Olympics Commercialism

Heard of the recent decision by the IOC to hold the finals of the swimming and gymnastic events of the Beijing Olympics in the morning? It's due to pressure from US broadcasters as morning finals in Beijing will coincide with prime viewing time at night in the US, so the events can be shown live on prime time for the US.

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What a crock of bullshit.

I'm surprised that the IOC bowed to the pressure. This completely goes against the ethics of sports and what sports stands for and the IOC, one of the most important sporting bodies in the world, should know better.

Commercialism is all good and well, but it shouldn't impact the way sports are played or ran. Displaying the names of sponsors on the jersey of a team or on billboards surrounding the arena is one thing, changing the schedule and thus creating situations that may affect the performance of the athletes is another thing.

Sure, fans are an important part of sports, but I believe the people playing the sports should have greater priority. They are after all, the people creating the action and being involved in it.

Even so, why we catering to the whims and demands of the US viewers? How about those in the host nation itself, and those in the Asia Pacific region? Do we not deserve to watch the events at night, the prime viewing time? Yeah...it's because the US broadcasters have paid big bucks for the television rights, but money should never have been an issue in the first place.

What a load of crap.