Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Many Olympic Athletes Are Still Out of the Spotlight

During the past five days, I’ve developed MPF- Michael Phelps Fatigue.

It strikes every five minutes during NBC’s Olympic coverage, when I learn a new trivial fact about America’s favorite competitve swimmer. Meanwhile, other athletes remain as obscure as a stranger on the street.

Now, I’m the first one to appreciate an in-depth feature story about a rising star athlete in a "small market" sport, but it’s almost as if Bob Costas feels obligated to recite every line in Phelps’ Facebook profile during every studio cut-in. Due to the unofficial Phelps Love Fest, I can tell you his favorite restaurant, his daily breakfast the breed of his pet dog and his medical history, yet I can only name one player on the Volleyball team- Kerri Walsh, who made headlines after she lost her wedding ring during a match. (It was eventually recovered by a diligent volunteer with a metal detector.) 

Major Olympic sponsors, such as McDonalds, have plastered the names and faces of U.S. athletes on their wrappers,bags and cups, but we only remember certain names, such as Mark Spitz, Jackie-Joyner Kersee and Mary Lou Retton. Some of those former Olympians, including Spitz and Kersee, have capitalized on their long-term name recognition. Spitz is now endorsing Botox and Kersee is doing promos for a healthcare benefits provider, Medco.

With all the media tech at NBC's disposal, one can't help but wonder- Why are so many of our shining summer athletes forgotten by October? There are a two simple answers

•  By the time we become acquainted with them, they’re heading back to their hometowns.
• We can remember the names like Derek Jeter and Tom Brady, because they’re regularly seen on our living room TV. With the exception of the basketball team, most  athletes appear on national TV only once every four years. 

When NBC and sponsors devote more time and energy to  rising stars in other sports, such as USA softball's ace pitcher Jennie Finch maybe we’ll recognize more of the names and faces on our TV when 2012 comes around.

Posted By Matt O'Hern at 04:26 PM
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