The "In Depth" segment of "NBC Nightly News" focused on the
improvements in sports medicine which have allowed numerous U.S.
athletes to compete in the Atlanta Games (NBC, 7/22)....CNBC's
Susan Lisovicz reported on how minority and women owned
businesses played a role in constructing Olympic venue sites.
Nearly 1/3 of the $387M in construction and vending contracts
went to companies owned by minorities and women ("Sports View,"
7/22)....NBC's Bob Costas, after a feature on the Battle of
Atlanta: "Part of the reason Atlanta was able to land the
Olympics was that for all the past history the city has
demonstrated a real commitment for racial inclusion for the past
several years. Without the former [Martin Luther] King aide and
former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, Billy Payne's vision of
bringing the Games here would never have made if off the drawing
board. And, as in most Atlanta business ventures, the Olympic
effort included significant participation by African-Americans.
No one would suggest that the Dream has been fully realized.
Significant problems remain here. But, at long last, this one
time bastion of the Confederacy seems to be doing better than
most of the country in dealing with America's original sin and
continuing dilemma (NBC, 7/22)....In L.A., Larry Stewart
contrasted the Civil War piece with non-coverage of various
sports. Stewart: "Hey, NBC, we tune in to watch competition,
not for a history lesson" (L.A. TIMES, 7/23).
