The U.S. fell to Canada in a semifinal emblematic of the team's struggles in Japan, and now comes the inevitable question about what happens to its veteran core.
The Olympics schedule makes it impossible for the network to cover athletics as thoroughly as swimming. That was made evident by the broadcast of the heartwarming moment between Italy's gold medal winners Gianmarco Tamberi and Lamont Marcell Jacobs.
Anchored by Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel and boosted by fresh faces like Lydia Jacoby and Bobby Finke, the team won 30 medals. But powerhouses like Australia are not too far behind.
The organization rarely enforces basic standards for the athletes participating in the Olympics and refuses to take a stand on issues related to politics.