Editing Bob Costas (section)

====Olympics (1988–2016)====
Costas has frontlined many Olympics broadcasts for [[Olympics on NBC|NBC]]. They include [[1988 Summer Olympics|Seoul in 1988]], [[1992 Summer Olympics|Barcelona in 1992]], [[1996 Summer Olympics|Atlanta in 1996]], [[2000 Summer Olympics|Sydney in 2000]], [[2002 Winter Olympics|Salt Lake City in 2002]], [[2004 Summer Olympics|Athens in 2004]], [[2006 Winter Olympics|Torino in 2006]], [[2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing in 2008]], [[2010 Winter Olympics|Vancouver in 2010]], [[2012 Summer Olympics|London in 2012]], [[2014 Winter Olympics|Sochi in 2014]] and [[2016 Summer Olympics|Rio in 2016]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Guinto, Joseph |url=http://www.americanwaymag.com/costas-now-olympics-beijing-bob-costas |title=Golden Boy |work=[[American Way (magazine)|American Way]] |date=August 1, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813051502/http://www.americanwaymag.com/costas-now-olympics-beijing-bob-costas |archive-date=August 13, 2012 }}</ref> He discusses his work on the Olympic telecasts extensively in a book by Andrew Billings entitled ''Olympic Media: Inside the Biggest Show on Television''. A personal influence on Costas has been legendary [[ESPN on ABC|ABC Sports]] broadcaster [[Jim McKay]], who hosted many Olympics for [[Olympics on ABC|ABC]] from the 1960s to the 1980s.<ref>(June 7, 2008). [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25019261/ "Legendary Broadcaster McKay Dies—TV Sports Journalist Known for Hosting 'Wide World of Sports' and Olympics"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723135112/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25019261/ |date=July 23, 2012 }}. [[NBC Sports]]. Retrieved July 31, 2012.</ref>

During the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Opening Ceremonies, Costas's remarks on China's teams' possible drug use caused an uproar among the American Chinese and international communities. Thousands of dollars were raised to purchase ads in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' and Sunday ''[[The New York Times]]'', featuring an image of the head of a statue of [[Apollo]] and reading: "Costas Poisoned Olympic Spirit, Public Protests NBC".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://museums.cnd.org/CND-Global/CND-Global.96.3rd/CND-Global.96-08-31.html | title=Text of Protest Ad| work = [[China News Digest]] |first=K. Harrison|last=Liang | date= August 29, 1996}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E6D6163BF935A3575AC0A960958260| title=Cultural Views: Differing Outlooks | work = [[The New York Times]] |last=Sandomir|first=Richard| author-link = Richard Sandomir | date= September 6, 1996 | access-date = July 31, 2012}}</ref> However, Costas's comments were made subsequent to the suspension of Chinese coach Zhou Ming after seven of his swimmers were caught using steroids in 1994. Further evidence of Chinese athletes' drug use came in 1997 when Australian authorities confiscated 13 vials of [[Growth hormone|Somatropin]], a human growth hormone, from the bag of Chinese swimmer Yuan Yuan upon her arrival for the [[1998 World Aquatics Championships|1997 World Swimming Championships]]. At the World Championships, four Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance [[Triamterene]], a diuretic used to dilute urine samples to mask the presence of anabolic steroids. Including these failed drug tests, 27 Chinese swimmers were caught using performance-enhancing drugs from 1990 through 1997; more than the rest of the world combined.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-18-sp-9735-story.html | title=Latest Drug Scandal Has China Critics Seeing Red | author = [[Mike Penner|Penner, Mike]] | date= January 18, 1998 | work= [[Los Angeles Times]] | access-date = July 31, 2012}}</ref>

Along with co-host [[Meredith Vieira]] and [[Matt Lauer]], Costas's commentary of the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies]] came under fierce criticism, with Costas being described as making "a series of [[jingoistic]] remarks, including a joke about dictator [[Idi Amin]] when [[Uganda]]'s team appeared"<ref>Adams, Guy (July 30, 2012). [https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/as-america-succeeds-at-the-games-back-home-all-the-talk-is-about-nbcfail-7986147.html "As America Succeeds at the Games, Back Home All the Talk Is About #NBCfail—Host Bob Costas Made a Series of Jingoistic Remarks, Including a Joke About Idi Amin When Uganda's Team Appeared"]. ''[[The Independent]]''. Retrieved August 1, 2012.</ref> and the combined commentary as being "ignorant" and "banal".<ref>Huff, Steve (July 28, 2012). [http://observer.com/2012/07/nbcs-broadcast-of-the-olympics-opening-ceremony-was-the-worst-video/ "NBC's Broadcast of the Olympics Opening Ceremony Was the Worst—We Cringed"]. ''[[The New York Observer]]''. Retrieved August 1, 2012.</ref><ref>Holmes, Linda (July 27, 2012). [https://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/07/28/157521409/the-opening-ceremonies-in-london-from-the-industrial-revolution-to-voldemort "The Opening Ceremonies in London: From the Industrial Revolution to Voldemort"]. [[NPR]]. Retrieved August 1, 2012.</ref><ref>Keller, Emma G. (July 28, 2012). [https://www.theguardian.com/media/us-news-blog/2012/jul/28/nbc-olympics-opening-ceremony "NBC Lambasted Over Banal Butchering of Opening Ceremony—And Rightly So—Tim Berners-Lee? Who's That? Madagascar? Oh, Like the Kids Movie! If You're Going To Make Us Wait Hours To Watch the Ceremony Live, NBC, the Least You Could Have Done Is Keep Quiet"]. ''Olympics2012'' (blog of ''[[The Guardian]]''). Retrieved August 1, 2012.</ref>

Following the Olympics, Costas appeared on [[Conan O'Brien]]'s [[Conan (talk show)|talk show]] and jokingly criticized his employer for its decision to air a preview of the upcoming series ''[[Animal Practice]]'' over a performance by [[The Who]] during the London closing ceremonies. "So here is the balance NBC has to consider: The Who, 'Animal Practice'. [[Roger Daltrey]], [[Pete Townshend]]—monkey in a lab coat. I'm sure you'd be the first to attest, Conan, that when it comes to the tough calls, NBC usually gets 'em right," Costas said, alluding at the end to O'Brien's involvement in the [[2010 Tonight Show conflict|2010 ''Tonight Show'' conflict]].<ref>Porter, Rick. (September 13, 2012). [http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2012/09/conan-bob-costas-not-a-fan-of-nbcs-olympic-closing-ceremony-coverage.html "'Conan': Bob Costas not a fan of NBC's Olympic closing ceremony coverage"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914233615/http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2012/09/conan-bob-costas-not-a-fan-of-nbcs-olympic-closing-ceremony-coverage.html |date=September 14, 2012 }}. [[Zap2it]]. Retrieved September 16, 2012.</ref>

An eye infection Costas had at the start of the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] forced him, on February 11, 2014, to cede his Olympic hosting duties to [[Matt Lauer]] (four nights) and [[Meredith Vieira]] (two nights), the first time Costas had not done so at all since the [[1998 Winter Olympics]] (as the rights were not held by NBC).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/matt-lauer-fill-bob-costas-nbcs-olympic-primetime-show?ctx=att-olympic-news-desk|title=Matt Lauer to fill in for Bob Costas on NBC's Olympic primetime show|website=www.nbcolympics.com|access-date=February 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212064658/http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/matt-lauer-fill-bob-costas-nbcs-olympic-primetime-show?ctx=att-olympic-news-desk|archive-date=February 12, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>