Olympians Banned From Blogging

nodwick writes "CNN reports that in a bid to protect its lucrative media contracts, the IOC is barring competitors, coaches, and support personnel from writing firsthand accounts of their Olympic experience, on the web or in print, for the duration of the Games. Nor are they allowed to ever post photographs or movies that they've taken, including media of themselves, even after the Games are finished. They've threatened to disqualify anyone that violates their restrictions and sue them for monetary damages. Looks like an effort to clamp down on grassroots, word-of-mouth publicity for the Olympics -- good thing they're not having any problems selling tickets anyways, eh?"

Comments

What Idiots

[Anonymous Coward]

Why on earth would you want to prevent these people from telling there stories? I know that some of the challenges they go through to get there and during the games, would be well worth sharing with others. Guess the Games have become about money too now.

Re:What Idiots

[sketerpot]

Guess the Games have become about money too now.

A small university in Nebraska held an event called the Rat Olympics, but the Olympics Committee apparently owns a trademark on the name of an ancient contest, and threatened to sue. There was no sense behind it, since the Rat Olympics was just a little event held by the Phychology department, but apparently the Olympics people are determined to prove to everyone that they sold their consciences.

Re:What Idiots

[compwizrd]

Back in about 1988 or so, they went after "Olympics of the Mind", who had to change their name to Odyssey of the Mind.

Re:What Idiots

[Anonymous Writer]

Guess the Games have become about money too now.

They are also about the orgy that is the Olympic Village.

Re:What Idiots

[ConceptJunkie]

Because the Olympic Committee are a bunch of money-grubbing slime bags who waant to maintain a monopoly on distributing media of this so-called non-professional competition.

The Olympics have become too bogged down in corruption and conspiracy between committee members on the take, crooked judges and athelete on drugs. You know, I just can't care any more.

Re:What Idiots

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

Guess the Games have become about money too now.

Nah. The Olympics have become about control . The people running them have this terribly simplistic and fairly out of date belief that the more control they exercise over information about the Olympics, the more money they will make.

I think most everyone here knows what that approach leads to -- nepotism, corruption, stagnation and ultimately a slow rot into dismal irrelevance. The slack ticket sales are just one aspect of that retreat from glory.

Short-term they may make more money, but in the process they are killing the goose that laid the golden egg. No amount of corporatized hype can sell people (or disuade them) on a product like word of mouth. The net is the ultimate mouth. If they don't want to strangle themselves to death, they need to wake up and realize that they need to cultivate the net's communications about the good stuff at the Olympics. Instead, all we get is stories about what a bunch of incompetent, corrupt political bastards are running the organization.

Hey NBC -- I had little interest in the Olympics this time around, your only hope that I would have watched them would be an enticing, personal story that convinced me to follow-up. No, corporate-sanctified and sanitized fluffy news-bite is going to cut it, and now that your business partner has killed any other method for the news to get out, I'll probably never get that chance to hear that compelling story that would make me care. You should ask for a refund from the IOC.

Re:What Idiots

[nacturation]

In other news, the IOC is suing Intel for its Pentium with MMX. They claim that the MMX technology is really the roman numeral for 2010 and infringes upon their copyright.

*sigh*

[hot_Karls_bad_cavern]

"....that in a bid to protect its lucrative media contracts, the IOC is barring..."

...and i stopped reading. i'm not going to rant about the legacy of the games or this and that...i'm just going to say: keep 'em, keep the money, keep your coverage, keep the contracts and consider me disgusted.

Re:*sigh*

[garcia]

You mean you aren't impressed with the coverage? I am. I haven't seen anything other than swimming, gymnastics, or beach volleyball. Isn't that all that's on the Olympics anyway?

Now for my rant about a specific Olympian and the media's quest to make the rest of us idolize him. Mind you, I was a swimmer (not at the international level though), and I always wanted to see more coverage of swimming. Problem with this year is the over-hype of that immature little prick that makes entirely too much money.

So we have a 19 year old that set his first cocky record at 15 years and 9 months (youngest male ever in swimming and probably other sports). He got a huge contract from Visa but he had to forego his college elligibility to compete for money. He never grew up and he has a big mouth. The media helps his bad attitude by telling everyone he could break Spitz's record. He claims he only wanted one gold but I saw his cocky little smile showing that he wanted MONEY.

If the IOC wants to make some fucking rules why not make rules banning professionals from competing? Then we can end this coverage of how bad the NBA stars suck at playing a TEAM SPORT and how Michael Phelps didn't make Spitz's record (BTW Spitz did them all in WR time).

I'm more disgusted in hype than stupid IOC rules.

One more reason...

[Poseidon88]

Just another in a long list of reasons for me to not waste my time watching the Olympics on TV. I remember when just being at the Olympics was enough to justify a lifelong pursuit of perfection. Nowadays, it's just a ticket to a lucrative advertising career, and you'd better get the gold, because 2nd place won't get you on a Wheaties box.

All Your Thoughts

[Eberlin]

Are Belong To Us

Let's see...you train your whole life to have a shot at this thing, enjoy the moment, and want to share that moment with anyone and everyone using your own words. Sounds like natural progression in technology, eh?

Well, too bad. You've got corporate sponsors -- shoes, clothes, probably even the plane ticket to Athens. Then you've got people who commercialize this event so bad that they won't even let you share your thoughts unless they can make money off of it. You're a commodity, not some olympic hero. You're merchandise to be marketed and sold to a public who admire you. Your honor and glory amount to a feel-good story soundbyte...and that's about it.

So much for the spirit of the olympics. I'd have taken the laurel wreath and the vat of olive oil. Then again I'm not an athlete...and I'm not at all marketable...so a good bottle of olive oil sounds nice.

The Olympics themselves are becoming irrelevant.

[Trespass]

The cold war is over. The feeling of 'east versus west' is gone. A lot of people don't care anymore. After the blatantly corrupt money-grab of the previous Olympics, even fewer people care. Attempts by the organization to commodify all aspects of the Olympic experience will only accelerate the trend.

For me, the most heartening and yet saddest aspect of this debacle is the recognition of the power of the web to convey stories and images much faster and more efficiently than traditional outlets. I suppose the future is here, I guess I just hoped for something else.

Super Easy Solution!!

[MrNally]

All this will take to reverse is one gold medalist posting a bunch of photos and movies their parents took of them.

It doesn't matter what any court anywhere would say, they would be so pressured by public opinion over the matter that this wouldn't last.

Just imagine if they tried to not let them compete, or take away a medal or something.

Case closed.

Re:and this madness has stretched as far as the BB

[Anonymous Coward]

The capital of Washington is Olympia, named for the Olympic mountains. The name predates the modern olympic games. There are a lot of stores in Olympia and other parts of Washinton that use "Olympic" in their name...or used to. The IOC sued them for trademark infringement several years ago and most changed their names rather than bankrupt themselves fighting the IOC in court.

I think it's time for the world public to retake control of the IOC, they are completely out of control and destroying the games in their mad pursuit of money.

Re:Can't photograph themselves even after the game

[ScottGant]

I wonder if some bozo, say...me...were to start writing a blog about the Olympics as if I'm really there covering it.

Could I get sued even though I'm not there and I'm just making everything I write up?

If I had the time I would...but I'm too busy writing Slashdot comments.

And don't even THINK of linking to their Site

[Anonymous Coward]

They don't even want people directing traffic to their site. Check out their policy here Ooops...So much for that rule :)

Me too.

[TiggertheMad]

I'm really roundabout in the way I write things. I mean, nobody would ever figure out I work for Microsoft.

Damn.

Re:But it's OK

[racermd]

I don't know why this is modded as "Funny", but what the heck...

Some other interesting tidbits to note:

The IOC (AFAIK) isn't based in any one country, so where would the lawsuits take place?
Under what laws would competitors be held liable?
How would this be any different than the average attendee posting results on *their* blog? How would they know? Does the IOC even care?

I'm sure the IOC would be able to prevent most video and still cameras from entering the events with a non-media attendee, but they can't stop them from remembering what went on and reporting about it verbally.

I found it very sneaky that NBC has full broadcast rights to the games in the USA, and has, with the cooperation of the IOC and other online media outlets, beaten back the "official" real-time online broadcasts from entering our borders. Methinks that NBC might have something to do with this new action by the IOC.

Just a hunch, though.

Container becomes Content

[crucini]

Here are three trends:

1. Universities were originally mere facilities in which learned professors could teach. The professor was the drawing power, and could teach in a self-rented hall or in the College. Gradually, the University has swollen in cost and power until it overshadows the professors. The University makes lots of rules to govern professors and students, and any one professor is disposable. Lately universities have been demanding ownership of online lecture produced by professors, so they can play them over and over, extracting revenue.
   
2. Software companies own the copyright to code written by their employees. Increasingly, they even own patents. So the actually creative people are legally obstructed, but the mere shell, which produces nothing in itself, is increasingly powerful. We are approaching the point where there's no value in being a programmer, because the only value is in owning the rights that enable a certain application.
   
3. The Olympics is ostensibly centered on the athletes. But more and more news stories illuminate the fact that the Olympics is a very powerful organization that can dictate terms to athletes. Although the athletes create all the value here, they own nothing.
   

These professors, programmers and athletes get a small share of the value they create. Most of the value goes to those who have cleverly extended the "container" and claim the individual's achievement in the name of the container.

It is an error to attribute the individual's achievement to the container in which he works.

Speaking of idiots

[sempf]

RTFA.

"An exception is if an athlete has a personal Web site that they did not set up specifically for the Games."

Bitch and moan, bitch and moan.

[mbourgon]

Waaaaah.
I haven't seen anything other than swimming, gymnastics, or beach volleyball.
Then you're not just a troll, but one without a television. Let's see what's been shown today that ISN'T one of your hated sports...

• Volleyball
• High Jump
• Hurdles
• Hammer Throw
• Triple Jump
• 10000m run
• 20k walk
• Softball
• Soccer
• Cycling - Track
• Boxing
• Basketball
• Tennis
• Sailing
• Judo
• Ping-pong (miserable lameness filter)
• Equestrian Dressage
• Badminton Singles and Doubles
• Rifle Shooting & Weightlifting.

I believe NBC said they would cover something like 3 hours in EVERY SPORT. From what I've been taping this week, I have to agree. I've seen rafting, some sort of weird round-ball-with-hands, fencing, five more listed above, and all the other "hated" sports. Just because you're too lazy to look doesn't mean it's not there.

specific Olympian and the media's quest to make the rest of us idolize him
Ready? People like heroes. It's cool to see. Even if he didn't medal, the fact that he's racing 18 times is pretty darn impressive. The fact that he's winning... what, does it piss you off that someone's doing well? If it annoys you that much, hit mute and just watch and enjoy the games. Even if you hate him, guess what? You're getting more swimming, which more people are watching.
Wah.

I saw his cocky little smile showing that he wanted MONEY.
And? What's wrong with that? More power to him. What is with the communist screed on slashdot over certain things?

why not make rules banning professionals from competing
I'll agree with you there. That was the whole point of bringing the Dream Team over the first time - you want pro, we'll bring pro. I'll agree with what Costas said... "Unfortunately, marketing won."