I agree that the Winter Olympics have not embraced the sense of global spectacle as a whole, but I think there are exceptions in nations where Olympic success is less common (See: the cultural significance of Stephen Bradbury lucking into Australia’s Winter Olympic gold, creating a slang term in the process), and certain events like figure skating tap into a culture with significant fan bases and potential for intrigue/suspense (plus fame that can be translated into a professional career with Stars on Ice, etc.). The games aren’t built for this type of coverage as the Summer Games tend to be, but the potential is there nonetheless, even if the “fifteen ways of sliding” sports tend to resist these distinctions.

What you correctly point out is that much of what defines the Winter Games is efforts to create the human interest stories as the ongoing narrative, viewing the sport as secondary. NBC’s media coverage of the games was given a blow (and yet, simultaneously, a boost) when Lindsay Vonn reported her shin injury – on the one hand, it meant that she might not get to compete in as many events, but on the other hand it allowed for more coverage across their various platforms of her story, and if she ends up competing it will make viewers that much more eager to tune in, even if she’s far less likely to earn a medal.