NBC chairman of the Olympics Gary Zenkel tried to answer whether the network’s heavy promotion of certain Winter Olympic athletes forced them to perform poorly – and it took him a while to get there.
“I think the Olympics put enormous pressure,” he says recognized by Sportico in a story on Wednesday. “Is NBC increasing that pressure to the point where they can’t perform at their true potential? I don’t know. The formula hasn’t changed in decades.”
Zenkel noted that 23-time gold medalist Michael Phelps “participated in all things … at least the version of that that existed in 2000 until the end of his journey. So I’m going to say I don’t think so.”
The on-camera meltdowns of much-loved American figure skater Ilia Malinin and, to a lesser extent, teammate Amber Glenn in her short program, refocused the spotlight on athletes who struggled under the spotlight.
Malinin, 21, unraveled his free skate and later said the media pressure was weighing on him. He also released a dark message hinting at mental health issues. The groundbreaking skater, who did help the Americans to gold in the team event, had been part of NBC’s hype package in the run-up to and leading up to the Games.
But his and others’ appearances for the network are “completely voluntary,” Zenkel emphasized.
“Was there a discussion about, ‘Is this too much for you?’ Because it puts too much pressure on him?’ Zenkel asked. “Not as far as I know, no.”
“I think the pressure of being on that stage and having one chance, and then waiting four years, or maybe never coming back, is why this is such an extraordinary event,” he continued in his interview with Sportico. “That’s why we as mortals are so drawn to them. They’re the best in the world. They’re the best in the world at that moment. Or they can be, or they have the potential to be.”
