2010 Olympics: The influence of advertising on quality broadcast journalism

Imagine yourself as Linsey Vonn yesterday – a native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, who has been working her whole life, since she was 2 years old, to bring home an Olympic gold in women’s downhill skiing.

She finally does it, gives hugs to her family in the stands, and picks up a cell phone to call some close friends from home.

Only one thing – nobody wants to answer the phone. Not because they’re not interested, but because nobody has seen it yet. NBC wouldn’t be airing her performance until later that night, on primetime television, when more people were watching.

This post is about power.

We all know – money is a big driver of power. Unfortunately for all of us, nowhere is this more apparent than NBC’s broadcast coverage of the 2010 Olympics.

What do I mean? Well, advertising money, more-so than monumental athletic performances, are influencing NBC’s broadcast decisions during the 2010 Olympics.

NBC is infuriating millions of fans by tape-delaying important events. People online are freaking out, and media publications are picking up on it. Need examples? Read this article by Henry Blodget of Business Insider or today’s piece by Sports Illustrated, or yesterday’s piece in the New York Times.

NBC infuriated millions of “people like me” when they tape-delayed one of America’s treasures – quite possibly the most-discussed performance about a female athlete (ever) – the women’s downhill (i.e., “The Lindsay Vonn Show”).

Crazy, right?

Yesterday, when Vonn performed, I sent around the NYTimes alert saying Vonn had won the gold with the message “yay!” One of my WomenTalkSports friends was a little annoyed that I had ruined the surprise. She apparently was waiting in anticipation to watch in on TV later that night.

While I understand where she’s coming from, that’s not the world that I live in. I don’t “wait” for things anymore. I demand access to real-time updates and breaking news stories because that’s what I deserve as a consumer. And that’s exactly what NBC should be broadcasting.

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Lindsey Vonn pre-Olympic workout

Check it out – Olympic hopeful Lindsey Vonn is video-taped during her killer workout. Definitely shows some of the hard work going into trying to win a gold!

Disclosure: Under Armour, Vonn’s sponsor, is a client of mine at Catalyst Public Relations.

NBC names Lindsey Vonn athlete of the decade

That’s right, this week, along with a new year, we’re celebrating a new decade. It’s 2010, and 10 years have officially gone by since the start of this new millennium.

Today, according to the Ski Channel, NBC gave the honor of “athlete of the decade” to a woman whose name should be recognized in every living room by now.

Sign of the times? Maybe. Regardless, it’s well-deserved.

Here’s a rundown of what she’s accomplished in the past decade. I’m sure she’ll be adding to this list this year in Vancouver.

Vonn is the first American woman to win back-to-back overall World Cup championships, earned in 2008 and 2009.

She has also won World Cup discipline championships in downhill (also back-to-back) and Super G (the first American woman to do so). With 25 World Cup wins in four disciplines (downhill, Super G, slalom and super combined) and two World Championship gold medals (plus two World Championship silver medals), she has become the most successful American woman skier in World Cup history. (See profile in Wikipedia)

Even more interesting, she survived a horrific crash in 2006 and earned the Olympic Spirit award because she still competed in the race, finishing eighth.

I can’t wait to see her this year in Vancouver. Visit Lindsay Vonn’s Web site to learn more about her life and upcoming events.

2016 Olympics in Chicago? Nastia Liukin, President and Michelle Obama say “yes”

Personally, I think it would be cool to have the Olympics in Chicago in 2016. Nastia Liukin thinks so (click picture below), as well as President and Michelle Obama – they’re traveling to Copenhagen today to pitch Chicago’s bid to the International Olympic Committee. 

Will it work? We’ll see!

Will women’s boxing be included in the 2012 Olympic Games?

Read an interesting article on BBC this morning about a new possibility to include women’s boxing in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The story broke in Europe today after hearing International Olympic Committee president Jacque Rogge publicly back its inclusion.

AIBA, the international federation for amateur boxing, also supports women’s inclusion in the Games and will soon petition for official inclusion. Read more

2009 WNBA Draft: A journey back to my love for women’s basketball

I’ve played basketball my entire life.

Ever since I was little, l knew that I loved the game. From eighth grade all the way through graduation from my NCAA Division III college, I pretty much obsessed over rankings, new prospects and players of the week, desperately trying to mold my role somewhere in the middle of it.

I remember when the WNBA started in 1997. I was 12 years old. It was a really exciting time for women’s sports. I read books written by big names like Pat Summit and Nancy Lieberman, attended basketball camps regularly, and was a subscribed reader to Sports Illustrated for Women. I knew deep down that I wanted to be a part of the future of the game. So I worked very, very hard as a player. Read more

Congratulations to TCNJ: Welcome to the sweet 16

Early this week, I was delighted to read the NCAA Division III women’s basketball interactive brackets (which are awesome, by the way).

My alma mater, The College of New Jersey, made it to the Sweet 16 defeating Tufts on Saturday, 57-55.

Here’s a little “shout out” to one of my best friends, Hillary Klimowicz (Hillary transferred to TCNJ when I was a senior):

TCNJ’s senior captain, center Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) added a game-high 28 points with eight rebounds and a blocked shot to prevent a winning three-point basket. The Lions’ leading scorer this year, Klimowicz now has 1,336 career points at TCNJ is the program’s No. 2 all-time leading scorer in just three seasons of play with the Lions. Overall on her collegiate career, she boasts 1,611 points and 1,020 rebounds. (via NCAA recap)

TCNJ’s next game is on Friday against Rochester. Good luck ladies!

What’s your state’s best female athlete ever?

Yesterday, in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sport Day, Sports Illustrated did something really cool – they featured the best female athletes from each state (totaling 51, of course).

Special thanks to @LegacyDirect for tweeting about this.

The time frame of this feature goes back to the 1920′s. As an athlete, it’s really neat to learn about women who excelled back in the day.

As a native of New Jersey, it was interesting for me to learn about distance runner Mary Decker Slaney, someone who I had previously never heard of (probably because she was successful in 1984, the year before I was born).

Here are some details about her:

She set American records in every middle and long distance event on the books — the 800, 1,500, mile, 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000. She won the 1983 World Distance Championships in the 1,500 and 3,000. After qualifying for her first Olympics at 21, she went on to qualify for three more teams. She is perhaps best known for her failures on the Olympic stage, including a fall at the ’84 Games that sent her onto the infield writhing in pain during the 3,000-meter race she was heavily favored to win.

Currently a resident of Washington, DC, it’s also interesting for me to learn about backstroker Melissa Betole Ripley.

Here are some details about her:

Sixteen at the 1972 Games in Munich, Ripley won three golds (100- and 200-meter backstroke, one with the relay team), setting a world record in the 200 and an Olympic record in the 100.

Who’s the best female athlete in your state? Check it out, here.

A salute to female athletes in 2008

Here’s a special treat – a homemade video that I created with Jane from Pretty Tough this week. I hope you like it! Please feel free to embed or slap on your Facebook page.

These women worked hard this year, and they certainly deserve the credit.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQUog8xS2FA

“Game Changers:” Nike’s innovative social movement for women in sports

I came across a great contest this week… an online social movement for women in sports.

The campaign is called “Game Changers” and asks participants to identify the most innovative solutions to the challenges facing women in sport today.

Between November 12, 2008 and February 11, 2009, Game Changers is inviting anyone and everyone to propose a way to leverage sport for positive social change in the lives of girls and women. The criteria is based upon innovation, social impact and sustainability.

The prize: “15.000 Euros will be awarded as part of a one year fellowship contract with Women Win to a person associated with a programme or initiative that positively changes the lives of women and girls in their community through sport.”

The judging panel includes Amy Wambach from (U.S. Women’s Soccer), Jil Ker Conway (director of Colgate-Palmolive Co., and Nike, Inc), Sheila C. Johnson (only African-American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams), Lombe Mwambwa (National Organisation of Women in Sport, the National Sports Council of Zambia) and Tanni Grey-Thompson ( Paralympics medalist). Love the selection!

I have to give serious props to Nike and Ashoka for sponsoring this. I think it’s a great idea. If you’re not familiar with Ashoka, they’re the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs—men and women with system changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems.

However, I have to say – I’m a bit disappointed that there are only 220 nominations and 55 entries to date. Where is everyone? This is an international competition!

Also, where’s the outreach to female sports bloggers? I haven’t seen anything in the media about this. If we’re trying to make social change, people need to know about it, right? There are plenty of bloggers in our community who would support this.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUo13iX03N8&eurl=http://sportforchange.changemakers.net/en-us&feature=player_embedded

Regardless, as I said, this is a great competition and addresses a problem that is not often discussed in society. Also, it’s important to note that Nike has made incredible contributions on social change as it relates to sport. For example, the Let Me Play campaign (and site) are highly effective in raising awareness for social change as it relates to gender, socioeconomic status, global warming. The site features interactive video and incredible stories from “Game Changers” around the world.

But the Game Changers contest for female athletes is particularly significant, given a historically consistent lack of opportunity internationally. This is a cause that female athletes and organizations around the world should support and participate in.

I checked out the entries so far, and I was really impressed with what’s going on. Here are some of my favorites:

SACRENA Teenage Mothers Soccer Academy (Kenya) – Teenage mothers both in and out schools play soccer league,develop transitional period to play from grassroots,national team to world cup for change.
Ballin’ Divas on the Move (U.S.) – Our goal is to help school-age girls to develop self-esteem, curb drug and alcohol abuse, prevent teen pregnancy and ensure high school graduation and admission into college. Our emphasis is teaching life skills and we do it through amateur sports including basketball and other sports like volleyball, softball, karate, dance,…etc in the future

BoxGirls (Cameron) - Boxing improves girls’ strength and resilience and allows them to better negotiate the urban environment. Boxgirls train as a team to face individual challeneges alone. The skills they learn in the ring bring them further in their schooling, family and career.

Like I said… very cool! I hope to see many more entries in the coming months, and I highly encourage those reading this to post about this contest, enter it, discuss it and promote it.

Her Sports Rounds… The Best of Women’s Sports

Below is my roundup – hope you enjoy!

Lauren at Feministe discusses the beauty and power displayed in the image of female bodybuilders – an image that “isn’t that of a delicate orchid.”

Jane from Pretty Tough gives a great recap of what’s happening in the women’s figure skating industry. I know I’ve said this before, but I think Jane probably has the best coverage of women’s sports out there.

Diane from Women Who Serve talks about “who’s hot and who’s not” for women’s tennis in ’09. This is a very interesting read, and a great blog – I’m so glad Diane decided to start this blog – a life-long fan of women’s tennis… what a great way to express her passion.

Rob from the Athletic Women blog discusses the importance of strength training for female athletes.

Apryl Delancey from Women Like Sports discusses how Lisa Guerrero from Inside Edition and TV Guide has decided to become a sports blogger!  I hope she takes the lead in covering women’s sports!!!

Ted and Sara at the Women’s Hoops Blog give great recaps of what’s happening in college hoops – check out their post from November 23 – what great coverage!

Lyndsey from Girls Dig Sports (B5 Media) says that Alicia Sacramone, from the Olympics gymnastics team, is considering a reality show with Lou Reda Productions.

Erica Ortiz discusses what she’s thankful for at Horsepower & Heels.

Keri Mikulski heads back to Texas for a book signing at The Ronald McDonald Tournament which benefits the Ronald McDonald House in Houston.

Our Bodies Our Blog linked to me this week – blogger Christine took a liking to a YouTube video I posted this week about five year old basketball phenom Milan Simone Tuttle.

Sara from Rock Climber Girl is attempting to bring together the rock climbing community by to making a directory of climbing-related Twitter-ers.  I think Twitter is awesome – I’d love to see a community of female athletes raising influence on Twitter.

Stanford FBC gives us the back story on how a musician (Bud Anderson) and a graphic artist ( Sarah Boruta) are the new videographers for the Stanford women’s team.These two seem to be responsible for Stanford’s viral videos and possibly a music video for the team.

Adam Jacobs at The Final Sprint discusses corruption at the top of the track and field industry. He came out with Part III and Part IV of his Dysfunction Run Amuck series. I highly recommend you read them – very, very interesting.

Dysfunction Run Amuck: USA Track & Field and the Need for Change

Adam Jacobs from The Final Sprint has written a very interesting article about USA Track & Field. Titled Disfunction Run Amuck: USA Track & Field and the Need for Change, this article is a great read for those interested in investigative journalism and corruption at one of the highest levels of the sport. Hopefully this series will bring the much-needed change that Adam highlights.

From The Final Sprint:

“TheFinalSprint.com’s investigation into this matter uncovered disturbing accusations and issues of dysfunction, including infighting, power struggles, racial tension, lack of oversight, and conflicts of interest within the board of directors. While the allegations may not rise to the level of criminality, they do threaten to undermine the organization at a time that it desperately needs cohesiveness and efficiency. With the belief that sunlight is the best disinfectant, TheFinalSprint.com will publish an article each day for the next week providing an inside look at USATF and its current situation.”

Below is the schedule. I highly enourage my readers to check follow its progress.

• 11/20 – Introduction
• 11/21 – How Did We Get Here?
• 11/22 – USOC Mandates / State of Dysfunction at USATF
• 11/23 – Financial Mismanagement / “Jets vs. Sharks”
• 11/24 – Racial Tensions / Infighting / Overstepping
• 11/25 – Conflict Of Interest / USATF Pres. Election
• 11/26 – Reasons For Hope / Restructuring

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