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5 U.S. Story Lines To Follow

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Bill Ward/The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 5, 2008

Can The U.S. Win The Total Medal Count?

With the help of the breakup of the Soviet Union, the United States has won the total medal count for the past three Summer Olympics. But the Americans are facing a host nation intent on taking over the No. 1 spot. The U.S. team is picked by many to top the medals table again, but China is expected to take the most gold medals and push the Americans for the overall lead. A lackluster showing by U.S. athletes - and a standout one by the home team - could make that happen.

Phelps Times 8

Michael Phelps is, of course, his own individual story. But since this gifted athlete from Baltimore could be chasing Mark Spitz's record gold-medal haul of seven in one Olympics, all Americans will be following his quest in Beijing. Aside from a slight lapse in judgment four years ago, when at age 19 he was arrested for driving under the influence, Phelps has been the squeaky clean athlete Americans like to hang their Olympic hopes on. And if he can bring home eight gold medals from China, he'll join the iconic ranks of American Olympians like Carl Lewis and Bonnie Blair - and maybe surpass them in stature.

Will Americans Tune In?

With the 12-hour difference between Beijing and the eastern United States, American viewers will have to stay up late to see prime-time events live from China. But NBC is offering a total of 3,600 hours of coverage on its seven networks, as well as live streaming coverage on NBCOlympics.com. NBC and Olympics officials even arranged to have several important events scheduled in the morning in China - including some of Michael Phelps' finals swims - so they can be broadcast in prime time in the United States. But will that be enough to lure Americans to their televisions and improve NBC's Olympic ratings? At the 2006 Turin Games, the network's prime-time broadcasts set a record low for Winter Olympics ratings.

Can U.S. Men Regain Hoops Gold?

While the U.S. women will be seeking a fourth straight gold medal, the American men are trying to regain global respect in the sport this country invented. They had to settle for bronze in Athens and again at the 2006 worlds. Since Athens, USA Basketball changed its selection process to focus on younger players who will be more committed to the squad. Players like Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James were chosen as the keystone pieces of this new process, but the amount of time the Americans spend playing together as a unit is still limited compared to national teams from the top countries they'll face in Beijing.

The Fate Of A Paul Hamm-less Gymnastics Team

First, Paul Hamm withdrew from the Beijing Games, saying he won't be healthy enough to compete because of shoulder and hand injuries. That leaves his brother, Morgan, as the lone member of the men's team with previous Olympic experience. And he's coming off a warning by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for taking an unauthorized cortisone shot for pain in his left ankle. In light of all this, the American men, who brought home one team and two individual medals in Athens, aren't exactly soaring into the Beijing Games.

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