The Summer and Winter Olympics are a spectacle, worthy of comprehensive television coverage and hours of airtime. While NBC has received some criticism for their tape delayed protocol with the Olympics, the ratings are steadily high and the quality is stellar. Which is good because NBC has the U.S. television rights for both the Summer and Winter Olympics through 2020, outbidding Fox and ESPN by close to a billion dollars in 2011.
Bob Costas, his former eye infection, Dan Patrick, Al Michaels, Rebecca Lowe and Bob Costas fill-ins Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira have done a fine job in their hosting duties during these games in Sochi. Mary Carillo, Cris Collinsworth, Jimmy Roberts and others have accompanied the hosts well as correspondents. The horde of skilled broadcasters on hand for NBC is impressive, as is the seemingly smooth process of broadcasting such a massive event.
NBC has the Olympics down to a science and doesn't appear to be relinquishing its control over the quadrennial events anytime soon. But if NBC would have been drastically outbid by Fox, ESPN or CBS, and they were broadcasting these Winter Olympics from Sochi, who would be their Bob Costas or Dan Patrick? It's a fun hypothetical question to ask who would be covering the Olympics if it were televised by Fox, CBS, or NBC. Here's who the main Olympic personalities might be at those networks…
Fox
Primetime Host: Joe Buck – Stop groaning. He's an accomplished broadcaster who clearly hates your team but still does his job well. Buck is versatile, can absorb multiple sports, and has hosted studio shows – of varying success – in the past. Fox doesn't have a version of Bob Costas to appoint so they should go with their most recognizable voice and personality, who is Joe Buck.
Daytime Host: Curt Menefee – After taking over Fox NFL Sunday, Menefee has embraced the role of the go-to host. He is more than a traffic cop to Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson, Menefee is insightful and concise, while informing the viewer and keeping the show moving. For a fast-paced, complex gig like the Olympics, he would do well.
Morning Host: Rob Stone – As the host of soccer on Fox, formerly of the now-defunct Fox Soccer Channel, and now Thursday night football on Fox Sports 1, Stone is highly capable in any hosting role and would excel as an Olympic host. If he can pronounce the names of players on Galatasaray, he can run through a few luge highlights without slipping up.
Correspondents: Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole – Many names come to mind when selecting a correspondent or two for the Olympics, broadcasters who can find the interesting stories and provide in-depth features on the games. Onrait and O'Toole may not be a traditional selection for this position, as they are nightly sports highlight anchors, but the features they have done during an Olympics broadcasted by a competitor have been tremendous. If their time at the Sochi Olympics for FS1 is used as an example, then an Olympics owned by Fox should include much more of these two.
ESPN
Primetime Host: Bob Ley – His resume speaks for itself but Ley is a consummate professional, one with the legitimacy and history to carry an Olympic games. If anyone at ESPN is comparable to Bob Costas, it's Ley. He is excellent as the host of the World Cup and is made for his hosting role on the mostly unwatched Outside the Lines. If there's anyone who can handle all of the Olympic angles necessary from sports to news to culture, it's Lee.
Daytime Host: Chris Fowler – This is a no-brainer, first choice, slam dunk for Olympics coverage. Fowler is exemplary in his role on College Gameday, as well as his increasing skill at tennis play-by-play. Other than Bob Ley, Fowler is the steadiest option.
Morning Host: Rece Davis – Like Fowler, Davis is a no-nonsense broadcaster, who can bring levity and humor into his hosting role, while also getting to the facts. He is an adept interviewer of coaches and players throughout college sports, and will need those skills as Olympic medalists come through the International Broadcast Center.
Correspondents: Kenny Mayne, Tom Rinaldi and Jeremy Schaap – Mayne will make you laugh, Rinaldi will make people cry. The perfect one-two punch for feature correspondents. The Olympics, in theory, are a sporting event, but they are much more than that. They are the greatest two-week reality show in the world, packed with human interest stories of heartbreak and triumph, which is Rinaldi's wheelhouse. Mayne can bring the tearjerkers, too, but also has a great sense of humor that could break the tension of the sometimes politically sketchy, always athletically nerve-racking games. Schaap is hard sports news and could bring the serious topics to light during the worldwide event.
CBS
Primetime Host: Jim Nantz – Hello, friends. Nantz is multitalented, with experience calling multiple sports. He doesn't do much in-studio hosting but the Olympics demand a recognizable voice and face for the coverage and Nantz is it for CBS. He was the primetime host the last time CBS had the Olympics in 1998, and he would have the same role in 2014.
Daytime Host: Bill Macatee – While he does call NFL games, Macatee is underutilized on CBS during tennis and golf coverage, Macatee is a fantastic host during tennis majors on the Tennis Channel and has Olympic experience, serving as host for the Nagano Olympics for CBS and the Torino Olympics for NBC.
Morning Host: Adam Zucker – He's poised to take the Tim Brando role for the SEC on CBS studio role and is a rising star at CBS. He would adjust quickly to the Olympics and would be a better fit than Greg Gumbel.
Correspondent: David Feherty – The CBS golf reporter would be perfect for this role as he explored the Olympics for the weird, wild, and wacky human interest stories surrounding the games. Feherty is one of the funniest individuals covering sports today and the role of Olympic correspondent would be a natural one for him.
It doesn't seem likely that NBC ever loses the Olympics, so these are all hypotheticals. But hypotheticals are fun. Imagine the reaction online if ESPN had the games and put Chris Berman on curling coverage.
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