Olympic coverage has been hijacked by skips and sweepers.

It's been dominated by shuffleboard on ice.

In these Olympic Games, NBC stands for Nothing But Curling.

No matter the channel: NBC, USA, CNBC or MSNBC, odds are good a viewer will find at least one curling match (or is it game?) on the tube.

I don't understand the draw. Then again, I don't quite get the attraction of watching golf on TV, either.

Or NASCAR.

Or bowling.

But that's just me. I like sports that get my heartbeat above that of a dude in a coma.

Give me the bobsled. Give me the luge.

Give me the ski jump, the giant slalom. Give me Lindsey Vonn doing anything.

Give me speed skating. Give me more Apolo Anton Ohno and Koreans wiping out.

Just don't smash a curling stone over my head repeatedly.

Talk about your hammer. I'm at my Tenth (wits) End.

There are quite a few people, though, who love the sport.

Maybe it is because everyone thinks he or she can be an Olympic curler.

Everyone may be right. How hard is it?

You slide the stone on the ice, yell a bunch of stuff at the poor slobs who have to sweep in front of the small bolder that looks like a giant bagel, and then have a beer.

All in a day's work.

Of course, it may also be a good way to get your kids to do their chores.

"Yeah, Timmy. Practice your curling for the Olympics. Go sweep the scuff marks out of the kitchen floor.

The thing that bothers me most about NBC's Curling Night in America on a loop is that curling is an Olympic sport, but baseball and softball aren't.

How did that happen?

What's next? Olympic beer pong? Olympic corn hole? Olympic lawn darts.

Any of those "sports" would be just as competitive and compelling television as curling.

Of course, NBC has had its share of problems with its coverage of these Olympic Games.

From microphones capturing private, profanity-laden moments between athlete and coach, to misidentifying competitors' relatives, to not televising live the performances of one of the most popular U.S. Olympic athletes, NBC is taking a lot of guff.

And the ratings are starting to show it.

Sure, big events await. The inevitable rematch of the U.S. and Canadian hockey teams should draw a lot of viewers.

Still, people are becoming disinterested in these Olympic Games and focusing on competitions that really count, like "American Idol."

The cure? How about more curling?

In a perfect world, NBC could stage a ratings coup by having Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Tiger Woods and Bob Costas compete against the cast of "Jersey Shore" in a prime-time curling event.

Even I would watch that.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.