Barry Tompkins: Winning, losing, and stupid comments at the Olympics

How do you interpret the phrase “literally disgusting”?

I have one example that comes immediately to mind: haggis. That’s the Scottish national dish that is composed of the minced liver, heart and lungs of a sheep, mixed with mutton and oatmeal, then packed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled.

Another is my son’s laundry basket.

So when I heard an American football player use that phrase to describe Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles’ complimentary gesture of bowing to floor exercise gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil at the Olympic medal presentation, I had an immediate reaction. Obviously Baltimore Ravens’ cornerback Marlon Humphrey was of Scottish decent and/or had at one point roomed with my son.

But no! Humphrey tweeted the phrase “literally disgusting” in reference to Biles and Chile’s good sportsmanship in acknowledging the performance of their long-time rival.

I do want to clarify one thing here. Football players as a rule are not likely to slap an opponent on the tush and bow to them for making a really nice interception right in front of them. Although I was told a story by Hall of Famer, and Mill Valley resident, Jimmy Johnson that belies that opinion.

Jimmy told me that Jimmy Orr, a long since forgotten receiver, was the only guy who could beat him every now and then. “He’d compliment you on everything you did,” Jimmy would say. “Nice hit, great coverage, you got me again,” that sort of thing. “Then in the fourth quarter just when you were thinking, I own this guy, he’d run by you for the winning touchdown.” Maybe Marlon Humphrey heard that story, too. Either that or he was absent the day they had sensitivity training.

I’m sure Humphrey’s tweet was met with uproarious laughter in the Ravens’ locker room, but he was immediately set upon by the entire X/Twitter universe for sounding like the rube that he must truly be.

There is something about winning – or even medaling – in the Olympic Games that makes Humphrey’s comments seem like the rantings of a playground bully.

In this Olympics in particular, while it’s still about who wins gold, winning is also represented by scoring silver or bronze, or in some cases just making it to the final against the odds.

Amongst the heroes of these games are the women’s rugby team. They captured the imagination of the world. They finished third – a bronze medal. And a great moment.

Kenneth Rooks was a silver medalist in the men’s Steeplechase, an event that has been virtually in sole possession of the African nations forever. He didn’t win – he finished second — and it was one of the great moments of the Games.

Hugs and victory laps are not the sole possession of gold medalists.

A 14-year-old wins a skateboarding gold medal, but a 51-year-old competitor in the same event won the biggest applause. A Turkish pistol shooter was the most popular competitor in that sport – he won a bronze medal. ShaCarri Richardson was expected to win the women’s 100 meters, she didn’t. She won the silver behind a woman from Saint Lucia who garnered the first medal ever for her country. The first to congratulate her? ShaCarri Richardson. Somehow I don’t see that as “literally disgusting.”

Hey look — there are a lot of other countries here!

I’ve both broadcasted and listened to the Olympic Games for more than half a century, and in recent years I found myself flipping the dial to the ‘Housewives of Atlanta’ or ‘Let’s Make a Deal’, or any other kind of TV tripe that I could find, rather than watch a pre-packaged sports event that was neatly wrapped into a prime time entertainment show. Until these Games in Paris.

I’ve never been one to critique my peers in the broadcast industry but, for many recent Olympic Games, and usually because of time differences, the Olympic day was offered up in a neatly produced show that was delivered hours after the events were held. The biggest moments of the day were always shown in the last 10 minutes of the show, so as a rule there was no need to watch the first two hours and 50 minutes unless you were keen on seeing the American entry in the Taekwondo competition finish sixth, losing to a Bulgarian who was rarely named.

That was the other thing I hated about “packaged” coverage. It was the most jingoistic event short of a MAGA rally. The fact that there were over 200 other countries involved in the Olympics was largely overlooked. Until these Games.

As I write this, I’m watching a beach volleyball game between Norway and Germany which is absolutely compelling. NBC’s coverage of these games has finally recognized the rest of the world and still can focus on our own athletes. And, while the prime time packaged show still exists, you can watch whatever you choose, live – as it happens. For me, that’s the difference between a sports event and an entertainment show. If I want entertainment, I’ll watch the Daily Show or Saturday Night Live. But, if I watch sports, I don’t want to know who won before I turn on the TV.

And, to that end, I know what it’s like to broadcast an event like this one, and the commentators that NBC has put together – even those who are allegedly broadcasting from Paris but are really in a Stamford, Conn., studio – are bringing the event to us in a knowledgeable and non-biased way.

I can’t often say this when it comes to the thing I’ve made my living at for so many years, but the Paris Olympics have been really good television of a really good Olympic Games.

Barry Tompkins is a 40-year network television sportscaster and a San Francisco native.  Email him at barrytompkins1@gmail.com.