For all of the complaining about tape-delays and bad announcing, NBC has announced that 2012 London Olympics is now the most-watched event in U.S. television history, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell. About 219.4 million total viewers took in some part of this year's Olympics, the largest American audience for any televised event in history.
While there was significant backlash towards NBC by many viewers for some of their broadcasting practices, including the decision to tape-delay many significant competitions rather than broadcast the events live, Americans clearly found themselves entertained by the world's elite athletes congregating in Great Britain.
With stories like Michael Phelps's last go-around, Usain Bolt's dash towards "living legend" status and the USA women's soccer team avenging the World Cup defeat against Japan, these were truly games worth watching. Given the staggering numbers being reported by NBC, the American public doesn't appear to have missed out.
Stay with this StoryStream for more coverage of the London Games, and also be sure to visit SB Nation's 2012 Olympic hub for more news and analysis through the closing ceremony.