The Olympic Games is one of the best examples of globalization in any sport. It is a time when different athletes across the world can represent their countries and the possibility of bringing back a medal. Not all countries are represented in every Olympic Event, as some smaller countries do not have the resources or technology to train for all the different games involved. Over time, the Olympic Games have become one of the most prestigious sporting events to occur, as those nations hosting the Olympic Games want to showcase their city and what growth of their country. During the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games the host city tries to bring a sense of culture, integrity, and technology that they have to offer. During the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece the Olympic athletes who won various events were crowned with olive wreaths (Gillentine & Crow, 2005). This was interesting to see as they were bringing back some things from the original Olympics and ancient Olympia. While the Olympic Games have brought countries together for a wide array of sporting events it has not ended wars, although it has seen an increase in attendance from fans, and also an increase in political support from all countries.
With the increase in Olympic support and technology those able to view the Olympic Games is only going to increase as they have not maxed out on viewership possibilities (Rivenburgh, 2002). “While global audience size for the Olympics is routinely overstated in the popular press, the 2000 Sydney Olympics was still broadcast to 220 countries and territories, making it the most watched television sports event in history” (Rivenburgh, 2002, p. 32). As the number of channels have increased for individuals, the Olympic Games have had a problem in some countries as viewers do not get the same choices as other nations when it comes to watching a certain sporting event. Olympic sporting events run day and night with the less popular events normally occurring during primetime hours. This is beneficial to those with broadcasting rights for the Olympics as the viewership for those main events would be expected to increase.
As more countries get involved in the Olympic Games the number of athletic sporting events has also increased overtime. In the early 1980’s there were only 234 events held at the Olympic Games, and during the 1990’s the Olympic Games events increased to 502 events. This is a tough situation with the Olympic Games as they have to find ways with scheduling and which events will get the primetime scheduling for events. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has helped with the increase in television and sponsorship rights as now there is a harder chance for a financial loss for having the Olympic Games.
Television has been influential on when certain events happen and when certain sponsors will get airtime for being sponsors for the Olympic Games. When it comes to the Olympic events themselves NBC officials have proclaimed that viewers do not worry about if they are able to view a live event, and that those viewers would rather hear about the storyline (Rivenburgh, 2002). This could serve as a problem for the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games in London, as with the increase in coverage and the time differences those on the London Olympic Committee will have to schedule accordingly so viewers will get the best opportunity to watch the popular sporting events. On the US network they created the ‘plausibly live’ broadcasting which added in some live and certain tape-delayed events (Rivenburgh, 2002). This type of broadcasting was not successful during the 2000 Sydney Games, due to the time difference between Australia and the United States. While viewers watched this ‘plausibly live’ broadcasting most of the events were not live and some viewers new the results and outcome before being able to watch it on the delayed system. With the increase in technology for individuals’ televisions with TiVo, DVR, and other recording systems, those individuals with those appliances are able to watch a movie or go to work and record a certain Olympic event without really viewing it while live. This could alter the number of viewers for the Olympic Games.
References:
Gillentine, A., & Crow, R. B. (2005). Foundations of sport management. Morgantown: Sport Management Library.
Rivenburgh, N. K. (2002). The Olympic Games: Twenty-First Century Challenges as a Global Media Event. EBSCO Publishing
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