The great Olympic cash-in

dr830

It would seem almost every company, branded product, restaurant chain is jumping on the olympic bandwagon, putting the 2012 logo on their items. 'Official supplier', 'official partner' bla bla. The most obscure brands that have nothing to do with sport. They couldn't care less! Not to mention the bulk-buying of tickets by corporations, for so-called 'hospitality' and to swoon clients.

I've never seen so much corporatism. To the point you almost forget that it's a sporting event. This should not be allowed. I wonder where all the money is going? With all these sponsors, tickets going for hundreds (and even thousands) of pounds, not to mention all the revenue from standard ticket sales and elsewhere, will the money go back into the government budget, or are there a few individuals making a lot of money out of this?

It's sad really. Almost everyone is making a quick buck out of the olympics, except for the athletes, who have spent years preparing.

If you ask me, all the corporatism/sponsors/hoo-haa surrounding the olympics is just too much for a bit of sport, not to mention it only lasts 2 weeks. It's almost as if the olympics are a mass corporate event, the athletes are just there to justify it all.

penrhyn

What gave you the impression that the Olympics were about sport?
The athletes are employed to put on a show to advertise their sponsors brand. No different to any other professional sport. If you want an example Will.I.Am.A.!!!! thanking Coca Cola for giving him the opportunity to carry the torch.
The Chariots of Fire days are, sadly long gone, if they ever existed.

southee

True, but there is just as much money in football - and a similar approach to sponsorship, ticketing, etc in the Champions League final and international tournaments. I guess this is just part of it these days - the level of sport is still very high and there's no reason why it should detract from the actual spectacle...