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Competition at the Olympics?

With the 2010 Winter Olympics set to begin in just two days, I’m getting a little excited. One thing I always look forward to at each Olympic Games are the critical moments that take place for each athlete; the moment where all their years of training come down to one single shot. Some step up, outperform the competition and secure their moment of triumph. Sadly, we’ll also see some who crumble under the pressure and lament the loss of their Olympic dreams.

Athletes are not the only ones with critical moments – old media had one and already squandered it.

As evidence, I give you the disappointing Olympic Social Media Rules. Simply put, and according to multiple sources, athletes are restricted in what and how they can use social media. For example, one athlete can’t interview other athletes – they must tweet/blog in the first person lest they be confused with a reporter. Also forbidden is mention (or even a Flikr photo?) of a personal sponsor that is not an official Olympic sponsor.

I understand that NBC paid bazillions of greenbacks for the privilege of losing $250 million bringing the games into our living rooms, and wonder if this investment has something to do with the policy. Apparently there’s already enough competition at the Olympics – more to the point, why would they want competition from the very athletes they are set to cover?

It seems to me this is another example of how the old media is rightly threatened by new media. It also seems to me that the only way for old media to survive is to evolve – taking the best parts of their product and finding ways to integrate new media.

Like it or not, the 2010 Olympic Games is a critical moment for old media. It could have been a moment of triumph but I’m already counting this as another opportunity lost.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/10 at 11:10 AM

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