[Graphic caption: The official log of the Beijing Paralympics. Primary colors are red, blue, and green.]
You wouldn't know it from the lack of Paralympic chatter but in only a few days the world's second largest sporting event is slated to kick off in Beijing. The Olympians will be packing up, heading out, and the Paralympians will roll into their places in the Village, cafeteria, and all the sporting venues to start their Games on September 6. Many of delegates from Team USA have already gathered at training camps across the country and some abroad to make the most of preparations in the last days before they'll see the result of their countless hours of practice and hard work.
Just thinking of what I know the athletes are experiencing right now gives me butterflies. I'm fortunate enough to be connected to e-mail lists, newsletters, and circles of friends that allow me to stay up to date on our team's training and competition results. Media coverage was among the last thing on my mind at this time four years ago, but now I am bothered by the missed opportunities for average Americans to experience the amazing level of competition displayed at the Paralympics. What most people don't understand about the Paralympics is that your typical sports fan would enjoy the events much more than the few that are interested in feel-good/disability-focused stories. A person's physical differences do make their method of sport or their history more interesting, but the elite athletes performing at their peak is the true highlight of these games.
After soaking up the Olympic coverage, I'm beginning to think there may be more to the nonexistence of Paralympic coverage than the country's disregard for our level of sport as anything worth watching-or more importantly worth investing in for advertisers. I have LOVED watching these Games but the television, radio, and magazine coverage seems to have saturated every corner of the media for what feels like at least a month. I've always been a firm believer that if Americans were given the chance to experience Paralympic sports, the Games would sell themselves. Timing, though, would likely have a huge impact on whether the public would even be receptive to any more extended coverage of sports. With the Paralympics traditionally being held directly AFTER the Olympics, maybe last really is least in this case. Perhaps Americans would be more open to media coverage of the Games if the Paralympics were scheduled BEFORE the Olympics. Media outlets could justify broadcasts as a way to increase interest in the upcoming Olympic Games as well. Do you think changing the order of the Games would affect coverage?
As much as I wish my country could experience the Paralympics, I do wonder what's holding the US back that doesn't seem to hamper the coverage by other nations. When I climbed out of the pool in Athens, there were dozens of photographers and reporters waiting for interviews with athletes. It wasn't unusual not to see an American journalist for several days. Even bloggers and Internet news platforms aren't covering the Paralympics. Even this close to the start of the Games, a Google news search of "Paralympics" renders NO American outlets on the entire first page. What do you think could be done to change this?
