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Joe Fries
By Joe Fries
Warts and all, I think the 2010 Olympics will be an event to remember, and if that means we have to suffer all the trappings of corporate sponsorship, so be it, because we really couldn’t have it any other way.
There. I said it. Somebody had to.
Unless you just crawled out from under a rock, you know the Olympic flame passed through the Okanagan earlier this week, provoking a mainly excited response from local media and the public at large. Sure, there were a few naysayers, and Kelowna.com featured its share of them here, here, here and here. But how many people who complain about the commercialization of the Games and its impact on future provincial budgets will protest by not watching?
That’s what I thought. I’m sure the average critic would be able to swallow his rage just long enough to watch, say, Canada face off against the U.S. in the men’s hockey final.
And lest we forget that if it weren’t for those sponsors, the Olympics probably wouldn’t exists as we know them. The Tyee ran a wonderful piece earlier this month about how the Olympics were rescued from obscurity first by the auction of TV broadcasting rights and later by selling sponsorships to a small number of elite companies, thereby driving up the value of those rights.
Near as I can tell, just under $1 billion of VANOC’s $1.8-billion budget is funded by international and domestic sponsorships. If we have to look at a few Coca-Cola commercials because of it, who cares?
When it comes to endowing individual teams, even the C-List types join in. Ever seen an advertisement for the Rich Dad Poor Dad seminars that roll through town every so often? Well, the business associated with those boiler rooms promised $1 million over five years to become the title sponsor for the Canadian Luge Association. If that was the best the lugers could do, they must have been desperate, which should also tell you that $1 million is probably much appreciated in that corner of the sports world.
Outside of the commercialization sphere now, the Olympics also gives kids – and grown-ups – valuable exposure to different cultures and affords an up-close look at world-class athletes. If you don’t believe me, just visit Memorial Arena this week and next. Inside, you’ll find Sweden’s national women’s hockey team getting ready for its shot at gold.
This Saturday, the club will scrimmage with a couple of local girls’ teams and participate in a meet-and-greet. Were it nor for the Olympics, I doubt such an opportunity for aspiring young females would exist.
It was suggested to me that as journalists, we are jaded and not able to see the Olympics for the advertisements. To a large extent, I’d agree. However, I still went to the big party at City Park earlier this week to see the Olympic flame arrive. (I stuck around only long enough to see that none of the protesters had the balls to heckle Premier Gordon Campbell.)
Yes, it’s good to be alarmed at the commercialization of the Games, but that doesn’t mean you can’t watch. Once the puck drops, I doubt any real fan will care about who paid how much to sponsor what.
A better issue to consider is this: How come an Olympic torch relay party in City Park draws so much better than a Remembrance Day service? Does the Legion need corporate sponsors, too?
joe@kelowna.com
250-575-4303
Tags: Olympics
