Requiem for a Meme: Bob Costas’ Pink Eye
The 2014 Winter Olympics just became a whole lot less entertaining with the announcement that Matt Lauer will replace Bob Costas in the main anchor chair for a day. Costas’s infected left eye quickly became the star of Sochi and the source of fountain of entertainment on Twitter. There are at least a dozen handles and five hashtags paying homage to Costas’s affliction. And the tweets have been more entertaining than the games.
When the infection worsened and spread to the right eye, both NBC and Costas agreed, for the good of America and the world, it was time for a new host (if only temporarily). In memory of Bob’s red, swollen, half-open oozing eyes, here now is a sampling of the best tweets of the past few days.
The moral of this story: never accept eye drops from @MLauer. #bobcostaspinkeye
— LogicalLibby (@LogicalLibby) February 11, 2014
Today only, the part of Bob Costas’ left eye will be played by Peter Dinklage.
— Just Bill (@WilliamAder) February 10, 2014
Can someone just get Bob Costas an eye patch already? pic.twitter.com/EQ0mPzCyMj
— TIMBERCARINI (@TimberCarini) February 10, 2014
If Bob Costas’ eye gets any worse, people are going to ask if he’s The Keymaster. pic.twitter.com/actBbFR2yw
— Stay Puft (@StayPuft) February 8, 2014
I’m just a man standing in front of Bob #CostasEye asking it to love me #BobCostas #bobcostaspinkeye #Olympics2014 #Sochi2014 #SochiProblems
— Nathan (@stockejock) February 10, 2014
Chris Collinsworth totally farted on Bob’s pillow #BobCostasPinkEye
— Alex Smith (@asmooth206) February 7, 2014
Bob costas got a red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. #OpeningCeremony #costaseye
— Reggie McRymple (@RMcRymple) February 8, 2014
UPDATE: As you can see here, Bob Costas’ eye infection has gotten…well, a lot worse #Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/ar7OdeyKyV
— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) February 11, 2014
Bob Costas taking a red eye home??? Get it. RED EYE!!! Hahahahah. He got Sochi’d so hard. pic.twitter.com/lQyLsszRtu
— Special K (@CLAYBYDAY) February 11, 2014
Fun to see Olympics in full swing. Does anyone know when the opening ceremony for Bob Costa’s eye is? #bobcostaspinkeye
— Brandon Soloski (@soloskib) February 11, 2014
Bob Costas’s eyes make me regret getting an HD TV #bobcostaspinkeye
— Osutein (@osutein) February 11, 2014
omfg that just makes it worse RT @pourmecoffee: Three words for Bob Costas: Daft Punk helmet. pic.twitter.com/QpOlQUBYl4
— darth™ (@darth) February 11, 2014
These Bob Costas jokes are getting cornea and cornea. #bobcostaspinkeye
— Bob Costas’ EYES (@BobCostasEyes) February 10, 2014
The Pinko Eye of Costas gets more powerful & gross the longer it remains in the former Soviet Union from which it draws it force #Olympics
— John C. (@JCinQC) February 11, 2014
The fifth ring that didn’t open is just a tribute to Bob Costas’s eye.
— Jordan Cohen (@jorcohen) February 7, 2014
I don’t think Bob Costas’s eye is healing. pic.twitter.com/udurBLGstr
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) February 8, 2014
Bob Costas doing his part to support gay rights by donning a ceremonial pink eye. #SochiProblems
— robynadams (@robynadams) February 8, 2014
A loving tribute to Dorian Costas’ eye pic.twitter.com/ifhS1Piwqj
— masked scheduler (@maskedscheduler) February 8, 2014
Not looking good for Bob Costas. The typical recovery time for pink eye is about the length of one of his soliloquies.
— Andrew Goldstein (@AngeGold) February 11, 2014
Even 6ABC’s Jim Gardner joined in.
Will NBC forever refer to the Sochi games as the “pink eye olympics?” Judge’s give Costas’ conjunctivitis a 9.6. pic.twitter.com/IFhG2Zd0mo
— Jim Gardner (@Jim_Gardner) February 11, 2014
And I couldn’t resist.
Bob Costas will now only appear during emotional moments at the Olympics when they need an anchor who looks like he is filling with tears.
— Larry Mendte (@LarryMendte) February 11, 2014
Follow @LarryMendte on Twitter.
