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Library/Moment/Michael Phelps’ eight golds in Beijing
Grade B22 sourcesHIS-01430

Michael Phelps’ eight golds in Beijing

Moment · 2008 · Niche

38Editable slideCertificate

Phelps won 8 golds as television coverage spread to race replays and Facebook.

Clip · Olympic Games on YouTube
Clip · NBC Sports on YouTube
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year cover: Michael Phelps, December 2008
Sports Illustrated
Phelps and US relay teammates celebrate his eighth gold in Beijing, 17 August 2008
Bryan Allison / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Phelps with his medals, surrounded by photographers in Beijing
Sports Illustrated
Olympic Channel video on Phelps's eight gold medals in Beijing
Olympic Games on YouTube
NBC Sports grid of Phelps with each of his eight Beijing gold medals
NBC Sports on YouTube

Spread Score

How it works
Reach28Contagion35Breadth50Velocity63Longevity1938

Numbers

NBC relay audience peak; US broadcast date
39.9M
As of Aug 16, 2008 · TV · Self-reported · Sports Illustrated
Seed to milestone
7 days
Aug 10 ’08 to Aug 17 ’08
Platforms
6
Started on TV
Origin
Mixed
Sports

Mechanics

  • Daily ritualPrimary
  • Controversy
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Pairing

How it spread

Trace the origin

Phelps won eight Beijing golds, surpassing Mark Spitz. NBC’s eighth-gold night was its most-watched Saturday since 1990. Race replays and Facebook congratulations extended the broadcast story; sponsors put it into ads and cereal packaging.

Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.

Google searchesFeb ’08JulSepNovMay ’10May ’12May ’14May ’16Mar ’18Apr ’19May ’20SepMilestoneTVOpen webPressRetailFacebookYouTube
TVOpen webPressRetailFacebookYouTube

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. August 2008

    Michael Phelps seed · Aug 10 ’08

    Phelps won the 400m individual medley in a world record as Swimming World reported his eight-gold bid.[1][2]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. NBC press · Aug 10 ’08

    NBC carried the relay comeback that kept Phelps’s eight-gold bid alive.[3][4]

  3. Visa commercial · Aug 12 ’08

    Visa aired a congratulatory ad in the first break after Phelps won the 200m butterfly.[5]

  1. platform jump · Aug 13 ’08

  2. press · Aug 14 ’08

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Why it worked

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Origin
Mixed
Sector
Sports
Region
US
NBC relay audience peak; US broadcast date
39.9M
As of Aug 16, 2008 · TV · Self-reported · Sports Illustrated
Evidence
Grade B

Spread the same way

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