Summer Olympics 2000 Olympic knowledge can only go so far

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Thursday, September 28
Olympic knowledge can only go so far
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com

If NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol dared to walk through downtown Bristol, Conn., this week, he definitely would have needed some sort of restraining device.

Yes, somehow in the said sports capital of the universe, we discovered the following:

President Clinton is the head of the Olympics;

Lenny Krayzelburg was a German pole vaulter;

The Olympic logo has three rings;

And the word "repechage," that rowing fans have been hearing for the past week, was actually the French word for pancakes.

In the most unscientific of Olympic studies, 16 people were interviewed in front of two supermarkets. We'll protect the guilty by only revealing their first names.

1. What network is the Olympics on?
Patty: "CBS. That I did know because I've seen all the commercials."

Darrell: "CNN, right?"

Todd: "Fox because nobody watches it."

Answer: Actually guys, it's on NBC.

2. What does the word "repechage" mean?
Jennifer: "It sounds like a French pastry"

Phil: "Some sort of gymnastics move-like a twirl type of deal."

Darrell: "A Russian baseball game."

Cathy: "Something musical? How about the closing ceremonies theme song?"

Donald: "Sounds like an Olympic massage to me."

Answer: Actually, it's a French word meaning "to rescue" or "to give a second chance. According to Bob Costas, it's the favorite word of rowing stroke-by-stroke announcer Gary Thorne.

3. Is table tennis an Olympic sport?
Phil: "Only for Forrest Gump it is."

Todd: "I hope not. If it is, I would lose every bit of respect I have for the Olympics."

Amanda: "Oh please tell me that is not an Olympic sport."

Answer: Table tennis, or the proper word for ping pong, actually is an Olympic sport. Please send apologies to Kong Linghui. He won the gold medal on Monday.

4. John Hancock pays about $50 million to be an Olympic sponsor. What does the company do?
Amanda: "They sign things."

Phil: "They make pencils."

Liz: "Well, there are so many John Hancocks. There's John Hancock the writer and there's John Hancock the furniture company."

Darrell: "John Hancock. I've see that name everywhere I just don't know where I've seen it."

Denise: Well, I know they have that very tall building in Chicago."

Answer: John Hancock is an insurance company. We would have also accepted experts in demutualization.

5. When are the Olympics shown live on NBC?
Nancy: "All day."

Cathy: "During the day when I'm at work."

Andy: "At impossibly late hours of the evening."

Answer: Actually, NBC has no live coverage. Only the CBC and TSN put their fates in the hands of insomniacs.

6. Who is Lenny Krayzelburg?
Denise: "He represents Africa in track and field"

Andy: "I think he's a swimmer for the Netherlands."

Donald: "The 'burg' sounds German-ish"

Answer: Lenny Krayzelburg won three gold medals swimming for the United States.

7. Who is in charge of the Olympics?
Jennifer: "The President of the Olympics. He's a former athlete because otherwise other Olympians wouldn't have respect for him."

Todd: "The U.N. Because they're worldwide and they have control over a little bit of everybody."

Answer: The International Olympic Committee presides over the Olympic Games.

A couple more things

Phil -- the Olympic sponsor expert -- said the sponsor was not Visa, but American Express, because "American Express supports America." And that Panasonic could not have been an Olympic sponsor because Sony "has more money."

Evan said that C.J. Hunter, who tested positive for steroids in July, is actually a Ping-Pong player.

Jennifer gave a very accurate description of Juan Antonio Samaranch ("He's in good shape, with gray hair and about 5-foot-10 with blue eyes.")

And finally, Darrell, who said that he has not yet attended the Olympic Games this year despite the fact that they were being played in Connecticut.

If only Dick Ebersol came with me...

Darren Rovell covers sports business for ESPN.com.