Source: AfterElton.com, OutSports

Matthew Mitcham

Mitcham's record gold-medal dive was one of the more stunning last-minute upsets of the Games. And his personal story includes most of the elements of struggle and overcoming barriers that NBC Sports usually highlights in its Olympics coverage.

Greg Hughes, a spokesman for NBC Sports, expressed surprise that controversy had developed over NBC's coverage. "I'm not aware of any controversy," Hughes told AfterElton's editor, Michael Jensen. "Yours is the first call."

Once told that several sports and gay news sources had questioned the network's coverage, Hughes insisted, "In virtually every case, we don't discuss an athlete's sexual orientation."

But both AfterElton and OutSports point out that the network's personal profiles often mention various spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, and even -- AfterElton notes --  a heterosexual "love triangle" at one point.

OutSports editor Jim Buzinski argues, "By showing or describing a male athlete's wife or girlfriend, or a female's husband or boyfriend, NBC, by default, is discussing their sexual orientation. They might as well put 'Straight' in an on-screen caption."

Hughes tried to counter that the network doesn't offer personal stories for all athletes. "We don't show everyone. We don't show every ceremony," Hughes told AfterElton.

But, again, Mitcham's unique story is exactly the kind of personal struggle that NBC seems to gravitate toward in its Olympics coverage.

In fact, OutSport's Buzinski points out that NBC did offer part of Mitcham's story:

NBC DID discuss Mitcham's private life by mentioning that he had quit the sport and was dealing with "personal issues" (he suffered from depression). NBC did think his personal story interesting enough to mention, but they left out the one part that would have made viewers sit up and take notice, a point Mitcham did not hide -- he is gay.

AfterElton's Jenson writes,

Anyone watching NBC's coverage of the Beijing Olympics is aware how much time the network devoted to many athlete's personal stories: Michael Phelp's record setting eight Olympic gold medals and his relationship with his mother, Usain Bolt's gold medals and world records, and even Sanya Richard's relationship with her fiancee who plays for the New York Giants.

The failure of NBC Sports to mention Mitcham's compelling story -- one that had been covered in sensitive depth by Sydney Morning Herald -- raises questions about the organization's competence as a news organization, AfterElton's Jensen writes:

Had Mitcham actually been the first black diver competing, and had he pulled off the same stunning achievement, NBC's ignoring it would be considered a travesty at best. Questions would be raised as to either their skills as journalists -- or as to whether they are biased.

So why didn't NBC cover Mitcham's story? Was NBC unaware that Mitcham was these games only out male athlete? Given NBC's boasts about their thorough coverage, not knowing this about Mitcham would reflect poorly on the Peacock network's reporting skills.

Or perhaps gay athletes are so common that even a victory as stunning as Mitcham's isn't newsworthy? That is absurd, or course.

Was Mitcham's win simply not that noteworthy? Given that he single-handedly kept the Chinese from winning every men's diving gold medal, that explanation is highly unlikely.

Or did Mitcham's sexual orientation play a part in the lack of coverage? It certainly seems a strong possibility.

Buzinski also chastises the network for its flop on this story:

You had an openly gay male athlete competing, which NBC's website admits is rare. You had the only non-Chinese diver to win a gold medal, doing it with a near-perfect dive, making viewers wanting to know more about this person. It would have taken one of NBC's two diving commentators, Ted Robinson and Cynthia Potter, all of 10 seconds to mention that Mitcham is gay. You can bet they would have mentioned had he been the first Muslim diver with a medal chance or the first Mongolian.

I am not yet ready to accuse NBC of homophobia, since we don't know exactly why its commentators and producers whiffed on mentioning Mitcham's orientation. But I will accuse them of journalistic incompetence, for missing a major angle about a gold medal-winning athlete who beat competitors thought to be unbeatable, an angle not unnoticed by other journalists covering the event. The judges would have given them 1.0's across the board for a belly flop.

Source: NBC on Mitcham's stunning Olympic upset: We can't cover everything | AfterElton.com
NBC defends not saying Mitcham is gay | OutSports

matthew mitcham