For the past two weeks the Olympics have provided some amazing performances, new records, some great memories – and yes, an unfortunate bit of controversy. What were NAPA Net readers’ favorite moment(s)?
First off, how much of this Olympics did readers watch? Well, it varied – the most common response, cited by nearly 39%, was “I’ve lost track,” while another 23% had watched more than eight hours’ worth, and 8% characterized it as “every waking moment.” On the other hand, roughly a quarter (22%) had only checked in for “an hour or two,” and the remaining 8% said it was maybe five or six hours. “It was usually on, but whether I was truly watching it was another thing,” explained one reader.
2016 Favorite Moment(s)
So, among those who watched, what were their favorite moment(s)? Well, for some it really was a moment:
- Swimmer Lilly King's comments after her breast stroke win. Dissed the Russians for cheating.
- Of course I love all the heartrending USA stories, but one of my favorites was the swimmer from Singapore who had a photo taken with Michael Phelps when he was just a young kid. (Beijing Olympics, perhaps?) Now 8-10 years later he beat Phelps in his signature event, the 100M butterfly, and won his country’s first-ever gold medal.
- Women’s 10k breaking the world record, Galen Rupp winning bronze at his second marathon ever.
- Watching the South African swimmer try to intimidate Michael Phelps.
- Great scenes from the women’s gymnastics and track teams.
- Seeing Michael Phelps kiss his son!
- Hamblin and D'Agostino's sportsmanship on the track... hands down.
- Usain Bolt’s 9th gold medal performance in the relay.
- USA women sweeping the podium in the 100M hurdles.
- Swimmer Katie Ledecky, at 19 years old, breaking her own world record (for the 13th time!) and finishing so far ahead of the competition in the women’s 800M freestyle. Amazing that someone so young can be so dominant in a sport.
And for some it was just a person:
- Katie Ledecky
- Michael Phelps
- Usain Bolt
Reader Comments
A sampling of reader comments about the Olympics:
- I live in the Chicago suburbs and I was so glad Chicago lost the Olympics to Rio. We saved billions of dollars and avoided massive traffic jams. The Olympics is usually a big loser for the host country or city.
- Enjoy watching them but it gets to be a little much with over two weeks of viewing.
- The Brazilians sure know how to have a party as shown by the closing ceremonies. In spite of all of the negative press prior to the Olympics, Rio staged a very successful Olympics Games.
- if Ryan Lochte is done as a swimmer, perhaps he should run for office... he seems to have a propensity for telling half-truths and bending a story to suit his needs...
- Women's gymnastics and women's basketball winning gold. Wish the NBC team talked less, especially during the closing ceremony.
- The athletes work super hard and are very impressive to watch. Go Team USA!
All-Time Favorites
But what about an all-time favorite Olympic moment? Well, some were pretty generic:
- Women’s basketball
- Gymnastics
- LOVE all the swimming!
- Every moment Torvill and Dean were on the ice
- Any time that U.S. flag is hoisted while The Star-Spangled Banner is playing... gives me chills every time.
And some were personal: “As a kid, I played the McDonalds game, and I had the 100M dash. For a Gold, you got a Big Mac. For a Silver, you got a fries, and a Bronze got you a drink. Around 1980??? USA had a sweep in the event and my whole meal was free.”
But as for the most-cited all-time favorite Olympic moments by this week’s respondents, they were:
- Nadia Comaneci’s perfect 10
- Michael Phelps in London
- Kerri Strugg’s vault with a sprained ankle and when her coach carried her afterwards
Muhammad Ali lighting the cauldron in Atlanta - When the Dream Team won gold!
But our NAPA Net reader poll gold medal winner was… 1980’s Miracle on Ice – which was cited so often, I thought you’d enjoy watching it again.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our weekly NAPA Net reader poll!
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