“I’m okay coach – I can go.”
Thousands of injured athletes have said that to their coaches or their trainers. The athlete doesn’t care whether he can go or not – he just wants to be there, in the arena, delivering. 
But that’s why trainers and coaches and doctors exist – to be the dispassionate arbiters of whether you can indeed, “go.”
NBC’s Bob Costas started the Olympics with a bad infection in his left eye. It has gotten worse, and has now clearly spread to his right eye.
I’m sure Bob is telling the brass at NBC that he’s fine, and that he can go.
But should he?
Well, he’s not risking life-and-limb, and nobody else stands to be hurt by his soldiering on.
But at what point does the infection become so prominent that it distracts from the message? This is the challenge that has faced every manager who has had to deal with an anchor or performer whose physical issues have threatened to overcome the message.
In Bob’s case, I think he’s on a short leash. He’s done nothing wrong. Stuff happens.
But clearly, once the windows to the soul become so diseased as to make the message and the man appear meaningless or moot – it might be time to stand down for medical attention.
I hope Bob’s medications kick-in and turn the tide on his eye infections- I had one just like it that required a visit to an emergency room it got so bad- but truth be told, he might have to sit some of these broadcasts out in the interest of keeping the focus of the broadcast on the athletes and the spectacle that are the Olympics.
Bob is awesome – and even off camera – he can provide great play-by-play or some inspiring voice over on the athlete profiles.
If I were the big monkey at NBC, I wouldn’t stoop so low as to call him back in from Sochi, but I might soon be at the point where I pat him on the back and say – let’s take a break, get healed up, and regroup.
