NBC broadcaster and former professional snowboarder Todd Richards was caught on a hot mic dismissing the mens Winter Olympics snowboarding big air finals as boring during Saturdays coverage.
Richards, a longtime face of NBCs Olympic snowboarding coverage, appeared to believe the Peacock broadcast had cut to commercial or signed off when he gave his unvarnished assessment, saying, That was boring. According to Breitbart, his off-air candor quickly circulated online, raising questions about the networks handling of a marquee Olympic event and the respect shown to the athletes who competed.
Richards did not stop at a single remark, doubling down with, That was so boring, before adding, The qualifier was way more exciting. His comments came immediately after Japans Kira Kimura and Ryoma Kimata captured the gold and silver medals, respectively, while defending Olympic gold medalist Su Yiming, of China, was pushed down to third.
Seventeen-year-old American Ollie Martin, a high school senior from Colorado, narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish, a result that might otherwise have been celebrated as a promising sign for Team USAs future. Instead, the focus shifted to an NBC analyst belittling the competition, a move that many viewers see as emblematic of a media culture that often undervalues American grit and the integrity of international sport.
Team USA remains without a medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, as the NY Post report noted, heightening the stakes for every event and every athlete representing the country. This is Richards sixth Winter Olympics as a commentator, and his hot-mic moment underscores how legacy media voices, rather than rallying behind American competitors on the world stage, too often project cynicism at the very moment viewers are looking for genuine enthusiasm and national pride.
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