SB Nation Chicago - 2012 Olympics: Team USA Tops All Nations With 104 Total Medals

London Olympics 2012: The Most-Watched Event In U.S. Television History, According To NBC

2012-08-13T22:42:27Z

Much was made about NBC's coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, as people all over the place complained of the tape delays as well as what many feel was lackluster coverage of some facets of the games. However, it didn't stop people from watching, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell. Nearly 220 million Americans tuned in to watch their fellow countrymen dominate the 2012 games over the past couple of weeks, which made the Olympics the most-watched television event in U.S. television history.

On a nightly basis, top trending topics on Twitter -- and every other social networking site known to man -- included the words "tape delay," as NBC decided to air most of the events in slots aimed to attract the most viewers, rather than when the events actually took place. Despite all of the complaining, the proof is now in the pudding -- NBC's strategy worked better than they ever could have hoped, based on the ratings.

Fans were treated to some fantastic moments, as the U.S. men's and women's basketball teams both won gold, as did the U.S. women's soccer team. In addition, Michael Phelps continued his capped off his amazing gold-studded Olympic run, and Usain Bolt captured the attention of everyone with his jaw-dropping performances. From the looks of things, there aren't a whole lot of people who won't remember where they were when all of the above events unfolded.

Stay with this StoryStream for more London coverage, and head over to SB Nation's Olympic hub for more analysis on the 2012 Summer Games.

London Olympics: Illinois Athletes Bring Home Five Medals

2012-08-13T15:10:11Z

The state of Illinois produced five medal winning athletes at the 2012 Olympics in London. Here's who they are:

Kelci Bryant, Springfield, Ill.: Bryant took home silver in diving as part of Team USA's synchronized 3m springboard team. For the 23-year-old Bryant, this was her second Olympics, but her first in which she medaled.
Anthony Davis, Chicago, Ill.: Davis became the youngest person ever to win gold as part of Team USA's basketball squad. Davis played sparingly throughout the tournament, but is expected to be a major part of Team USA's future.
Conor Dwyer, Winnetka, Ill.: Dwyer won gold in swimming with Team USA's 4x200 meter freestyle team. This was Dwyer's first Olympics.
Matt Grevers, Lake Forest, Ill: Grevers triumphantly won gold in this year's 100m backstroke, the same event where he won silver in 2008. Grevers also swam in the qualifying heats as a part of Team USA's 4x100m freestyle relay team, but did not compete in the final.
Dawn Harper, East St. Louis, Ill: The 28-year-old Harper won her second career gold medal in the 100m hurdles at this year's games, repeating as winner of the event from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For comprehensive coverage of the 2012 London Games, visit SB Nation's Olympics news hub. Stay up to date on the medal count with Sports Illustrated's tracker.

US Medal Count 2012: USA Tops All Nations With 104 Medals

2012-08-13T12:00:41Z

The United States won more medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics than any other nation, and plenty of Chicago-area representatives contributed. When all was said and done in London, the US medal count stood at 104 -- 17 more than second-place China.

Among the local athletes who medaled: swimmers Conor Dwyer and Matt Grevers, as well as women's basketball players Swin Cash and Sylvia Fowles.

The final medal standings:

1. United States 104 (46 gold, 29 silver, 29 bronze)
2. China 87 (38, 27, 22)
3. Russia 82 (24, 25, 33)
4. Great Britain 65 (29, 17, 19)
5. Germany 44 (11, 19, 14)
6. Japan 38 (7, 14, 17)
7. Australia 35 (7, 16, 12)
8. France 34 (11, 11, 12)
9. South Korea 28 (13, 8, 7)
10. Italy 28 (8, 9, 11)

2012 Summer Olympics Medal Count: U.S. Finishes With 104 Medals

2012-08-12T19:56:40Z

After a strong finish, the United States completes the 2012 London Olympics with 104 total medals, easily beating out China for the highest medal count of any nation. The Chinese finish off their time in Great Britain with 87 medals, just five more than third-place Russia after Sunday's action.

For the United States, the London Games qualify as a historic performance for the nation. With 46 gold medals over the past couple weeks, Team USA has its largest gold medal count in an Olympics on non-U.S. soil since 1904. In 1984, the U.S. won 83 gold medals as the Soviet Union opted to boycott the games in Los Angeles.

Great Britain also had a surprisingly good performance this year as the host nation, compiling 29 gold medals and 65 total medals for its best Olympic performance in over a century.

Here is how the top five looks in the latest medal count:

United States, 104 (46 gold, 29 silver, 29 bronze)
China, 87 (38, 27, 22)
Russia, 82 (24, 25, 33)
Great Britain, 65 (29, 17, 19)
Germany, 44 (11, 19, 14)

For a complete breakdown, visit Sports Illustrated's medal count tracker.

London 2012 Closing Ceremony: TV Coverage, Streaming, Live Updates And More

2012-08-12T17:33:22Z

Many fans have directed their frustration towards NBC over the past couple weeks for its broadcasting of the 2012 London Olympics, but they'll be happy to hear that the Closing Ceremony is being live-streamed on NBC's official website on Sunday afternoon.

This announcement comes after a major backlash from viewers that were unable to watch the Opening Ceremony live from London due to NBC's decision to only broadcast the event on tape-delay for television. NBC has streamed nearly every Olympic event live over the past two weeks, so viewers understandably expect the same from the Closing Ceremony.

NBC is coming through this time, though, after forcing viewers to wait hours before viewing the spectacular kickoff to this year's Games. Sunday's event is expected to be a star-studded extravaganza, so viewers that want to see everything live can head over to NBC at 4 p.m. ET, when the live-stream begins.

For more on the Olympics, check out SB Nation's London 2012 Olympics Hub.

2012 London Olympics, Women's Basketball: Team USA, Team France To Battle For Gold

2012-08-11T12:00:30Z

The United States' women's basketball team has won the gold medal at the last four Olympic Games, and they'll be looking to make it five in a row on Saturday when they take on France in the 2012 gold medal game. Team USA has had little trouble so far in these Olympics, winning all seven games with a total point differential of plus-239.

The French have also cruised through the tournament so far, winning seven straight as well. They did receive a tough test, though, in the quarterfinals, when they snuck past the Czech Republic by only three points.

The United States, meanwhile, was tested a big in the semifinals vs. Australia, finding themselves up only four points at the half. But they breezed through the second half, eventually winning the game by 13 points.

Game date: Saturday, August 11

Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT

TV: NBC

2012 Summer Olympics Medal Count: USA In 1st With 94 Medals

2012-08-11T08:00:04Z

The United States and China are the top two nations in the Olympic medal count as usual, but what had been a close battle may have taken a decisive turn in the United States' favor over the last couple of days. The U.S. has won 94 medals after Friday's events, placing them comfortably ahead of Chinese, who have won 81 medals.

The United States has won 41 gold medals, 26 silver and 27 bronze.

Here is the top 10 following Friday's medal events:

1. United States (94)
2. China (81)
3. Russia (63)
4. Great Britain (57)
5. Germany (42)
6. Japan (35)
7. Australia (31)
8. France (30)
9. South Korea (27)
10. Italy (21)

Check out the medal count video update from SB Nation Studios below.

Team USA Basketball Vs. Argentina Final Score: U.S. Advances To Gold Medal Game With 109-83 Victory

2012-08-10T22:21:51Z

The United States men's basketball team advanced to the gold medal game with a 109-83 win over Argentina in the semifinal round on Friday.

Argentina managed to hang tough for the first half, and they trailed by seven at the break. Eventually, though, the depth and talent on the U.S. team wore them down and allowed the United States to pull away for an easy win.

Kevin Durant led the U.S. with 19 points on 7-14 shooting and also grabbed four rebounds. LeBron James scored 18 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out seven assists. Carmelo Anthony also scored 18 points, and Kobe Bryant scored 13.

Manu Ginobili led Argentina with 18 points.