Shaun White needed the run of a lifetime to claim gold Tuesday night at the 2018 Winter Olympics, and he was the last man to hit the halfpipe. The moments before he dropped into the pipe were so palpable you could cut the tension with a knife.
Apparently, the tension was good for business. Because White’s gold-medal run was the second-most streamed event in NBC Winter Olympics history, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell. The only event to be streamed more was the USA-Canada men’s hockey semifinal back in 2014.
Last night’s coverage of Shaun White’s gold-medal performance in the halfpipe was the second-most streamed event in NBC Olympics' Winter Games history, behind only the USA-Canada semi-final men's hockey game in Sochi (2014). pic.twitter.com/UKbOsqsIJ2
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 14, 2018
Of course, as we know everyone who tuned in was treated to a phenomenal show. White put together one of the most incredible performances of the 2018 Winter Olympics thus far, stomping back-to-back 1440s en route to a final-run score of 97.25.
The outstanding run gave White his third Olympic gold medal and cemented his legacy as one of the best American Winter Olympians of this generation. It also proved just how much of a draw White is, which could bode well for ratings in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo if he has anything to say about it.