4 ms·

Athletes are content providers on the Olympic platform. They also have no leverage to force a more equitable distribution of income. Given how poorly most pla

Athletes are content providers on the Olympic platform. They also have no leverage to force a more equitable distribution of income. Given how poorly most platforms compensate content providers, I see no inconsistency here.

chopin 10y ago
The athletes could stop participating. A boycott of the best ones should have a great impact of what the IOC can charge.
- maxerickson 10y ago
  The masses that contribute the attention that makes advertising attractive would have little idea if you subbed in second tier athletes. Just keep telling human interest stories and praising them for being great.
  - wccrawford 10y ago
    In fact, we have no way of knowing if that's already happening! It could very well be that the best athletes are already just going where the money is, and we're getting those that have a burning desire to be in "The Olympics" rather than making a lot of money. American Ninja Warrior (and the Japanese show that it came from) show some amazing athletes in every contest. If those people trained for the Olympics instead, I think they could be rather good at it. And many of them are just regular people who decided to try this crazy contest. Now that people have started training specifically for Ninja Warrior, the obstacles have gotten a lot harder. This year's are pretty hardcore, IMO.
    - jerf 10y ago
      My wife and I just got into that show again recently. (I prefer the Japanese, honestly, because IIRC they don't waste as much time on human interest stories, but YMMV.) One of the things that I sort of like about it is that most of them do seem to have jobs and such. Most people aren't IMHO-wrecking their lives to compete. Though the description of what it takes to "walk on" is a bit BS; people literally quitting their job to camp out for a week or two is a problem, ANW, not something to brag about. Most people don't quit their job, but still, that is an awful lot of time to ask people to piss away to show up on your show.

chopin 10y ago

The athletes could stop participating. A boycott of the best ones should have a great impact of what the IOC can charge.

maxerickson 10y ago
The masses that contribute the attention that makes advertising attractive would have little idea if you subbed in second tier athletes. Just keep telling human interest stories and praising them for being great.
- wccrawford 10y ago
  In fact, we have no way of knowing if that's already happening! It could very well be that the best athletes are already just going where the money is, and we're getting those that have a burning desire to be in "The Olympics" rather than making a lot of money. American Ninja Warrior (and the Japanese show that it came from) show some amazing athletes in every contest. If those people trained for the Olympics instead, I think they could be rather good at it. And many of them are just regular people who decided to try this crazy contest. Now that people have started training specifically for Ninja Warrior, the obstacles have gotten a lot harder. This year's are pretty hardcore, IMO.
  - jerf 10y ago
    My wife and I just got into that show again recently. (I prefer the Japanese, honestly, because IIRC they don't waste as much time on human interest stories, but YMMV.) One of the things that I sort of like about it is that most of them do seem to have jobs and such. Most people aren't IMHO-wrecking their lives to compete. Though the description of what it takes to "walk on" is a bit BS; people literally quitting their job to camp out for a week or two is a problem, ANW, not something to brag about. Most people don't quit their job, but still, that is an awful lot of time to ask people to piss away to show up on your show.