The First Rule Of The Olympics: You Can't Talk About The Olympics
from the stupid-stupid-marketing-policies dept
We’ve already talked about how the Olympics forced certain radio stations to pull their internet streams because they weren’t approved for internet broadcasts of the Olympics, and now comes the news that no athletes participating in the games are allowed to talk about their experiences on websites. Considering the number of empty seats (and the weak television coverage), giving the games a more personal feel, letting the athletes talk for themselves (rather than those sappy profiles on TV) would help people to connect more with the games. That, though, would involve remembering that the games are actually about what happens in the events, and not how much the Olympics can squeeze out of sponsors. Haven’t they figured out yet, that if no one cares about the games, no one will want to sponsor the Olympics any more? As for those who dare to disobey and actually talk about their experiences online? The Olympics are threatening to remove their credentials or possibly “take legal action for any monetary damages.” Monetary damages? From posting your thoughts on the games? Seems pretty clear just how focused the Olympic organizers are on money instead of the athletes and the contests.
Comments on “The First Rule Of The Olympics: You Can't Talk About The Olympics”
Wow, is that broken.
Monetary damages for talking about your own experiences at what is supposed to be a bloody amateur sporting event?!
Utterly morally bankrupt. They should be freaking begging athletes to talk about what it’s like to be an Olympian, not trying to muzzle them.
Olympics? What olympics?
The Olympics are such a farce. Almost every athlete seems to be drugged or doped up. Next comes gene therapy, etc etc.
In canada we have more propaganda shoved on us than old style commie countries.
We are shown “commercials” over and over again that explain to us the great and fantastic victories of the past, yet today we stand with 1 single medal….a bronze.
What a frigging joke.
No Subject Given
It has been and always will be about the $$$$$$$ both for the athletes and the people who put on or sponsor the games.
Keep it in context, without the sponsors paying for advertising or the committee’s building the facilities there would be NO olympics!!! Get it ? So if they wanna try to get their money back or make a dollar, don’t get on their case. They paid well in advance.
Re: The Rules
First rule about Fight Club: Don’t talk about Fight Club.
Re: No Subject Given
thats crap
the olympics have been around long before nike and pepsi
it was a world event that was once a treasure that has been bought and comercialized into nothing but another “friends” knock off
for the athletes in the olympics (as opposed to our national sport league cash cows) it is about the love of the sport, not the cash. their perseverance through doing *whatever* from sunup to sundown every day since they were like 4.
i get in big coporations case because nobody should OWN the olympic games, what ever happened to the common good? oh i forgot it was sold out and is now recouped in some companies bottom line. look at that GDP grow.
you are either another sheep falling in line or your love of money has blinded you from seeing the truth that some things should not be bought, licensed, mass produced and cultured by focus groups all in the name of making another % profit.
Re: Re: No Subject Given
Something called ‘nationalism’ died along with the cold war and the ‘games’ died when american professionals were allowed to participate. It used to be country vs. country (USA vs USSR) or (USA vs GER) but we are nowhere near as rah rah america as we used to be … at least toward major industrial nations (sorry, the terrorists don’t count cause you can’t figure out what country to be mad at). So it’s more about the athlete vs. the athlete.
The pro’s being in the games suck. These guys play each other all the time and really have nothing to prove … or at least that’s what their attitudes would convey.
And the ‘way things used to be’ isn’t any more so forget that logic. American athletes now get endorsements long before they hit the games and as part of that endorsement usually have to sell their souls; as well as thier opinions. It means money for them to compete at the same level as other athletes who are nationally funded.
Their are still the athletes who compete for the love of the sport or to find something within themselves that the next person doessn’t have … but they are rare. Very rare.
Money, big corporate dollars, allow us (me probably you) to see the games on 4 different stations, several different web sites, mixed media formats, … alot of the coverage is stunning. Especially when you compare it to the offerings of the older olympics … and it’s because these money grubbing companies are pouring lots of dollars into it.
I’m not advocating thier practice of wanting to quiet the athletes but I at least recognize they need/want to recover the money they have invested in producing the event. Yeah,, wait for the olympics DVD to come out with behind the scenes commentary. You know it’s going to happen and it’s all part of recovering their costs and god forbid, profitting, which is what companies are SUPPPOSED TO DO. Next time your 401k sinks, remember, profit is GOOD.
They (the corps) have to get more and more stiffling with content control in order to be able to sale it. I’m surprised the olympics aren’t pay-for-view. Maybe two years from now.
If the athlete(s) signed anything saying they’d keep quiet or make their thoughts/words exculsive to one of the coorporations, so be it. Honor thy Word.
And that’s not ‘crap’. Let the corporations pull their money and sponsorships and see how many athletes actually get a chance to participate and see what kind of media coverage you get. High lights on sportscenter .. after baseball tonight.
Olympics is Political
There is too much politics, money and control over the olympics. It was originally just a bit of fun. How sad.
ya what
My Generation doesn't even know what the Olympics are!
Talk to kids today. No suburban white kids most likely to get charged with false rape charges by a Carolina DA, but they who will be the majority trash citizens within the next five to ten years. Talk to their parents who were born between 1968 and 1990. They don’t care, know, or recall the Olympics anymore. They don’t care. I know I don’t. I mean, doesn’t that damned Olympic theme song sound like a Soviet march in May? All those horns blaring and screaming and such? Also, who’s watching NBC? Their cable networks, sans USA, averages 400 viewers during prime time on weekdays, and NBC itself isn’t looking too good. I doubt NBC would dare promote the Olympics during WWE Raw because Vince McMahon would burn them down for clogging his airtime with something he doesn’t benefit from. So who really cares about the Olympics? Some yuppy-scum holdovers from the 1980s? Baby boomers? Warkids from the 1940s? Get back to the way ABC covered the Olympics, and maybe you’ll get the new generations talking about it again. Also, refer back to my opening statement of this post about who is the majority of the nation and who really knows/cares about the Olympics anymore.