Philip Reeves

The London 2012 Olympics were billed as the Social Games, with Twitter, Facebook and other services making it an immersive experience. But it might be remembered as "The Crying Games," for the swelling of emotions many Britons experienced. We run down some of the Olympics' winners and losers:

The Losers

The Stiff Upper Lip

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AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Before the Olympics began, the British were in a funk. The Times of London predicted the games would be a disaster, and many Britons agreed. Now, nearly two weeks later, they've forgotten all that and pretty much everything else that's gone wrong. As we hear from NPR's Philip Reeves, the Olympics have temporarily transformed a nation.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: What on Earth is happening to the British?

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

REEVES: I mean, just listen.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

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SUSAN STAMBERG, HOST:

You find out so much about a country, you know, when it's hosting the Olympics. It's almost as if the games lay bare a nation's soul. NPR's Philip Reeves says that is what's happening in Britain. He's finding the experience unnerving, as he explains, in this letter from the Olympics.

Any claim the British have to their fabled "stiff upper lip" is being destroyed by these Olympic Games. The Brits' lips are wobbling like jellies; their tears are flowing faster than the summer rain; their crowds are cheering themselves hoarse.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

For months now, we've been hearing about people having trouble with their tickets for the London Olympics. People complained they couldn't get the tickets they wanted or the tickets are too expensive. Plus, some have had problems actually getting the tickets in hand. But maybe they're just not doing it right, as NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We've been following some big developments today in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal in Britain. Prosecutors are charging eight people - including a former top aide to Prime Minister David Cameron - and a woman who was Rupert Murdoch's top lieutenant. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

Three days remain before the Olympic Games. They're billed as the world's greatest sporting event. They're in London. So why aren't the British happy? The British have been grumbling so much about the games that the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has told them all to stop whining and, in his words, put a sock in it. Yet still the protests and complaints continue. Let's take a ride across London with NPR's Philip Reeves.

In London, the fight over the G4S security company and the Olympics is growing. More guards failed to show up for work on Tuesday. And the CEO of the massive security company is being grilled by the Home Affairs Committee.