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Why do the 2024 Summer Olympic Games happening in Paris feel different than past Olympic Games? It could possibly be the whirlwind of international conflicts going on both with Russia and Ukraine, and also in Israel and Palestine. It could also be the unknown that lies ahead in the United States with a presidential election in November.
It could also be a lack of advertising that I haven’t seen in comparison with past Olympics. Coca-Cola usually spends a small fortune in advertising, typically with the Olympic Rings on their cans, but this year it seems lackluster.
While this year’s advertising doesn’t feel as in your face as previous years, it’s still present. This was confirmed in the fact that for the first time in history, they will have a commercial-free hour of Olympics on NBC.
During the commercial-free segment, companies will have their logo in the bottom corner of the screen in 10-minute increments. Companies such as Coca-Cold, Visa, Toyota and Delta Airlines will have their moments, if any viewer notices.
Dan Lovinger, president of Olympic and Paralympic Partnerships at NBCUniversal, told marketingdive.com, “We created a win-win. We’re not eliminating advertisers – we’re giving them a different role. The advertisers will be known to the viewer, and we’ll give them credit, but the viewer will also be able to stay with the spectacle, which will be fantastic.”
Adding on to the tensions surrounding the Olympics, on Friday morning in Paris there was an attack on public trains, including acts of arson. Officials are calling the attack, which took place just hours before the opening ceremony, “coordinated sabotage.”
The arsons resulted in trains being delayed and diverted. However, by Friday afternoon, the trains were partially running again.
The Olympics should be a celebration of both sport and national pride. We should be tuning in to see gymnast Simone Biles attempt to win another slew of gold medals or swimmer Katie Ledecky dominate the world in the pool.
Biles is an athlete we as Americans should be rallying around and supporting in the same way we did with 23-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps. But this year, it doesn’t quite feel like it.
Do we have too much on our plate in the world to tune all of that out and watch some the greatest athletes in the world compete in the sport they have dedicated their lives to? Yes, all the world events mentioned above are important, and we should be concerned by them, but at the same time we don’t have to pay attention to them all the time.
Tuning in to the Olympics is maybe what we need right now, both as Americans and as the world. In a time of division, the Olympics are what we need to unify us.
The Olympics are not as much about the athletes as it is coming together as a country. They are not competing for themselves as much as they are competing for the red, white and blue stars and stripes that they proudly bear.
As Americans, we should be as proud as the U.S. athletes who get to stand atop the podium with a gold medal around their neck as our national anthem plays for the world.
Cannon Crompton is sports editor of the Cherokee Scout. Call him any 828-837-5122, Ext. 18, or email sports@cherokeescout.com.