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

Rusty Kanokogi, “Mother of Judo,” continues to fight at 73

I just got done reading this excellent piece in the New York Times about Rusty Kanokogi, a Judo icon, who has spent her life lobbying for women’s judo to become an Olympic sport. Now she’s battling a new problem: her health.

Diagnosed with kidney failure and multiple myeloma (rare blood disorder), Kanokogi is 73 years old and still fighting.

I have to admit – I’m not really that familiar with Judo, what it is, or why people even choose to fight.

Judoinfo.com says the sport is a refinement of the ancient martial art of Jujutsu. Specifically, they say:

[Judo] is best known for it’s spectacular throwing techniques but also involves considerable grappling on the ground utilizing specialized pins, control holds, arm locks, and Judo choking techniques. Judo emphasizes safety, and full physical activity for top conditioning. Judo is learned on special mats for comfort and safety.

Judo is unique in that all age groups, both sexes, and most disabled persons can participate together in learning and practicing the sport.

Here’s a YouTube video of the 2008 Judo games in Beijing, where Telma Monteiro (Portugal – white) competes against Anna Kharitonova (Russia – Blue), to give you an idea of how the sport works:

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

Anyway, back to the NY Times article on Rusty Kanokogi.

Her real name is Rena Glickman and she’s from Brooklyn. She learned judo from a man in her neighborhood who had picked it up in the military.

She joined the YMCA and competed in the championships, named Rusty Glickman, a nickname that means “stray dog,” indicative of how women were not explicitly barred from the YMCA championships, but it was certainly unusual for her to be there. So she cut her hair short, taped her breasts down and tried to disguise herself as a boy.

She won the final bout. Her coach asked her if she was a girl, and she nodded yes.

“Had I said no,” she said, “I don’t think women’s judo would have been in the Olympics. It instilled a feeling in me that no woman should have to go through this again.”

She then moved to  Japan to study at the Kodokan, the sport’s spiritual home in Tokyo. She returned as one of the top female judo competitors.

Her next step – she said, was,  “I took responsibility.” So she started lobbying, started making noise, and kept pushing.

In 1980, Kanokogi mortgaged her house to help finance the first women’s judo world championships, at Madison Square Garden.

By the early 1980s, Kanokogi had women’s judo made an exhibition sport for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and gained medal status for the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Today, she refuses to call herself a feminist – which I think is ridiculous.

It’s clear to me that she defines what feminism is for women in sports. She took responsibility for her sport and its state and created change, something that has positively impacted generations upon generations after her – something that “feminists” have done and should continue to do.

I wish her the best of luck as she battles her current health problems. And I find it incredibly inspiring that she still fights today.

Rusty (Rena) – on behalf of a new generation of female athletes, thank you for all that you’ve done.

Winter X Games: Torah Bright Wins Gold in Snowboard SuperPipe

In the elimination round, Australian snowboarder Torah Bright set a Winter X Games scoring record of 97.66.

Although she was not able to surmount that score, her score of 91.33 was enough to secure her the gold medal on Friday over silver medalist Kelly Clark.

This is the second time Bright brought home a gold medal from the X Games, following silver in 2008.

Bright now has her eyes set on the Olympics. At only 22 years of age (she’s a year younger than me) she will now move on to the World Cup circuit to qualify for next year’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

She’s awesome – going to put on quite a show next year. Can’t wait to watch her qualify.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jHNjqxaCgg

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

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

Women Fight for the Right to Wrestle

I came across this interesting article in the New York Times. It turns out wrestling has been a growing sport for women for the last twenty years. Girls are walking out onto the mat everyday across America, standing up, and utilizing their right to wrestle. According to the article, Women Want to Wrestle; Small Colleges Oblige,

“The inclusion of women’s wrestling in the Olympics beginning in 2004 provided a huge boost to the sport’s popularity and credibility. Five thousand girls nationwide wrestled in high school in the 2006-7 academic year, yet only eight colleges offer it as a varsity sport. Three of those eight programs are starting this fall.”

The more girls that wrestle in high school, the more girls that want to wrestle in college, and the more girls that move on to compete in the Olympics. The sport is growing, and it would be a shame for the girls to be limited or shut out of competing, because their university or institution did not have a women’s wrestling program. Wrestling has been under attack by opposers of Title IX. Unfortunately, wrestling is a sport that regularly gets cut in order for colleges and institutions to comply with Title IX rules and regulations. One supporter of women’s rights to wrestle has a great solution to everyone’s problems! Joey’s Wrestling room is a page dedicated to women’s wrestling. In “History of Wrestling” he states,

“At the collegiate level women’s wrestling is an ideal choice for creating new opportunities for women. In fact, women’s wrestling fits the NCAA criteria for emerging sports programs. Many schools that support a men’s wrestling program are out of compliance with Title IX – and money is always a factor. Adding women’s wrestling to an athletic program can save the athletic budget alot of money. Think about it. The coaches, the equipment, and the facilities are all in place. All that is needed is singlets and travel expenses. Economically it is the smart choice.”

Pretty Tough has already started to highlight the immerging sport of women’s wrestling. In a blog posted she states some of the facts about the sport:

“About 4000 girls wrestle at the high school level in the U.S. (compared to 239,000 boys), according to the USA Wrestling Association.

High school girls’ wrestling has only been sanctioned in two states: Hawaii and Texas (both since 1999).

Until girls’ wrestling teams are numerous enough to get state sanctioning, girls have to compete at informal divisions or meets instead of state tournaments�or compete against boys. In 2005, there were 17 girls who qualified for boys’ high school state tournaments around the country, and six of those girls placed.

The U.S. Girls Wrestling Association claims to be the future of the sport. They provide information of USGWA tournaments and events, as well as a discussion forum for female wrestlers and coaches.”

Hopefully in the next couple of years we will begin to see an increase in women’s wrestling and less cutbacks of men’s programs. After a highly publicized summer Olympics I don’t recall any coverage of women’s wrestling. Guess we have a ways to go.

CORREECTION: (by Megan Hueter)

Wrestling has not been under attack of the opposers of Title IX. The only thing that COULD BE criticized by wrestling coaches is the opportunity for women’s wrestling to be classified as an “emerging sport.” Wrestling has not made the NCAA’s seven-sport list to be classified as “emerging,” so there is really no argument here.

Above, when I saw “wrestling coaches,” I am not referring to ALL wrestling coaches. I am referring to some (and it is coming directly from the New York Times),

“Dozens of men’s teams have been eliminated over the past three decades, a phenomenon many coaches attribute to Title IX.”

As you can see, it’s clear they are critics of the law. However, it’s not Title IX that has eliminated those programs. It’s the institutions and their decisions to distribute funds to other men’s programs which they may deem more valuable. (which is unfortunate)

Also, to note, it’s not Title IX that is not allowing women’s wrestling to be classified as an emerging sport. It’s the NCAA. The problem is not with the law (it’s a good law that has created millions of opportunities for female athletes). The problem is with the institutions that govern the law and the politics that surround those decisions. It’s unfortunate for men AND women (sometimes) that this is the case.

Tribute to women’s table tennis

With the European Table Tennis championships having occurred in St.Petersburg, Russia  yesterday, I thought it’d be fitting to post a YouTube video I found on the sport, titled, “A Tribute to Women’s Table Tennis.”

I’ve never seen pro women’s table tennis before. I know it existed in the Olympics, but never was able to catch it live on television.

Looking at this video, I think it’s safe to say that this is a cool sport and these women are far more than simply talented.

Check it out:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcAOVsEeY2I]

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