Did the 'Today' show host catch Kobe not honoring America?

Friday morning I was watching the "Today" show -- so you wouldn't have to. Typically I enjoy the Jillian morning show on Fox, but "Today" is in Beijing and I guess I've caught Olympic Fever.

During their morning wrap up, all four "Today" co-hosts reminisced about what they've enjoyed about the first full week of Olympic competition. Matt Lauer explained that he enjoyed seeing the U.S. men's basketball team in the stands showing support to Michael Phelps and the U.S. swimmers. NBC then showed a slide show of members of Team Redeem with other various U.S. Olympians in the stands.

Afterward former "The View" host added a mysterious little aside but refused to expound on it. She hinted that the series of photos were "interesting" for some reason and claimed that we viewers back in the States would see what she saw.

Meredith Vieira: Did you watch that shot carefully?
Ann Curry: Why?
Vieira: I'm not going to say, but I'm sure the audience back home did. Interesting shot. Hmmm.

You can see the "Today" show clip after the jump, but the only "interesting shot" that I could see was the one above of most of the Olympians putting their right hand over their heart except for a few, most notably the NBA MVP, who most recently joked that he would play basketball in Europe if the price were right.

My question to you, gentle reader, is what do you think Meredith Vieira was talking about when she said that the audience back home would notice something about the "interesting shot"?

NBC's "Today" show -- not telling us what they thought was interesting.

And just to make things easier, here are all the rest of the images from that "shot."

Is it interesting that the swimmers want to talk to the bald gentleman instead of the NBA stars? Is it interesting that LeBron is analyzing the wood of his flag? Does it say "Made in China"?

Is there something interesting about this "shot"? They look sort of bored, maybe tired. Surely that can't be interesting.

And Meredith certainly can't find anything of interest in this photo, or can she? A man can't talk to a woman in China at the Water Cube anymore? Ms. Vieira, why must you vex us so with your ponderous questions?

If you can figure out what she was alluding to, please say so in the comments below.

-- Tony Pierce

Photo: Top two by Greg Wood / AFP/Getty Images; middle by David J. Phillip and bottom Thomas Kienzle / Associated Press

Comments

[DT]

I doubt that it's about Kobe since there's about 20 people in that shot and at least a 1/3 of them aren't putting their right hand on their heart. Even at sporting events in the US, I don't see all the athletes doing that. My thinking is that as a professional athlete, Kobe's heard the national anthem at least 100 times a year for over a decade so he stopped doing it after about 800 times.

[snowback]

I think she was referring to the rather gratuitous butt shot of the swimmer in the first picture with her bikini bottom riding up -- she is later shown chatting with Kobe. It would be one thing if it were just live footage, but it seems like a strange editorial choice to select it as a still photo to include in the broadcast. More cheesecake than sporting event.

[snowback]

If fact, looking at that first shot more closely, it is a pretty suggestive posture as between that swimmer and Kobe, which is only emphasized by her attire. Not a very respectful shot of an olympic athlete to include in a network newscast. I think that jumped out at Meredith and her comment slipped out, before she thought better of calling attention to it -- which was definitely the correct and more respectful thing to do.

[Ben Padilla]

Meredith is just another left-wing looney that doesn't have the grace to hide it like Matt Lauer can and graciously does.

[Karolyn]

I go to various sporting events and notice that many do not place their hands over their hearts. I think it is somewhat a generational thing. Most older people were taught to do that it school. That is no longer done in public schools so many younger people are not accustomed to it.

[J-Man]

Jillan? Fox? "Today"? Aren't all Tribune employees required to watch the KTLA Morning Show?

[Peter Bering]

Only in an extremely nationalist entity like the USA would a major newspaper try to scandalize an athlete for not displaying an eager enough nationalism with corny gestures like hands on hearts.

[Brandon Hoffman]

If you've ever watched NBA players during the national anthem, most of them stand with their hands behind their backs.

Nothing to report here.

Move along people.

[lakofan]

i doubt meredith hates on kobe, like you do.

not all people put their hand on their heart. none of the nba players do it. when they play in the nba.

if you want me to think about it, i would say some of the swimmers and lebron are disrespecting the flag by wearing it the way they are around their forehead and he looks like a thug.

[maceo]

If you have your had over your heart or not you are still an American. When did it becone mandtory that you have to do that, some people are starting to sound like russia. And Lakofan I fought to two combat tours in Iraq and I wear the Flag everyday so until you get you ass hit by an IED or see some of your friends get shot or even play in the Olympics SHUT THE HELL UP!

[Pat]

Why should we care? The sole purpose of Matt Lauer, Meredith Viera, Al Roker, and Ann Curry at an Olympiad is to wave red, white and blue pompoms, talk about Americans-this-Americans-that, and fawn all over U.S. Olympic medalists (preferably the gold-winning ones). Sorry, but the comments of the hosts of "Jingoism Central" (aka the "Today" show) are not worth bothering about.

[lee]

I don't think Peter Bering has has ever been to a "Extreme nationalist" country. The US (some chest thumping notwithstanding) is nothing compared to other countries where "my nation right or wrong" sentiment can flow over quickly. The Korean president is under heat in his country for accidently waving the Korean flag upside.

No one in the US is going to lose sleep over this Kobe controversy.

[The Holywriter]

Maybe she found Waldo?

[Mikey Ibbetson]

Nationalism? Red, white and blue? Meredith isn't even talking about that photo. She's talking about the last photo (the one they were showing when she made the statement) and the only thing she can be talking about is the two girls sitting above Kobe that are giving the evil eye to the girl Kobe is talking to. Why that has any significance to anything is beyond me! Just another meaningless statement. If she had any kind of integrity she would have spoken up on what she was trying to say! I guess it's not so apparent Meredith!