Gold Medal, the lure of cashing in, and at what price?

[veganrob]

[mod comment this thread was split off from the general Armstrong thread, so the post you see here wasn't the OP as such, nor was the title choice his. If you read a few post you'll get what this one is all about. post #10 frames the topic in more detail]

The fact that so many of these athletes would rather win a gold medal than be alive in five years is so sad. For what. A medal. There is hardly ever any monetary reward for most of them. Now, add in the sports where they are making millions of dollars and figure out how many are doping. Yeah. A bit more than majority.

 

[Granville57]

The fact that so many of these athletes would rather win a gold medal than be alive in five years is so sad. For what. A medal. There is hardly ever any monetary reward for most of them. Now, add in the sports where they are making millions of dollars and figure out how many are doping. Yeah. A bit more than majority.

To the bold:
That's where these guys come in!
http://www.goldmedalgreats.com/

This is a good example of just how much the difference between silver and gold (or no medal at all) can make for someone's long term prospects. If an athlete sees this kind of opportunity, based solely on having achieved a "Gold Medal," then it only strengthens the temptation to "do whatever is necessary."

I'm not saying it's right or wrong to capitalize on one's success, but I have to believe that companies like this only further blur the lines between competitive "sport" and "winning at all costs."

Nobody is more motivational than an Olympic athlete speaker whose words are backed up by actions and known to the world. Athlete appearances add glitz; Olympic sports speakers add energy. Get them both.

Something magical happens when somebody sees an endorsement from an Olympic athlete. Unlike other celebrities, Olympic athletes have the greatest credibility because everybody understands how hard they worked to succeed.

Uh huh.

 

[veganrob]

Hire an Icon. OMG

There is nothing wrong with capitalizing ones success. One deserves the fruits of their labors. But I wonder, is it the monetary rewards that drive them to cheat and would just as soon die if they can get the gold. Or is it mainly the ego. Not trying to simplify it. But.
And yes, the lines get real blurry with stuff like GMG.

 

[Granville57]

Hire an Icon. OMG

I can't believe that someone would pay $50,000 to hear Scottie Pippen speak.

But just think, an ambitious company seeking powerful celebrity endorsements will now be able produce electrifying and compelling ad campaigns like this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYRPkao0vsI

 

[Oldman]

Hire an Icon. OMG

There is nothing wrong with capitalizing ones success. One deserves the fruits of their labors. But I wonder, is it the monetary rewards that drive them to cheat and would just as soon die if they can get the gold. Or is it mainly the ego. Not trying to simplify it. But.
And yes, the lines get real blurry with stuff like GMG.

As a sign of reassurance that some justice prevails a friend of ours is part of this lucrative business. She was on the US Olympic swim team that finally were awarded their Gold Medals after the East German team's documented doping was revealed. She is a modest and great individual that can inspire people. I never heard her publicly disparage the East German women she competed against and she has sympathy for the major health problems they face. That's a message that is frequently lost in the discussion: the ultimate price paid by these "heroes" is usually painful and slow, despite what Ferrari and Conconi say about their program's safety.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

I can't believe that someone would pay $50,000 to hear Scottie Pippen speak.

But just think, an ambitious company seeking powerful celebrity endorsements will now be able produce electrifying and compelling ad campaigns like this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYRPkao0vsI

Eric is hitting the AMGEN? WoW...... who knew. Thanks for the information Granville57 I am glad someone is out in front and providing us these links the dope pushers. WoW.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

To the bold:
That's where these guys come in!
http://www.goldmedalgreats.com/

This is a good example of just how much the difference between silver and gold (or no medal at all) can make for someone's long term prospects. If an athlete sees this kind of opportunity, based solely on having achieved a "Gold Medal," then it only strengthens the temptation to "do whatever is necessary."

I'm not saying it's right or wrong to capitalize on one's success, but I have to believe that companies like this only further blur the lines between competitive "sport" and "winning at all costs."



Uh huh.

That is why I think all the gold medal winners from the USA are dope pushers. I knew it before but now that I have your posted link it is proof. Those guys are selling out just to push drugs. WoW.

 

[Granville57]

That is why I think all the gold medal winners from the USA are dope pushers. I knew it before but now that I have your posted link it is proof. Those guys are selling out just to push drugs. WoW.

Yup. I agree. That was exactly...oh wait. What?
Where on earth did I imply any of that?

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Yup. I agree. That was exactly...oh wait. What?
Where on earth did I imply any of that?

No you did not imply that. It was my take. I was being uhhhh...... sarcastic. I think you noticed that.


Funny how they have a site set up to pimp gold medal winners. I just take it anther step by looking at it from the drug perspective. They are not actually "pedaling" drugs from the web site but the fact that they have to pimp themselves like that shows what extremes the Gold Medal winners will go to be winners. The US Olympics is rife with that mentality. "Do what you need to do without getting caught." In some instances our US team members have brought back positives before olympics and it was business as usual. All done in order to bring back the gold.

 

[Granville57]

Olympic Gold and the temptation to dope

How much does the allure of Olympic Gold contribute to widespread doping that has become the plague of both the Olympics and professional sports in general?

The anti-doping speech from Robert Weiner touched off a lot of this discussion.
http://m.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bonds-ramirez-armstrong-clemens-just-tip-of-sports-drugs-iceberg-says-ex-white-house-drug-spokesman-robert-weiner-120568759.html

"Olympic surveys taken at the 2000 and 2004 Games show that a majority of athletes would rather get an Olympic Gold medal than be alive in five years, according to Runners World.

"'Therapeutic use exemptions' let your doctor, your national sports authority, and even the Olympics give you an excuse for anything if you claim the drug is necessary with a straight face. **** Pound, the first President of the World Anti-Doping Agency and IOC member, said it's amazing that the strongest and fittest people on earth are six times as sick as the general population.

Those marvelous marketing gurus that make our world such a better place to live in have made an industry out of "Gold Medalists." It's not enough to have silver or bronze, in the eyes of some marketers (although room can always be made if there is money to be had), but GOLD is what really sells. For those old enough to remember: Who got silver behind Franz Klammer?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q46vCLkN_T8&feature=related

The point of this retro-view is that it illustrates just how far-reaching and long-lasting the effects of winning Gold can be.

Here's another look at some old school Olympic glory.
Mark Spitz Strikes Gold in New Endorsements

Spitz's agent, Evan Morgenstein of PMG Sports, told the New York Times that by the end of the year the former Olympian will make seven figures from his Botox deal. If Morgenstein is a good agent he's exaggerating that figure, but that's still an impressive payday. As the agent told the Times, his client's "best day at work was 36 years ago." Thanks to Michael Phelps, Spitz's most lucrative days look to be ahead of him.

Spitz lived up to enormous expectations

He signed Spitz as a spokesperson for the Schick Company, the California Milk Advisory Board, adidas, Speedo and countless other companies making everything from swimming pools to men's underwear. A poster featuring Spitz wearing his swimsuit and seven gold medals made him the hottest pin-up since Betty Grable.

 

[Granville57]

No you did not imply that. It was my take. I was being uhhhh...... sarcastic. I think you noticed that.

Honestly, I wasn't sure. But now I get it.

 

[Granville57]

So we have these two companies placing on emphasis on all the long-term glory and financial gains to be had from "winning Gold."

Gold Medal Greats

Gold Medal Greats are the famous Olympic athletes who have reached the pinnacle of success in swimming, track and field, wrestling, hockey, cycling and other sports, and are available to share their success with your company, brand, or client.

PMG Sports

Top athletes offer more than just star quality. They offer the awesome persuasive power of somebody who has overcome all the odds and succeeded at being the best. Olympic athletes carry that additional credibility that other celebrities simply cannot match.

Perhaps some are more fixated on "Gold" than others, but the undelying message is the same: Longterm payoff for what may only be one day of spectacular success. Any others?

And how could an Olympic hopeful NOT be influenced by what these companies are dangling in front of them? That might not be the INTENT, of said companies, but it certainly has to be a by-product.

 

[DirtyWorks]

There's no shortage of knuckleheads making it near the top of the executive management dung heap who, in their middle management days, were in awe of some of these athletes. They *love* the athletes because a gold medal validates their inner drive to acquire power and privilege. The marketing spiel from the IOC is full of this same kind of talk/thinking because it makes money fall out of the sky.

These former Olympic athletes make even more money fall out of the sky after their gold medal performances where there is the most money sloshing around, c-level consumers. The c-level population is obsessed with being near the top of social stratification and display their power, privilege and values by hiring these athletes. (c-level, CTO, CFO, CEO) The topics the athletes cover turns speaking engagements into an echo chamber for the c-level obsessed to the point even Marion Jones will be making plenty of money at speaking engagements.

For the record, I have a great boss. This is not an indictment of all c-level people. It's an indictment of the many bad bosses most of us have had at some times in our careers.

Finally, be careful with some of the generalizations about athletes. Their stories tend to be complicated.

 

[Granville57]

The funny thing for me is that I had a recollection of seeing Mark Spitz in an interview several years ago where he talked about deliberately avoiding endorsements, because that wasn't his motivation for pursuing sports, and that he was now a lawyer.

I guess I got that one completely wrong!

When I searched for the story, I found the exact opposite to be the case. I must've confused him with someone else.

It is interesting to see how much emphasis is put on the "credibility" of an Olympic athlete. If The Games are rife with doping issues (going by the Weiner presentation), then what does that say about at least some of the people at the top of the podium?

 

[Oldman]

For those old enough to remember: Who got silver behind Franz Klammer?

Only response possible: no one. His performance was beyond even his own capabilities and probably a horrible example of cashing in/doping incentives.

 

[Granville57]

For those old enough to remember: Who got silver behind Franz Klammer?

Only response possible: no one. His performance was beyond even his own capabilities and probably a horrible example of cashing in/doping incentives.

But you seem to be reinforcing the fact that no one remembers silver, thereby enhancing the status of Gold. No?

The point of this retro-view is that it illustrates just how far-reaching and long-lasting the effects of winning Gold can be.

I was simply amplifying the fact that many greats from that era left an indelible impression on those who witnessed their achievements—a testament to just how powerful and iconic those figures became. It should go without saying that today's athletes have financial awards available to them that no one from that era would've had. But it is the "staying power" of Olympic Gold that I was referring to. Many years later (as clearly illustrated by Spitz) those same athletes can turn their "Gold" into gold.

But again, it is the status of being a Gold Medal winner that I was citing. And that kind of fame can be an incentive for present and future generations.

Legacy
Franz Klammer was a hero to Austrian ski racing fans and also to fans the world over for doing a great deal to promote the popularity of alpine ski racing. He is known as "The Kaiser" and also as the "Klammer Express."
In an interview with Tom Brokaw that aired on NBC on February 13, 2010, as part of their 2010 Winter Olympics coverage, American Olympian ski racer Bode Miller cited Klammer's style and approach to skiing as a major source of inspiration for him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Klammer

Of all the sport I watched in the 1970s nothing – not Gordon Banks's save in Mexico, the Rumble in the Jungle or Emlyn Hughes hugging Princess Anne on a Question of Sport – made such an impression on me. Thinking about it now I realise something: I remember the whole of Klammer's run at Innsbruck in vivid colour. Odd, because I know for a fact that the television I watched it on was black-and-white.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/blog/2010/dec/24/franz-klammer-winter-olympics-1976

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Pre....pre.....pre...

No one really remembers silver.

I can name someone who did not even place but will forever be remembered by any distance runner in the United States. He is a legend but did not shine in the Olympics. Steve Prefontaine.

When I was running from around 1980 until I graduated college he was the runner I wanted to be. Of course there will only be ONE PRE. In talent and Spirit.

The Gold Medal's get the endorsements they get the cash. No doubt. It has motivated many athletes to dope in order to garner the job after.

 

[Mambo95]

For those old enough to remember: Who got silver behind Franz Klammer?

Bernhard Russi - who won the Gold at the 1972 Olympics (and a double World Champion), so probably not forgotten (in Switzerland at least).

(Yes, Wikipedia. So what? I don't know who won the downhill last year)


I don't really agree with the idea that no-one remembers silver. In the UK, the likes of Kris Akabusi, Steve Cram, and Roger Black are all well remembered as athletes despite never winning the Olympics.