
If you, like me, were watching the Democratic National Convention, you may have missed this week’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. I’m not really a sports fan, but I’m always a sucker for investigative journalism. So if I’m channel surfing and I see that this show is on, I’ll watch it. But I watched “The Lords of the Rings” the night it aired.  Why was it appointment TV for me? The entire hour was devoted to the Olympics.
In its twenty-one year history, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel has never devoted an entire hour to just one story. But there was so much material here and so much story to tell that I get why they did it. But was is it about the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic movement that provides so much content?
The Summer Olympics will commence in less than two weeks. Not only will the world’s elite athletes converge on Rio (if they haven’t already), but millions of fans will go to Rio to watch live or tune in to watch these contests on television. I’ve been hearing for months how unprepared Rio is for the games and how some athletes have decided to skip this year’s contest. Are they truly safe there? Not only is it possible that the police won’t be able to protect them if violence erupts, but Zika and other viruses are a real concern.
While these challenges are obvious, there are some that are deeper and much harder to root out. One of the big problems is with the IOC itself. While the IOC claims that “our shared humanity is greater than the forces that divide us,” many of their past members have been exposed for corruption. They give great soundbites and their mission statement seems to be one of unity, but some of the countries they’ve given the Olympics to have participated in shocking human rights violations and in quite a few cases, the citizens of the countries where the games were hosted have been left so much worse off than before the IOC was there.
Bryant Gumbel travels to Norway to discover why and how the IOC has worn out their welcome there and why that country has lost all interest in hosting the games.
Bernard Goldberg travels to Sochi to investigate how much the city’s upkeep of the Olympic venues is costing them — and ends up in jail for his trouble. Putin put on a big show when the world was watching. And after the games left and Putin felt his position — and Russia’s — had been elevated after so much exposure, he may have been emboldened to invade the Ukraine and ally himself with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.
Sochi Russian Police:
Sochi Olympic Venues:
Kasparov on Nemtsov Murder:
Jon Frankel travels to Rio and sees how raw sewage is making its way into water where the Olympic athletes are expected to compete and how many of Rio’s sick are (not) being treated by the local hospitals.
Raw Sewage:
Hospital Undercover:
David Scott travels to China and discovers how the IOC continues to turn a blind eye to how citizens were ruthlessly evicted from their homes to make way for Olympic venues. In the run up to the Olympics, journalists were silenced and disappeared over a milk powder scandal that would have tarnished the reputation of the games. When a former member of IOC is questioned about it now, he claims to have been ignorant about it at the time. But now that they know about these abuses, will they be addressed and will anything change?
“The Lords of the Rings” is available on HBO GO, HBO NOW, HBO on Demand and will re-air on HBO multiple times over the next few days. Check your local listings.
Related posts
Classics
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…