Live vs. tape

(What’s the better way to watch the Olympics?)

After Paul Hamm fell in the all-around gymnastics competition, NBC’s Al Trautwig and Tim Daggett basically said Hamm’s chance at a medal was done.

With the American out, who would stay up to watch the gymnastics? Well, anyone who knew that Hamm would go on to make Trautwig and Daggett revise their analysis. Watching Hamm take the gold was like staying up to witness a first-run ESPN Classic.

For gymnastics and other fringe sports we don’t watch regularly, tape is fine. For sports like basketball, the end-game competition is best viewed live. Understanding the intricacies, we want to see who made the pick to set up the game-winner before we know the outcome.

But besides hoops, soccer, baseball and softball, watching the Olympics on tape is just as well. We know the result, so we know if we should spend our time or not. Overall, Tape wins The Matchup.