Olympic reality

THE poor television ratings for the XX Olympic Winter Games in Turin [“Olympics’ New Reality,” by Scott Collins, Feb. 28] can be explained in a few ways: Perhaps viewers grew tired of occasional event coverage interspersed by long commercial breaks and “up close and personal” melodrama. Alternatively, the coverage may not have been democratic enough for the average American consumer. Next time, NBC and the Olympic committee should follow the lead of shows like “American Idol” and “Dancing With the Stars” and bring in untrained, amateur athletes and let them crash, burn and cry their hearts out. Imagine all those great personal stories beamed from hospital beds. Why shouldn’t everybody have the chance to compete in the Olympics?

PAUL ZELEVANSKY

Beverly Hills