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We keep hearing about NBC's ratings problems, as we see in this report: At the halfway point of the XXIII Winter Olympics, things are certainly feeling a little chilly for both Team USA and NBC. As last night's primetime coverage displayed, even with the surprise silver in the short-track speedskating that John-Henry Krueger scored, both the medal count for America's athletes and the ratings for the broadcaster are struggling to gain traction in the PyeongChang games. Currently, Team USA is in sixth place with 10 overall medals, just behind the Russian competitors, and tied for third in gold medals with...

Racism is becoming a huge topic at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, in large part because of the uptick in Black athletes participating in the games. Greater diversity and inclusion has unfortunately opened the doors to more racist critics and incidents, including one involving speed skater Shani Davis. The Opening Ceremony featured several athletes carrying flags for their countries on Friday morning, but noticeably absent was Davis, who was the first Black athlete to win individual gold at a Winter Olympics at the 2006 Turin Games. He boycotted the festivities after saying that Team USA “dishonorably” chose women’s luge veteran...

If recent trends continue, it’ll only get worse. ... NBC* paid $963 million for the rights to air the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, a 24 percent jump over the $775 million it paid for the last Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. ... Viewership declines aren’t really surprising, as similar trends have unfolded across the TV landscape and viewers opt for on-demand and online entertainment alternatives. Even football and the Super Bowl — considered the last holdouts where advertisers could guarantee huge live audiences would be watching — are not immune.

Olympic Athlete Prayer Guide Thanks for creating ______ in the image of God. Send blessing and peace into his/her life. Make ______ a blessing to those he/she encounters and use his/her athletic skills to bring honor and glory to God. Help ______ to physically compete and perform to the maximum of his/her God-given abilities. May ______ exhibit the true Olympic spirit of competition by holding his/her opponents in high esteem both on and off the field/venue. Help ______ to be a strong role model in lifestyle, athletic preparation, performance, and post performance comments and attitudes. May ______ represent his/her country...

Vice President Mike Pence will work to undermine any North Korean attempt to normalize its regime at the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea, according to a report."The vice president will remind the world that everything the North Koreans do at the Olympics is a charade to cover up the fact that they are the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet," one of Pence's aides told Axios of Pence's role as leader of the White House's delegation to the sporting event. "We are seeing unprecedented level of international cooperation on the maximum pressure strategy targeting the...

The country’s women ice hockey team launched an attack on the government following its decision to raise the team’s roster from 23 to more than 30 to include athletes from the hermit kingdom. "Taking roster spots from South Korean athletes who have put so much effort for the Olympics - a dream stage for all South Korean athletes - for the North Koreans is not fair at all." "We are utterly speechless that the government just picked us out of blue and asked us to play with total strangers at the Olympics.” A survey released by the office of the...

The Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Russia from the Winter Olympics in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang. On December 17, the IOC prohibited the use of Russian national symbols at the Games. On January 16, 2018, it was reported that a special commission of the International Olympic Committee was going to consider a possibility to let Russian athletes use the flag of the Soviet Union during the Games in Pyeongchang. "These are proposals from certain officials, members of public chambers," Leonid Tyagachev, honorary president of the Russian Olympic Committee, told Pravda.Ru. "We have the final...

Graham: I 'fully believe that if North Korea goes to the Winter Olympics, we do not' Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday said if North Korea goes to the Winter Olympics, the U.S. should not attend. "Allowing Kim Jong Un’s North Korea to participate in #WinterOlympics would give legitimacy to the most illegitimate regime on the planet," Graham tweeted. "I’m confident South Korea will reject this absurd overture and fully believe that if North Korea goes to the Winter Olympics, we do not." Lindsey Graham ✔ @LindseyGrahamSC Allowing Kim Jong Un’s North Korea to participate in #WinterOlympics would give legitimacy...

Russia’s Olympic team has been barred from the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The country’s government officials are forbidden to attend, its flag will not be displayed at the opening ceremony and its anthem will not sound. Any athletes from Russia who receive special dispensation to compete will do so as individuals wearing a neutral uniform, and the official record books will forever show that Russia won zero medals. That was the punishment issued Tuesday to the proud sports juggernaut that has long used the Olympics as a show of global force but was exposed for systematic doping...

"The chemist who helped Russia's athletes benefit from banned substances kept very detailed notes, which the International Olympic Committee is relying on as it decides what penalities to impose on Russia before the Pyeongchang Games." Olympic officials will announce their decision Dec. 5. If they do not bar Russia completely from the coming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, they are likely to keep all Russian emblems out of the games: The Russian flag would not fly at the opening and closing ceremony, Russian athletes would compete in neutral uniforms and the Russian anthem would not be played. Such restrictions,...

Less than four months remain until the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, but sluggish ticket sales and lodging reservations could spell trouble for Korea’s first Winter Games. The organizing committee for the Winter Games on Wednesday released preliminary numbers for ticket sales, which showed that 30.3 percent of 1.07 million tickets have been sold so far. About 20.7 percent of 760,000 tickets released to the Korean general public have been sold, while 59.7 percent of 320,000 tickets reserved for foreigners have been sold.

The Winter Olympics will be in PyeongChang, South Korea beginning on February 9th 2018 and ending on February 25th 2018. With North Korea constantly firing ICBM's as well as talking about nuclear testing, it could make for more than an interesting Winter Olympics. PyeongChang is basically on the same parallel of South Korea as Seoul but on the Eastern side of the peninsula. My understanding is that there are 20,000 artillery pieces aimed at South Korea and many in range of Seoul -- I believe a city of 20,000,000 or more.

"The Koreans put in a determined bid, stressing their virtues of perseverance and patience, and employed their country's President Lee Mying-bak and Olympic women's figure skating champion Kim Yuna to persuade and charm the IOC."

The host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics will be named in Prague, Czech Republic Wednesday when the International Olympic Committee convenes its 115th session.IOC President Jacques Rogge will announce whether PyeongChang, South Korea , Salzburg Austria or Vancouver, Canada wins the bid.But the Canadian city's candidacy may have recieved a boost Tuesday, when the President of the International Ice Hockey Federation expressed his support for Vancouver.On the Federations official website, Rene Fasel of Switzerland said 'an Olympic Hockey tournament in Canada would be something very special.'He also said that 'any hockey person hopes for Vancouver because it is a...