Olympics blur

The time difference between Italy and the U.S. enables NBC to produce a slick, fast-moving prime-time show from the Olympics each evening. But the news junkie that I am leads me to check the results via the AP here in the newsroom during the day or online at home during the weekend. If something newsworthy, especially involving an American, takes place, I'll watch. But even then, I'm not sure what I'm watching. The athleticism is obvious, but other than a ski run or ice skating tumble, the difference between a first-place finisher and an also-ran is hard to fathom. A competitor is branded a failure by missing a medal by a tiny fraction of a second. Am I missing something? I'm turned off by NBC's tape delay. Is that fair?