Michael Cook has an interesting Mercator piece on declining interest in the Olympic Games.
Could the Olympics die with the baby boomers?
The pageantry of the Olympic Games are diverting attention from a question which must keep members of the International Olympic Committee awake at night: will the modern Games survive?
"If we don't get young people playing sport, we won't be here for very much longer," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said at a press conference last week. "We have to attract young audiences and go where they are... we have to attract young people to sport or we are dead, basically."
“Or we are dead”?
Did he really say that?
The whole piece is well worth reading, particularly the demographic and political stats.
According to Gallup, interest in the Olympics is falling across all socio-economic groups. But the political divide is reflected in who’s watching the Games. Democrats (46%) are far more likely to watch than Republicans (31%), college graduates (47%) than high school graduates (25%), richer households (44%) than poorer households (28%), over-50s (42%) than under 50s (30%).
If the IOC were a media organisation, it ought to be terrified by these stats. The Games is becoming entertainment for wealthy baby boomer Democrats – and millions of them drop off the perch every year. But the IOC is a media organization. According to the IOC, 61 percent of its US$7.6 billion in revenue in 2017 – 2021 came from media rights. Without an audience, how long will it be able to sell the games to broadcasters?
"If we don't get young people playing sport, we won't be here for very much longer," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said at a press conference last week. "We have to attract young audiences and go where they are... we have to attract young people to sport or we are dead, basically."
“Or we are dead”?
Did he really say that?
The whole piece is well worth reading, particularly the demographic and political stats.
According to Gallup, interest in the Olympics is falling across all socio-economic groups. But the political divide is reflected in who’s watching the Games. Democrats (46%) are far more likely to watch than Republicans (31%), college graduates (47%) than high school graduates (25%), richer households (44%) than poorer households (28%), over-50s (42%) than under 50s (30%).
If the IOC were a media organisation, it ought to be terrified by these stats. The Games is becoming entertainment for wealthy baby boomer Democrats – and millions of them drop off the perch every year. But the IOC is a media organization. According to the IOC, 61 percent of its US$7.6 billion in revenue in 2017 – 2021 came from media rights. Without an audience, how long will it be able to sell the games to broadcasters?
9 comments:
I'd no more watch the Olympics than the Derby, the Boat Race, the Open, ... Or, come to that, Wimblebore.
I do watch rugby, football highlights, and occasionally the Grand National. I might watch test cricket if it were still on the free-to-view channels.
It's not just me, then? My complaint for years has been its dumbing down, with the introduction of non-sports as a sop to American influence. Furthermore, the opening fiasco this year should have the IOC members responsible out job-hunting.
dearieme - I don't watch any sport on TV. Table tennis on YouTube because the Chinese are so good, but not much else.
Jannie - breakdancing this time apparently. It'll be competitive tattooing next.
If only it had been left as a simple sporting event. With boring informative commentary, a la Bill McLaren, and his ilk.
But now it is a business, show business. A jamboree for broadcasting lovies. All the drug shenanigans has taken the shine off.
And now the farce of biological males competing in women's sport has put the tin hat on it.
Yusuf Dikec shot to prominence because he was a throwback to the old Olympics.
Doonhamer - that's it, a simple sporting event with informative commentary is what it should be, not a farcical jamboree with permanent drug problems.
There are some sports that I'd like to watch. Rowing, for example, because my grandchildren are keen on it (for the moment). So, I have occasionally switched to the Olympic coverage; and what do I usually see? Beeboid (eternally) talking heads. Sport? Sometimes, but not often. What about the catch up stuff on iPlayer? Well, in the case of rowing, usually the last 30 seconds or so of the race; followed by lengthy interviews in which Beeboids ask the athletes how they 'feel' about the result. Answers range between 'sick as a parrot' and 'over the moon'.
decnine - I don't know what the deal was, but maybe the BBC only bought the rights for the last 30 seconds of rowing and have to fill in with talking heads. Although they are probably mainly interested in the 'feelings' aspects anyway.
I know nothing about rowing, but when done properly on TV, a close race is exciting to watch.
Mob thuggery as a sport?
James - with some genuine patriotism too.
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