest to wake up in the morning. A snippet:

Then NBC Sports reporter Andrea Joyce turned to Bhardwaj and Hatch, the two twentysomethings:

JOYCE: You guys, the two of you, are about 10 years older, almost, than the rest of your teammates. Who’s going to be the mother hen? Are you?who’s going to be the mom of the group?

BHARDWAJ: I don’t think there needs to be a mom.

HATCH: No, no.

JOYCE: There’s not going to need to be a mom?

KUPETS: Yeah, we’re just teammates.

JOYCE: All right, now we’re getting?just the what?

KUPETS: Just teammates.

JOYCE: All right. But now we’re getting to the really important stuff, because you guys are going to be spending a lot of time together. ? Who’s the one who has to be shaken a couple more times to wake them up?

KUPETS: I don’t know.

HATCH: I think everybody’s really disciplined and …

In the end, Joyce was forced to ask in despair: "Who’s the clown? No clowns? Oh, this is all going to have to come out eventually. ?"

My favorite part is the absolute befuddlement about the fact that a pair of 25-year olds don’t actually need to mother a group of 17-year olds who actually have real mothers who are probably in Athens! I could almost understand these questions if they came from Couric, since she’s just generally a moron, but this was the "sports reporter"!

At least the gymnasts understand the definition of professionalism.

Tags: bitching, television