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Allyson Felix Endorsement Portfolio Up To Speed
Allyson Felix began her pursuit of gold in the women’s 200 meters today when she qualified for the semifinals. In Beijing, Felix is looking to build upon her performance at the 2004 Athens Games, where she won the silver medal. Breakaway Sports Management LLC's Todd Provost, who handles Felix’s marketing, hopes that success in Beijing could serve to further broaden Felix’s appeal. Provost emphasized that in searching for sponsorships he looks for a long-term commitment from companies, and most of Felix’s current sponsors “have been around greater than one year.” Read More >Comments -
BMX Racing, Newest Olympic Sport, “Uncool” With Clips
In the rush to anoint BMX racing as the next great Olympic “action” sport, the media, the IOC and NBC are overlooking just one thing — pedal clips.
Bicycle clips, like the ones BMX racers will wear during NBC’s prime-time broadcast tonight, aren’t cool, according to a panel of action sports experts who gathered at SportsBusiness Journal’s offices in New York last month. Read More > -
Roundtable Assesses Mid-Games Marketing Issues
As the Beijing Games continue into the second week, the panelists in the latest installment of our Olympics roundtable reflected on the marketing impact of one of the biggest stories of the first week, Michael Phelps’ record eight gold medals. Participants also assessed other marketing and business stories from the opening week and offered their take on whether the momentum can continue. Read More >
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Medal Stand
Gold
Sports Illustrated
The first eight-medal photo of Michael Phelps was going to end up somewhere, and SI made sure that it was the place. It rolls out in this week's issue (a shirtless Phelps in front of a red background with eight gold medals hanging around his neck). It's hard to say whether or not that big goofy grin will sell magazines, but it can't hurt.
Silver
AVP
As if NBC's continuous prime-time coverage of beach volleyball wasn't enough, the pro beach volleyball tour wound up with the best-case scenario for a gold-medal match when American stars Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh take on a team from China on Thursday.
Bronze
NBC and DVR
Is NBC intentionally making the Olympics DVR resistant? The network has things set up in six-hour increments, and yesterday morning it set the USA basketball game to start in the fifth hour of a six-hour block and then carry through an additional six-hour block from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. On most DVRs, that means you had to record 12 hours of programming to get the entire game. Seems a little fishy to us.
Tin
Judging controversies
Judging controversies have become as much an Olympic tradition as doves during the Opening Ceremony. Yesterday, Nastia Liukin found herself in the center of the latest controversy when she tied for first place in the uneven bars but ended up with the silver medal. It was just the latest in a string of controversies that ultimately devalue Olympic competition. -
Catching Up With The IOC’s Gerhard Heiberg
As the director of the International Olympic Committee’s marketing commission, Norwegian Gerhard Heiberg oversees the organization’s legendary sponsor program and more than $866 million in sponsor revenues. He is a 1964 graduate of San Jose State University and has been a member of the IOC executive board since 2003. He took time to sit down with SportsBusiness Journal staff writer Tripp Mickle and contributor Jay Weiner in Beijing last week. Read More > -
Traditional Olympic Tune-Out Shouldn’t Hurt NBC
Even the traditional tune-out that happens during the second week of the Olympics shouldn’t stop NBC this year.
Since 1992, the Summer Olympics have averaged a 12.5 percent drop in viewership during their second week. Barcelona in 1992 saw the greatest drop, 16 percent, and Atlanta in 1996 saw the smallest, 9 percent. Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004 each saw 12 percent drops. Read More > -
OUTSIDE THE RINGS
Buying A Gift Turns Into Full-Contact Shopping
I am not a haggler. I don’t like to shop. I know what I want. I go to Target or Office Max and I get my white socks and printer ink. If I need dressy clothes, I have a favorite store that’s a bit pricey, but I know the salesman and he knows what I want.
That’s my shopping style.
So, it was with a great deal of discomfort that I embarked into the Chinese world of shopping Tuesday morning, my first foray into hand-to-hand commerce. Read More > -
NBC Slips Without Phelps, Averaging A 17.2
NBC earned a 15.8/28 national rating with 26.8 million viewers for Sunday night's prime-time coverage of the
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USOC, Panasonic Scream Foul Over Vizio Ad
Vizio called its latest commercial on NBC “Splash,” but the U.S. Olympic Committee and its partner Panasonic feel more like it’s a cannonball.
The 30-second Vizio commercial, which is airing during the Olympics, promotes the company’s high-definition television by showing an athlete complete a slow-motion dive against the backdrop of an American flag. The ad raised red flags for the USOC and Panasonic, the official audio and video partner for the Olympics worldwide, according to people familiar with the matter. Read More > -
Torres, Liukin Book “Tonight Show” Appearances
After the Olympic flame is extinguished on Sunday, NBC will keep newly minted Olympic stars Dara Torres and Nastia Liukin in the spotlight. The swimmer and gymnast are scheduled for appearances on “The Tonight Show” on Aug. 25 and 26, respectively. Both athletes are represented by Evan Morgenstein of Raleigh-based Premier Management Group.
