Back when I was growing up and into my early adulthood the Olympic Games were always on ABC. When I look back now what a different world it was. In 1968 Mexico City the first Olympic Games I watched on television, ABC had 43 hours total of coverage and it cost them $4.5 million dollars for the rights to broadcast the games.

When I think of the Olympics back then I think of the outstanding coverage they had. The games then were obviously not on TV non-stop on a number of channels. They were on in prime-time in the evenings for 3 hours a night. You got the best of the best of the Olympics.

One of the things that stick out in my memory is how in the little time they had, 3 hours a night, you felt that you knew these athletes and not only the Americans. Before…