Can NBC’s Olympics Coverage Tear Americans Away From Our Political Drama?

If your kitchen caught fire, and there was a chance that your whole house might burn down, you probably wouldn’t pause your efforts to douse the flames just to watch a game of volleyball taking place in your backyard.

But in a way, Americans will be asked to do exactly that in just a few days’ time.

Okay, okay — despite what the most pessimistic pundits will tell you, we’re probably not living through the final days of the American republic.

But these are very eventful and divisive times for our country — which is why NBC‘s PR department might find itself facing some unexpected challenges while promoting the 2024 Summer Olympics.

And after shelling out a reported $7.65 billion to renew its broadcast rights deal through 2032 the Peacock Network is strongly hoping that Americans will prove willing to put election news on the backburner for a couple of week.

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Usually, that’s not a tall order.

The Summer Olympics always fall on a presidential election year, and in the past, they’ve provided Americans with a final opportunity to come together before we spend the next three months thrusting sharp implements in the direction of one another’s jugulars.

But this year, the stakes seem higher and the divisions deeper than in years past.

An Election Unlike Any Other

We probably don’t need to tell you that this election is different from most.

In fact, we’re in unprecedented territory on several different fronts.

We’ve had a debate debacle, an assassination attempt, an abrupt candidate switcheroo, and now, the race we’re (presumably) facing is different from the one we were anticipating just a few days ago.

It’s a lot to take in — and a championship badminton match between Taiwan and Estonia might seem less thrilling than usual as a result of all this real-world drama.

Again, there’s usually a lot going on in US politics in the run-up to the opening ceremonies.

But the Trump vs. Harris contest is unlike anything we’ve seen before — and it couldn’t come at a worse time for NBC.

NBC’s Gold-Medal Gamble

Olympic ratings are notoriously difficult to predict, so there’s always some risk involved.

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And with entertainment options more plentiful than ever, the gamble is even more perilous than in summers past.

NBC has announced plans to protect its investment with celebrity cameos and “fast-paced coverage” that’s designed to appeal to our TikTok-ified attention spans.

And the Olympics is the sort of event that would likely attract a decent-sized audience even if we were in the midst of a literal civil war.

But as many have noted, this year’s games are light on big storylines on the long lines of Michael Phelps amassing a record number of medals.

So as it gears up for the most expensive broadcast in the history of the games, NBC is probably wishing that these were less eventful times in the US.

As it is, the candidates aren’t the only ones who run the risk of suffering a humiliating and very public defeat.

What do you think, TV fanatics? Are you eager to check out the Paris Olympics, or are you too distracted by world events? Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts.