What happened to the good old days when the Olympics were all about proving national athletic dominance and gaining four years worth of bragging rights? And the whole “world unity” thing is pretty important too, I guess.
The Olympics should be a showcase of world culture, bringing people together every four years to rejoice in the pageantry of truly genuine and noble competition while tearing down ethnic and cultural borders.
But now, the most glorified and prestigious athletic competition in the world has been muddled and reduced to nothing more than a glorified and prestigious Visa commercial.
The story of Derek Redmond’s father helping his fallen son finish the most important race of his life in the 1992 Summer games in Barcelona is one of the most iconic and touching images in Olympic history. And unless the CEO of Visa was sitting next to Mr. Redmond at the time saying, “Go help your son, it’ll make a great commercial one day,” the credit card company has absolutely nothing to do with that moment, but you would never know that by watching the commercials.
I understand sporting events are money-making ventures, and generating profits requires commercials and sponsorships, but the Olympics should be different.
If the story of Jesse Owens triumphing over Hitler’s “Aryan Nation” in the 1936 Berlin games were to happen today, Master Card would take credit for bringing you the moment, Chipotle would be Owens’ official burrito, Ben & Jerry’s would come out with a personalized flavor and Budweiser would release a special edition four pack of golden lager – with the irony being lost on everyone.
When I think of McDonald’s, the image of a morbidly obese person in a sleeveless John Deere shirt riding a rascal scooter through the drive-thru saying, “Super size the Big Mac, but give me a diet coke. I’m trying to lose weight,” comes to mind.
Great athletes and McDonalds should not be mentioned in the same breath, and people like Usain Bolt and Lolo Jones should not endorse food that may or may not be actual meat, much less be actually healthy.
I seriously doubt Michael Phelps’s mother routinely goes to her son’s training and chastises him about not eating enough Subway.
Before the Dream Teams, before the Wheaties boxes, Olympic athletes were amateurs. Professional athletes were not a part of the games.
Now, I’ll be surprised if in the ESPN interview following an event, an athlete doesn’t thank their mother, God and most importantly “UPS, for providing low cost parcel delivery services all over the world.”
What can brown do for you?
 
____ Contact Mike Gegenheimer at [email protected]