As much hype as NBC and the USOC will provide you in any of a million media outlets between now and August 8th when they light the torch at Beijing’s Olympic stadium for the start of the 2008 Olympic Games, it is my contention that every sports’ Olympic Trials is far more compelling! 

Yes, the battle to see who is the best in the world is always riveting, i give you that but for my money and that is what it takes to attend and a lot of it, Olympic Trials is the best!   The diversity of comeptitors, the stories, the dedication for that one moment to represent your country, community, family and sport is just uplifting!

Most sports allow for athletes with no chance of making the team but they have achieved some type of pre qualification standard.  So the deer in the headlight syndrome is in full effect.  At the Olympics, you have the best in the world participating.  At Trials, you have many of the best in the world, potentially competing against those athletes who idolize them.  Its a surreal experience in what makes sports incredible.

So Michael Phelps competing against some kid from Des Moines, Iowa or Allyson Felix competing again a 16 year old girl from Florida is the way the United States and other countries ensure the next generation of the sport.  Yes, those athletes who dont qualify may go home crushed, disappointed and sad, but they will also never forget that experience swimming in a lane next to Natalie Coughlin or executing a floor exercise after Alicia Sacramone.

Olympic Trials is the best of the Olympic movement.  Its not about money for the athletes, or endorsements, or expectation from big time corporate sponsors, its about the culmination of a lifetime dream!!

So if you have the time and the money, go to any sports’ Olympic trials, you wont be disappointed!  Promise.

Just in case you were craving David Letterman’s Top Ten List associated with the Olympics, here you go! 

 Top Ten Reasons Why Winning An Olympic Gold Medal Is Cool

#10 You get to meet Matt Lauer and be on the Today Show Live from Beijing.

#9 Every Girl That Treated You Like Crap Now Tells Everyone She Dated You.

#8 Olympic Sponsors Who Couldnt Remember Your Name or Care About You Before, Now Call You By Your First Name And Beg You To Attend Their Cocktail Parties!

#7 You Can Quit Your Day Job!

#6 Mom and Dad Now Refer To You As “There Son” Whereas Before You were Referred To As “That Kid With No Job “!

#5 No Waiting At The Condom Bowl In The Olympic Village!

#4 $10 Dinner Voucher From McDonald’s!

#3 Corporate Fat Cats Line Up For Regular Ass Kissing!

#2 Official Pre Olympic “dryspell” is Over!

#1 One Word, CASH!

While China has 1,000 sports training centers with almost 1,000,000 athletes currently enrolled, the US has 3 training centers with approx 2,500 athletes.   You look at those numbers and say to yourself that there is definitely going to be a changing of the guard in elite Olympic sports sooner or later.    The question throughout the international sports community, is whether or not the Chinese are taking over where the East Germans left off with their systematic doping programs supported by the government and implemented by national team coaches on its unsuspecting athletes.  The US is not immune from doping, far from it.  Marion Jones is proof of that. 

But in the US it tends to be a rogue athlete with dillussions of success and finacial gain.  In countries such as China, the athletes are usually not a party to it and are used as a pawn in this game of global sports domination.  For an emerging country like China, they have so many financial opportunities and advantages in manufacturering, in raw materials, in labor costs.  But today, the game is to show the world that China is also a dominant producer of a truly unique and invaluable natural resource to the psyche of any country, Championship athletes in this case via Olympic Gold Medalist!

China is almost farming these athletes.   A young Chinese swimmer 2 weeks ago just broke a world record in a non Olympic contested event, the 50m Backstroke owned by American Leila Vaziri.  Breaking a world record is still a big deal, but to break it when no group of swim media could even tell you who this chinese athlete is, the swimmer wasnt even ranking in the top 50 in the world, makes all of those in the Olympic world worried about their worst fear, that China’s oven clock for producing artifically doped athletes, just rang done!

People will read this and say that i am anti Chinese.  I am a racist because this is another country or culture.  My response it, that is non sense!  I am all for moments that are truly unique in sports.  Misty Hyman’s drubbing of Madame Butterfly Susie O’Neill at the 2000 Sydney Games comes to my mind as a act that no one could have been predicted.  But by contrast, Misty was one of the best in American history, won numerous American titles.  She had a tremendous NCAA’s that year.  So as much as it was a surprise about her beating Susie, the results were not questioned because of the trajectory of her ascent.

My point here is the the Olympics top resource is and will always be its athletes.  Its not the sponsors, the fans or the records.  Like all natural resources, use it wisely or it too will disappear!

Since the 2008 Olympic Games were awarded to China in the city of Beijing, there has been a aura of uniqueness about the greatest sporting event in the World going to a country that seems to be so intriguing to westerners and others from around the World, on so many fronts.

The culture is facinating, the people live in this state of ancient rituals and customs while the country fuels itself and its explosive economic growth on providing some of the least expensive manuacturing to mega corporations all over the world. As with all Olympic Games, my business forces me to engage a plan and execution for bringing my athlete representation firm on the road to that city and figure out how to service our elite current and Olympic athletes in a far off land.

This includes not just travel and housing for my staff, but also provide this type of information to my client’s parents, friends, significant others and corporate sponsors (many who are not official Olympic partners yet want to participate in the equity they have bought in the Movement through the athlete-corporate relationship). Inspite of all of the rheoteric that i have heard from day one, I have come to learn a lesson very quickly, Beijing is not short of Capitalist!

Scalping of tickets, gouging of foreigners trying to secure hotel rooms, wide swath’s of disinformation about ground transportation and how long it should take to get from point A to point B is just incredible. I do not begrudge anyone the opportunity to make money, nor do i live with my head in the sand. I recognize that the Olympics are and should be a boom for the local economy of any city lucky enough to hear their name called at the IOC bid process announcement event.

But let me be honest, a package for 2 people including tickets to your sport of choice  and ground transportation round trip from the hotel to the venue and back for 11 days, are you sitting down, $40,000 U.S., NOT INCLUDING AIRFARE!!! So lets just call it a cool $50,000 including meals! Just as a point of reference that is equal to a lot of cars or college tuition for a decent school or vacation for the next 10 years or a new employee!!

Now i am not going to cry poverty and you are not supposed to feel sorry for me. But as someone who has been entrenched in this movement since 1996, I am shocked at the insane mark up! I have decided to do the only thing a self respecting New York breed, red blooded person could do, i decided to start training in hope of making the U.S. team in any sport and getting all my expenses paid! Hmm, what could i become the best in the country in less than a year?

Here are a few choices:

Badmitton
Canoeing
Fencing

There must be others. Now this is not to insult our current athletes, far from it, it is more to illustrate my feeling of desperation. My agency represents icons such as Mark Spitz, Janet Evans, Bruce Jenner, Greg Louganis, Rowdy Gaines, Amanda Beard, Nastia Luikin, Allyson Felix and others. You would think i could secure something for free? It sort of part of my job title, i suppose. But seriously, Beijing has learned quickly.

When you have a once in a lifetime opportunity, make sure you capitalize it and cash in! My hope is that my company is equally successful in doing this on the endorsement, personal appearance, hospitality and spokesperson front! If not, i guess my other choice is to home school my four kids…   In August 2008, dont forget to join Circus that will take place in Beijing!!

This is a valid question.  There are some simple answers.

1. Sheer volume of available athletes both current and ex who would like nothing more than to be the perfect role model, spokesperson or endorser for your product or brand.

2.  Olympians are viewed by the general public as athletes who compete for the right reasons.  not the fame, glory or money.  They represent their countries and therefore have a higher calling!

3. Economics: If an NBA athlete averages $3.7 million per NBA team and your average Olympian earns less than a school teacher in Des Moines Iowa, i say most companies can find the budget to accommodate an Olympians realistic requests.  This doesnt mean everyone is inexpensive.  It just means the rank and file of the Olympic movement are affordable by today’s sports marketing standards.

4. Good role models.  Not a lot of Olympic Gold Medalist end up on the police blotter.  Some do, not a lot.  But again, statistically, i would bet on an Olympic athlete for a media program before i did say an MLB athlete.

5. Geographic diversity.  Most ball and stick athletes for the NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, etc. are known in the communities that they compete or live.  Olympic athletes are from all over!!!

We receive hundreds of requests a year from public relations agencies, advertising agencies, promotional agencies, marketing firms, etc., looking for “the perfect Olympic athlete” for their campaign.  It makes it a lot of fun reaching out to good people with potential work!

Dont be shy, call about an Olympian today.  Worst thing that could happen?  You just might be pleasantly surprised!  And that my friends is not such a bad thing!!!!!!

Good question, glad you asked.  For one thing, it surely isnt a medal, no matter how shiny it is! Just as a man’s worth can’t be judged by the size of his wallet!

 Great Olympic champions, are those who are incredible humanitarians!  People that surge from the back of the pack with regards to mankind, not a race or a sporting event.  Someone who has nothing yet elevates their performance to heights known by very few, for others.

 You see, being an Olympic Champion isnt about the riches and accolades received once you win a Gold Medal, its about what you do with that platform.  As an example, Joey Cheek Olympic Gold Medalist in speedskating.  Not the most well known.  Maybe Eric Heiden, Dan Jansen or Apolo Anton Ohno is.  But for my money, Joey is the best representation of giving to others in a non self centered way!

He donated his medal money to a charity that needed help and more importantly, needed the huge visibility boost that came along with his kind gesture!  I wonder if your average basketball player making millions of dollars in the NBA would consider doing the same?

Doubt it.  In this culture of me and i first, why would they?  I dont blame the athletes really because they are just a pawn in the owner’s game of “Human Domination” using sports as a metaphor for the current climate they have created.

When Kobe Bryant wants to be traded, its not because he wants another title, i think its because the young boy inside of him is yearning for attention.  This type of attention deficit disorder comes when children are forced to be grown men because they have super human athletic talents but are not mature enough to handle the mental aspects of the Game.

So back to my premise, what makes a great Olympic champion?  For me, its one word and one word only: Character!  Try avoid being one and if you dont understand, then you will never know the feeling of being a Champion!

Sorry Bode!!!!

Last night i watched The Yankees squander a $200 million a year payroll and the Buffalo Bills almost beat the Dallas Cowboys.  What became increasingly apparent was that as much as i tried to hit “LCV” for those of you who live in a cave, that stands for Cerebral Safety Valve or Last Channel Viewed.  AKA, I friggin hate TV commercials! 

Do i care if Denny Green, former worst coach in the NFL drinks Coors?  Do i really give a shit about a duck that can say AFLAC but sounds more like its saying, A Fool!  Does the latest movie that i know i wont go and see make any difference to me?

NO!

What i want is my TMZ.com moment!  If your zip code places you living squarely under a rock and have no idea what is TMZ.com, i suggest you quickly speak to your teenager and ask where they get their news.  If i can get one more shot of Britney Spear’s unclothed, post partum moneymaker or Lindsay Lohan’s high school driving test on video, then i am happy!!! 

Sports is meant for yelling at your television, swilling cheap beer and eating crappy food, it is not for watching someone’s creative concept of what will it take to get my drunk ass off the couch and to the local mall, post game!  In fact, i should call M.A.D.D. and discuss this!  When i am done with my in game festivities, i dont want to buy a cell phone, in fact i want to try and figure out how to use the one i already have and am too hammered to figure out how to IM my cab driver to come get me!

I guess my point here is that unless the commercials include super models or human train wrecks, i am going to the bathroom!  I suggest you do the same!!!!

Ok, i said it.  And i mean it.  Marion Jones is the devil.  I will always view her as the worst of the worst!!!  Liar!  Cheat!  Indignant phoney!  She looked into the cameras and lied.  Lied about using, lied about knowing and just lowered herself to the point that her admissions were worthless!

When you set out to be the best in the world in The Olympics, or any chosen professional sport, the cardinal rule is simple, dont cheat.  I dont feel bad for her, NIKE, USA Track and Field, The USOC or the IOC.  I feel badly for those who were robbed of their once in a lifetime chance to stand on the top of the podium and listen to their country’s national anthem!  But unfortunately, in one of Jones’ events, the Silver Medalist also cheated!!

So who are we to believe?  And why should we believe?  Here is my idea.  I am serious.  We should have an Olympics that doesnt drug test!  Let all of the athletes smear Clear and Cream all over themselves until they look like Lou Ferrigno!!!!  OK, the athletes dont have to paint themselves green, but they do need to show up looking abnormally freakish!

It is becoming too hard to tell those who do vs those who dont take performance enhancing drugs!!!  Hell, i am now looking at my 46 inch HD tv for things like pimples and pitting on athletes necks, how big the circumference is of their heads and have they enjoyed any injuries associated with steriods like muscle tearing from the bone because its just too bloated to stay on!

I am so sick of this shit!  Lifetime bans and jail time should be mandetory for “Sports Fraud” defined as anyone that says they are “clean” and turn out dirty.  We should delete all of their accomplishments from the beginning of time since we have no idea what is true and what is bullshit!  Once a liar, always a liar!

We should publicly embarrass them.  Have them tar and feathered!  Flogged!  The companies that pay them huge sums of money to endorse their products should get their money back.  Sports used to be about great accomplishments and unbelievable athletes, it is now about Frankenstein and scientists!  It all sucks!!!!  I think i am getting rid of my ESPN and signing up for Discovery HD programming.  At least when an Orca Whale is tossing a poor seal pup around like a rag doll before it mercifully eats it, it is teaching its young how to survive.  What are these “juiced” athletes teaching their young?

NOTHING!

Fame!  Game! And the ability to connect to people!  Terry Bradshaw, Lou Holtz, Bruce Jenner, Rocky Bleier, Carl Edwards, Danica Patrick are all really good at what they do but they are exceptional in front of crowds. 

When Lou Holtz tells you something, believe him!!!  He lives what he preaches.  Terry Bradshaw is so engaging it is fun to watch him work a crowd.  Carl Edwards always has that awe shucks look but he is as smart a businessman as i have ever been around.  Screwd, vision, smarts.

Corporations need to go the extra mile when they hire celebrity speakers, sports speakers for their events.  Research alone is OK but to talk to a pro about who is going to bring the house down is ultimately what you need.  Let us know how we can help you here at Gold Medal Greats.  Our staff has 20+ yrs experience in booking speakers, securing endorsements, public relations campaigns, SMT’s, VNR, etc.

This is the question that everyone wants to know.  It certainly doesnt take HGH, Steriods or other type of synthetic nonsense.  Because even if you cheat and won, your sould will rot for doing the unspeakable.  I do think plenty are cheating right now.  In the US and around the World.  We would all be naive to think otherwise.

 But my point is to be an Olympic Gold Medalist, you are one of two things in my experiences.

10% of the time your are a genetic freak!  You are just gifted in a way that now other human can be.  Lance Armstrong (we hope he was clean) in cycling, Tiger Woods in golf, Jackie Joyner Kersee in track, Janet Evans in swimming, Nadia Commenci in gymnastics.

The other 90% are champions because they are pushed to greatness because of some deep rooted insecurtiy.  Maybe their only adulation came as a result of a positive outcome in their sports life.  Maybe their parents paid special attention to them when they won as a young child.  This “development of success syndrome”, i like to call it, nutures this overwhelming desire in many to continue to strive for success because their was a positive reward as an outcome.

 Think i am crazy?  Dig deeper in non athletes, you dont have to be Oprah Winfrey or Dr. Phil to understand the psychology of need.  Everyone craves attention and love at an early age.  If are the best musician in your town, smartest kid at the science fair, best athlete on the football team, in your circle of influence you are the BMOC.  Big Man On Campus.

And you seek more of that spotlight, that attention.  It is completely rational that Tyson Gay at some point was show love at a track somewhere and it felt good so he won again! and again and again!

Champions are not grown, they are not even “developed” in a traditional way, sometimes they are pushed to it by something really universal in everyone, the desire to be loved!