One of the great aspects of the Olympic Games are the stories of triumph by athletes we may not know that much about, the stories told through either great triumph or through agonizing defeat, and it is through that window, and sometimes it is a short window, that the business of sport grows. In many cases those athletes rise to Olympic glory and then fade back into the fabric of sport, occasionally heard from but rarely on the stage size that they have while competing during the games. Some mega stars…a Usain Bolt or a Michael Phelps…can effectively use that stage to extend, create and grow their brand beyond their Olympic window. Some try and see that the window and the fame that goes with it is fleeting, as people move on to other things in the here and now.
Another aspect of success is how certain athletes can effectively use their success at the Games to invoke social change. This has happened despite the best efforts of the games to remain neutral in the political arena. Athletes are humans and know how to be creative, and their passions give them a window of opportunity for commercialism or for social consciousness that arrives and then closes so they have to best take advantage of that when they can, and the consequences are the consequences.
Now take those two types of opportunities…commercial and social…and insert the world we live in today with new media, and you have tremendous opportunity. You have opportunity for expression and a voice, which is what social media is, and you have opportunity for access to the world to learn more about overnight stars and who and what they are, and the opportunities for the entrepreneurial seem endless.
So this week the International Olympic Committee realized the coming convergence and got out in front with their social media issues for at the 2012 London Games. The IOC “actively encourages” competitors to “post, blog and tweet their experiences.” But it warned that if rules are broken it can withdraw accreditation, shut down online operations and start legal action for damages. Athletes can’t use Twitter, Facebook or personal blogs for commercial or advertising purposes or share videos filmed at Olympic venues. Games-time rules — which apply from July 16-Aug. 15 — also protect the rights of Olympic broadcasters and sponsors. The IOC also urged athletes not to comment on their opponents or reveal confidential information, and to conform to the Olympic spirit and charter. Posts, tweets and blogs should “be dignified and in good taste, and not contain vulgar or obscene words or images.” The IOC has drawn up the rules in the aftermath of violations during the last Winter Olympics, which included skiier Julia Mancuso, someone with a short window to monetize success, using her platforms to sell items ties to her success.
While it is smart for the IOC to recognize the issue and get out in front, and even set guidelines for posts as opposed to other bodies who have tried to shut down athlete social media around competition, the policy will have its challenges. Social media is about emotion and access, and the access is what will make following athletes interesting during the games. Being able to get a window inside the games for many people will be interesting…maybe it is not Michael Phelps minutes after leaving the pool, but it would be for a member of the Indian field hockey team to talk about what it is like to enter the Opening Ceremonies, or to meet Dirk Nowitzki in the village. Also the athletes with large endorsement deals already have been gearing up for the Olympics with large followings already, so those people will know and expect to capitalize on access during the Games as well.
Then there are the creative…the fans and the associates…who can use social media unencumbered during the Games from wherever they are. Will brands be able to associate with these people to tell the story of the games creatively, and effectively skirt the rules. Will the IOC have a zero tolerance property for ambiguity during the games, and then slow a medal ceremony because they will try and determine what was a proper post by an athlete and what was an improper post. Protecting the rights of broadcasters and sponsors from ambush is one thing, curtailing the emotion and free speech of an athlete is another. If posts are offensive or racially charged, yes that is an issue. If it is about the emotion of a competition or is an outlet to tell a story then social media should be effectively used.
We live in a very fluid world, and the IOC does address that by setting a policy in advance. What will be interesting is how the policy adapts to the emotion of the athlete and to those who follow the Games, and how such a large scale event will be played out in a world where immediacy and creativity, commercial or not, is now the rule and not the exception.
