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"The only openly gay male athlete in Beijing pulled off one of the great upsets at the Olympics in a spectacular fashion."

And NBC did not mention that Matthew Mitcham ? who won the gold medal in the 10 meter dive ? is gay.

Ah, but you say NBC didn't inform us of anyone else's sexual orientation? Yes, it did:

NBC did not mention Mitcham?s orientation, nor did they show his family and partner who were in the stands. NBC has made athletes' significant others a part of the coverage in the past, choosing to spotlight track athlete Sanya Richards' fiancee, a love triangle between French and Italian swimmers and Kerri Walsh's wedding ring debacle.

Mitcham was the only openly gay male at the Olympics. His surprise win was stunning, and NBC had great footage of his reaction as he realized he'd won. So this was one of the stories that deserved expansion with a little human interest documentary. Was NBC just afraid of putting off viewers? I suppose there are some people in the audience who would interpret any sort of emotional presentation of his background as some sort of in-your-face proselytizing.

It's possible that NBC failed to obtain shots of the family and the partner in the stands (since Mitcham wasn't expected to win). But if NBC deliberately eclipsed his sexual orientation, that was wrong.

Full post as published by Althouse on August 25, 2008 (boomark / email).