Since 2016, NBC sportscaster Mike Tirico has become a fixture of the network’s Olympic coverage… but he’s leaving the host country, China, earlier than originally planned.
Tirico was reportedly scheduled to leave Beijing on Thursday to cover the upcoming Super Bowl in Los Angeles. However, he left Beijing late Monday night after criticizing the Chinese Communist Party, according to The Associated Press.
On Feb. 3, Tirico earned international attention for opening the games by acknowledging the shameful, complicated politics of China. He used the word “genocide” — presumably angering the repressive communist government.
“The United States government is not here, a diplomatic boycott announced this fall joined by Canada, Great Britain and Australia citing China’s human rights record and the U.S. government’s declaration that the Chinese Communist Party is guilty of committing genocide on the Uyghur Muslim population in Western Xinjiang region,” Tirico said. “That’s a charge that China denies.”
Take a look —
Mike Tirico:
“The United States government is not here…”
“…citing China’s human rights record and the US government’s declaration that the Chinese Communist Party is guilty of committing genocide on the Uyghur Muslim population in Western Xinjiang region.” pic.twitter.com/7gIGtge1By
— We-ston al Gaib (@westonblasi) February 4, 2022
Mike Tirico was bold mentioning China's human rights abuses while hosting NBC'S coverage of Winter Olympics. I hope for his sake that the NBC International Broadcast Center is on the grounds of the US Embassy as that's gonna land him in hot water. But good on him for saying so.
— YinzerSpice (@YinzerSpice) February 4, 2022
Tirico earned praise for his range and his boldness… but now he’s leaving China.
NBC executives have attributed his exit primarily to the coronavirus, according to The Associated Press. The network has been sending fewer staffers to games because of China’s zero-virus strategy.
For example, the anchors of NBC’s Today — Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie — usually travel to the games’ host city. This year, they will remain in New York for the first time in almost 20 years.
Tirico himself will reportedly cover the Olympics from NBC’s headquarters in Connecticut, along with the newscaster Craig Melvin.
NBC saw its overall daily viewership climb by 9 percent in 2021, and the network retains exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympics.
In other words, NBC should be cashing in… but the network has been facing serious challenges.
The network dealt with a virus surge during last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo. This time, they must reckon both with the pandemic and with the Chinese Communist Party.
Due to the nation’s draconian lockdowns, NBC can no longer show the tourists in the host city, the athletes’ families in the stands, or the sportscasters’ mad dash toward the winners on the field.
“My friends and colleagues at NBC have been dealt the worst hand imaginable,” Bob Costas, the network’s former Olympics host, told The New York Times earlier this month.
Jim Bell, a former producer of NBC’s sports coverage, told the Times, “Would you rather have fans in the stands? You bet. Would you rather have Johnny and Tara and set them loose on the streets of Beijing? Of course.”
NBC plans to show the Olympics until their end on Sunday, Feb. 20. The network will cut away from the games on Feb. 13 to broadcast the Super Bowl, with Tirico as the host.
The Horn editorial team