Some of my favorite Olympic viewing experiences are when they give background on the Olympians. We tend to view them as elite stars and forget that they are people, too.
Did you know that U.S. gymnast Justin Spring is the son of an astronaut?
Did you know that swimmer Michael Phelps was told to consume 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day?
Did you know the U.S. gymnast Kevin Tan has a degree in finance from Penn State?
Did you know that beach U.S. beach volleyball star Misty May-Treanor sprinkled her mother's ashes on the court when she won gold in Athens?
Did you know that Chinese gold-medal diver Guo Jingjing quit diving for three months after Athens to explore a career in modeling and signed with McDonald's? The team banned her for too much commercial activity. She recommitted to them so she could compete for a gold medal on her home turf.
Did you know that French swimmer Laure Manaudou moved to Italy to be with her swimmer boyfriend turned fiance Luca Marin, who then dumped her last year? He was accused of posting nude photos of her. He's now dating Italian swimmer and Manaudou's rival Federica Pellegrini.
These facts are the rewards I get for sticking around to listen to the commentators on NBC, annoying as they are.
mail me some picture