Yeah, but your guy who sprinted at the end of the men's triathlon was fabulous! The silver medalist. We were YELLING! "Come on, come on!"
And I still think that's not the ONLY reason. The coverage is just more even handed all around---all athletes get discussed, etc.
"My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved;I have been given much and I have given something in return...Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and an adventure." O. Sacks