How can Olympic sports maintain media coverage and momentum with fans in between Olympiads?

Question

In my travels my since the Olympics virtually everyone I meet makes a point of saying how much they love to watch the Olympics. Despite this apparent interest, many winter Olympic sports, like speed skating, get very little TV coverage here in the US. However in Europe and Asia, speed skating is televised regularly. How can sports like speed skating grow their US fan base and attract more television attention?

Answer 1

Hi Joey,

Part of the problem I feel is our media's commerical approach to covering sport. Viewership means ratings and without ratings, there's no coverage. So in spite of the interest, if the networks aren't convinced of the potential, they won't commit air time. I may be mistaken, but I'm relatively certain that many of the broadcast networks in Europe and Asia are state controlled and sport programming is viewed differently than here. DO you remember ABC's Wide-World of Sports? No network bothers to try to show sports in this manner anymore, they'd rather stick with NASCAR and Wrestling...

As interesting as these sports may be to the average fan, some of the competitions may not translate well to viewing on TV.

As for ideas, well...I think it's going to be necessary for the governing bodies of these sports to work together to gain viewers through advertisement, corporate sponsorships, free promotion (like free clinics) and so forth. It's going to take a more grass-roots effort while you continue to court younger viewers. Help your fans make demands of the broadcasters and then they'll need to support them by watching the competition. It also would hurt for the Olympians to get involved collectively if possible.

Finally, SHOW the competition. I realize you and the other athletes have little to say about how a competition is shown, but I absolutely hate the way US television broadcasts Olympic sports. They constantly cut away from competition, have FAR too many "human-interest" stories and show far too little competition. A poster mentioned being board by track presentations? Well, track may not be for every viewer, but if they'd show complete competitions, that might change. The same goes for Winter sports.

Answer 2

I don't think most Olympic sports can maintain interest EXCEPT during the Olympics. People seem to like the spectacle of the Olympics, the bigger-than-life-ness of the whole thing. During the Olympics you get the the analysis, the back story, the drama and the hype. For most Olympic sports this is absolutely necessary to get any interest.

I used to like Track and Field alot. But frankly, its a pretty boring sport to watch live. To watch a typical meet on television is slightly less boring, but you just have a hard time getting up for it. During the Olympics, on the other hand, there's a whole lot attached to each event, plus the media coverage is significantly edited to make it palatable to most viewers. (The World Track and Field Championships are usually treated like the Olympics without all the other sports and are much more interesting to watch than the usual track meet; they have the drama and all the other stuff that makes Olympic coverage so hard to resist.)

I don't hold out much hope that most Olympic events will ever generate significant fan interest except in the Olympics. I used to think that was a shame but now I realize its just human nature. Better to enjoy the Olympics and not worry about most of the sports the rest of the time.

Answer 3

hey i wathced the olympics and watched you man. In canada, the speed skating is show on CBC witch is funded by the goverment and they are gonning to show it no matter what. Now because of how well the Canadain team did this year, ratings have skyrocketed up especially because of Cindy Klassen's preformance. The way interest can grow in the states and any other country for that matter, is that when its on the world stage, the country's atheletes like yourself need to have major preformances and do incredebly well in order to increase interest. In Europe and Asia, speed skating is popular because it is broadcasted on state run chanels and becuase there teams are always winning and because they have speed skating and other olympic sports constantly exposed to the public of those country's and that is why the interest is so high. If the sports were shown during more prime time like 1:00 on saturday, more people would watch and higher interest is created

Answer 4

Hi Joey, I also speed skate. I'm on the provincial speed skating team for ontario, and i was wondering the same thing. I thinkk it's cause there's so much hockey, and lacrosse, etc here in North America. I was born in europe, and i started speed skating there. Speed skating to europe is like hockey to america or soccer to brazil. You know what i mean? So i think that if we advertised the sport more, and had more "try something new stand" in every city, where people can drop by and 'try' the sport, maybe people will be more interested. I dont mean it on ice, but with the slide board. we do that in the summer. we go to different cities, and demonstrate, and then people try it, and we've had quite a few people come and actually sign up. Try it if you can. Congrats, btw, on your wins. Ill see you in 2010. :D, Alex

Answer 5

Train the athletes to understand that corporate sponsors fund the media coverage. Athletes that have zero appreciation of the corporate dollar and especially those that have no idea why corporations pour millions of dollar into the sports are the beginning and end of your problem.
I ran for Reebok some years ago and it pained me greatly to see athletes on bigger contracts than mine doing absolutely zero for the sponsor. It truly hurt... and there was very little the sponsor could do to get those 'free loaders' to wisen (sic) up to their moral and contractual obligations (to the sponsor). In Japan, on the other hand, the athlete is savvy - ever connected to the sponsor. Without a real return to the corporation there is no reason why it should be charitable - money doesn't grow on trees.
So my advice to you sir is that instead of simply training the athlete for competition start to school the athlete in the art of corporate schmoozing - the what can I do to get your product or service moving(?).

Answer 6

I think that doing what you do (using your status in your sport to help others) is a start. I wish more elite athletes would go out and actively support a cause. I would much rather watch a sport in which the participants' goals include helping others than one in which the athletes whine because they didn't get their 3 million dollar raise.

Answer 7

i think the media need to "ride the wave" of popularity of a sport when it generates some interest with the public. for example, when apollo ono made such a mark in '02, i started following speedskating myself and wondering where it was on tv. and of course, i live in NC so i can keep up with you, Mr. Cheek-i'm just down the road from greensboro and it is always great to see a local do well. otherwise, we'll just have to keep watching espn and extreme games to see our favorites.

Answer 8

really wrestling remains an Olympic experience. I watch it many times even as the summer season Olympics function round. the classic Greco-Roman form is the truly form nevertheless practiced contained in the Olympics even if. in the experience that your asking about WWE form wrestling then the answer is common; because that is scripted. hi do not get me incorrect i love professional wrestling yet all of us comprehend the winner is predetermined. you could't have that form of element contained in the Olympics what might want to be the point?