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Speaking only for myself, I'm a casual viewer. I don't know their D, E, or any other letter scores, but I'll take your word for it. So I'm not rooting for anyone to fail. I'm just rooting for a fun competition. My final $0.02. Exactly, @BitterApple!

I love how they're pretending Sam has any chance of an AA medal. I'm certainly not rooting for Simone to lose, but I think it's more interesting to watch if things are at least somewhat close. Coronations are boring, IMO. If the person who was supposed to win always won, then why even have meets? I always think it's fun when somebody outperforms expectations at the Olympics. (Basically repeating what I just posted in the beach volleyball thread.) #teamdrama

@phantom, is this the one you're looking for? The song is by Avicii.

Oh, I don't hate the favorites, and I still want them to win gold. I just want it to be interesting, and straight set wins through the whole Games aren't interesting. Especially since NBC apparently thinks I want to watch every Walsh and Co. match in full, even in the prelim rounds. At least give us some drama!

I think it's just an optical illusion because of the hair. Rooting for Lochte tomorrow night, possibly more than I've ever rooted for anyone, ever. But, you know, I'll also offer to comfort him. lol

Not a swimmer or a swimming expert, obviously. But the breaststroke seems so ridiculous. It just looks so exhausting, heaving themselves up out of the water like that. I always imagine it was invented by someone who kept losing with the other three strokes, and so came up with something they could win. (There's lots of Olympic events like that, IMO.) lol

Go, Switzerland! Nothing against Kerri Walsh-Jennings and the woman who isn't Misty May-Treanor, but sports are SO much more interesting when the outcome is in question.

I was watching women's cycling time trials earlier. They do this thing where they have seats for whomever is currently in gold, silver, and bronze position, and as they are overtaken, they have to give up their spot. (Harsh.) A new competitor took the lead, and the gold and silver people shuffled over to the silver and bronze chairs, while the woman who had been in bronze walked away with a towel over her face, as the camera tracked and zoomed on her. Awful.

I miss the old days when there was a thing called "benefit of the doubt". Maybe Gabby was never taught to do that, maybe she was overwhelmed by the moment, maybe she was holding the do-hickey they've been handing them and thought it would be awkward. Unless she was not doing it as some kind of premeditated show of disrespect, or protest, then it's just an honest mistake IMO.

Lochte has said he's not retiring, and he doesn't believe Phelps really will, either. FWIW, he said the same thing after London and was proven correct.

I'm with you. It would be one thing if it was something organic, but them coming up with their own nickname was just weird, IMO. The Final Five is kind of sweet (even if I'm not really a fan of the Karolis), but the whole thing just seems a little too precious. Did the Magnificent Seven call themselves that, or did it come from the media? That's the first team nickname I can remember. As for the gymnastics, that was an incredible display. Laurie is my favorite to watch, but they were all amazing and pulled their weight. I always think Aly doesn't seem very "bendy" for a gymnast, and I don't think her floor is very fluid, but she flies so high. Wow. I'm looking forward to the AA and the EF. Glad they all made it in at least one event. They deserve it!

And that's why I love Lochte. In the post-race interview, he made a point of calling out the three "other guys" who raced in the prelim. That is, in the five seconds he was allowed to speak. If the reporter said to Phelps, "I'm sure your teammates won't mind (that I ignore them)" one more time... I was kind of hoping when the camera zoomed out that they would have walked off. lol

He was pulling it down like they do while waiting for his leg of the race, and it ripped in two. He looked around like, "crap!", and put on the cap from one of the first two swimmers. Cue dramatic music. It was a funny moment, but it didn't merit cutting away from a live final, no matter how far Lochte was ahead.

Really, NBC? You cut away during Lochte's swim to show Phelps's cap malfunction? That couldn't wait until after? SMDH

Yay for Maya DiRado! It's nice to see someone so happy to "settle" for the bronze.

I was just telling my mom that they should just mount a camera on him somewhere, and stream his every movement. It might free up some time for the other 10,000 (or whatever) athletes. I love me some Lochte. By all accounts, he's not real bright, but he seems nice, and genuine, and his teammates love him. I'm glad he's getting to race in the final. I'd hate to see the second most decorated Olympic swimmer in history getting his medal in a hotel room. And I have purple chunks in my hair, so I don't judge. lol

The sewing box thing was immature and stupid, but I have a hard time treating it like it makes Logan some horrible person. It's often mentioned as if Logan tried to get the maid fired, when: He didn't think they'd even notice. He had no way of knowing Emily was insane about her staff. He told his girlfriend, who should have known numbers 1 and 2, and she acted like it was no big deal. There was about 20 seconds (I've timed it) between Emily beginning to question the maid and Lorelai speaking up. Logan spends the whole time looking nervous, not entertained. Stupid and wrong, but not malicious, IMO.

I don't care for rally scoring. It devalues getting/keeping the serve, and it just seems wrong that match point can be won by the other team making a mistake on their serve. Can someone explain the libero to me, slowly and simply? I'm assuming there are benefits as well as restrictions to the position? Watching the US/Canada match now, and the US was playing without one. (He's in there, now.) Wouldn't that put them at a disadvantage?

Wow, I just finally watched the women's road race. What a finish! It seems like it never pays to pull out in front. The announcer said, "the Netherlands can thank Italy for that gold." Absolutely. Borghini was incredible running Mara Abbott down.

Lochte had a groin injury at the US trials, so he "just" made it through in two events. He swam the prelims for the 4x200 freestyle this morning, and it's still up in the air if he will swim in the final tonight. He's also in the 200 IM, with prelims tomorrow evening.

Even outside of the "skimpy" factor, the beach volleyball outfits seem like they'd be distracting to play in. And not comfortable. Love this tweet from US figure skater Ashley Wagner...

I finally watched the recording of the big ready room "controversy", and my thought was, "that's it?" I guess I can see why it might be somewhat annoying, but at the same time, there were at least two other athletes who were bouncing around in and out of the edge of the frame, who were as close or closer to each other and Le Clos as Le Clos was to Phelps. The media acts like Michael Phelps is a special snowflake and no one should dare be in his line of sight. I don't doubt that it was gameplay, but it was nowhere near the level that I was expecting, based on the reaction I'm seeing everywhere on traditional and social media. To his credit, Phelps seemed to prefer to let his swimming do the talking. Looking forward to seeing Ryan Lochte in the pool. I love that crazy bastard in spite of myself.

Haha! I love it! The things I learn in these threads. I dunno. I think most people watching in the US would be amenable to more "world" coverage. I think NBC's biggest fail is that they pick a dozen athletes/events and promote them mercilessly. Usually they are Americans and sports the US does well in, but not always. (Some sports, like women's gymnastics or figure skating, are so popular they'll get big coverage even if no Americans are expected to medal.) 99% of Americans - even those who medal - get about as much coverage on NBC as the world's 11th-best discus thrower. It's not just "furriners" being ignored while we watch the swimmers disrobe and adjust their goggles a hundred times. It's maddening. I'll be rooting for Maya DiRado tonight. I love how befuddled the announcers seem to be by her decision to leave swimming behind after these Games. lol

Hey, I almost called it a lift! *pats self on back* I think a big part of my enjoyment is that everyone seems to be having fun. Even after the US loss, they and NZ were all milling around congratulating each other, and it all looked so genuine. Stark contrast with some of the other "big name" events, where there seem to be one or two "stars" and all the other teammates or competitors are nameless fodder. This is much more "Olympics" to me - watching a bunch of people I've never heard of, playing a sport I don't understand, getting their moments in the sun. :-)

@FrenchCheese, thanks for all the info! I caught some of the US/NZ match. I was flipping through channels, and initially thought it was soccer/football. And then they picked up the ball and started tossing it around, and I realized, "whoa, this is rugby!" I love when the unusual sports get a chance to shine. It looked intense. I bet it's lots of fun to play. I loved when the teams would "boost" one player up in the air to get the ball. Hopefully they show more of it, now that I understand a little more about the strategy and gameplay.