Television Coverage of US Running Events Continues to Suck
500 channels and no live coverage
This year, for the first time in US history, the Olympic Trials Marathon, for both men and women, will be held at the same time and at the same venue. This is a terrific opportunity to showcase our sport!
Sadly, Unless you’ve got a ticket to Houston, or are unlucky enough to live there, the only television coverage you’ll get to see of the Olympic Trials marathon will be a two-hour, tape delayed version at 3:00 PM Eastern Time on NBC.
Take out the 30 minutes of commercials, and that leaves about 90-minutes to cover a nearly three hour event. Take out the required 20-minutes of athlete interviews and jibber-jabber, and that leaves maybe 70-minutes of actual running.