Farrell Sports Business Podcast
Interviews with unicorns from sports business and their unique stories, dreams, ideas, insights, innovations, flops and career paths. Get a unique perspective of the inner workings of jobs working in sports beyond just pro sports leagues. Hosted by 30-year sports business veteran Matt Farrell, President of Farrell Sports and CEO of Bat Around.
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Farrell Sports Business (00:00)
On this week's Farrell Sports Business podcast, we're going to change up the format a little bit, because I want to share some of the ups and downs of the first few days of the Olympic Games, at least from a sports and sports business perspective. I'm the host, Matt Farrell, and this week, special Olympic Edition, we're going to go through some of the ups and downs of the first few days of the Olympic Games in Paris.
I've been watching the Olympic games pretty much wall to wall, peacock during the day, prime time at night, highlights on social. And so there are some things that I've seen that I think are worth sharing of a little bit of a unique perspective of coming from the sports business side of things. So let's start with the ups.
First, how to view the games. I'm not going to say I have it all dialed in and figured out, but I really love the format of Peacock during the day, which quite honestly, I found that a little bit of a harder service to manage and get into before the Olympics. But now I've found my rhythm and really enjoying gold zone during the day. That's perfect for the FOMO person who really wants the sampler platter, catch some of the greatest hits.
And then I actually really love seeing it repackaged in the prime time show. The way I think of it is yes, I know some results. Yes, I know how some things happened, but I also watch F1 drive to survive on Netflix. also watch the golf show full swing on Netflix. I already know those results and I just find it provides a little bit of additional storytelling, which I've liked the combo.
of live sports during the day, packaged sports at night. The way I see it is Peacock is about the sports and the primetime show is about the people
Two, there are lot of alternative content sources out there. Yes, some of them are NBC, one of which happens to be a podcast called In the Village. Elizabeth Beisel, former swimmer, medalist, just has an infectious laugh and is going behind the scenes in the village doing interviews. And that's just a fun piece of
the podcast Sporticast which is really a daily regular for me as well, but also had a really interesting segment on July 25th that breaks down the Olympic committee funding models and how an Olympic team is funded, especially in the United States. It really goes in deep, talks about how the US Olympic and Paralympic committee even provide funding for national governing bodies.
in a way that's almost like an investment portfolio of what sports are they going to invest in in the return on investment is medals and gold medals. It's a fascinating look and really just shines a light that there's not government funding in the United States for the Olympic team. And so it was a really educated insight into how athletes and some sports organizations are funded in the United States.
Another top pick for a podcast for me is always sports media for Richard Deitsch He has been interviewing producers, some leading up to the games that just give an insight into how the games is covered behind the scenes. One in particular looks at the opening ceremony and the production of what they expected. And now that you listen to that podcast of what the actual opening ceremony was with weather problems.
And it's just a really fascinating look of how the sausage is made from a production standpoint behind the scenes.
The regulars of Front Office Sports and Sports Business Journal are covering the Olympic games in a great way on a daily basis. And one, if you want to just dive a little bit deeper into swimming, Pat Forde from Sports Illustrated, his Twitter or X account is always a great one. So Pat is probably most known as a college sports writer, but his daughter was an Olympic swimmer and he loves the sport.
It's also just a little bit fun sometimes how it drives the college football crazies a little bit nuts when he wants to talk about swimming, but it's a passion and he covers it well and it's just a fun Twitter account to follow as well as the comments.
Three, what are you wearing? Consumer edition. So a actually fun and relatively low cost apparel line is actually at Old Navy. I'm wearing the 1984 Olympic Games shirt. There's shirts from Atlanta and I love it. And it's a lower cost item. Now, before you accuse me of this being a paid endorsement, this is a very unique endorsement deal where I went and bought the shirt.
and paid them and still talk about it. But it's just, if you're not going to do the high -end Nike stuff or the high -end Polo Ralph Lauren stuff, Old Navy's a great option for some really cool retro merchandise.
The second that I've just loved, I have to admit I don't own it, but this popped up right before the Olympic game started is Noggin Boss. Those are the obnoxiously large or cartoonish size hats that you're starting to see. And they have a Team USA license and have started to release those hats and do some product placement with some athletes leading into the games. And it's just
Four is what are you wearing part two, but this is a little bit of inside baseball of what athletes are wearing on the field of play and in competition and how those rules work with a Nike involved, for example. So two particular instances. One, if you look at the U S swim team, when they walk out and they're introduced, they're actually wearing a TYR T Y R, jacket, hoodie
or what have you. If you watch the Australian skateboard team, they're wearing an ASICS shirt. And so they all have their respective deals, but the way it works in Olympic world is essentially competitive apparel, what I wear on the field of play, swimsuit, cap, goggles, top for something like skateboard, shoes for different sports are considered
competitive apparel. In the national governing body, in this instance USA Swimming, has a deal with TYR. So the athletes wear the TYR outer apparel as they walk out onto the pool deck. They wear whatever swimsuit makes them the fastest, even if it just makes them think they're the fastest, whether it be arena, speedo, or TYR So swimsuit, cap, and goggles, the athletes all wear whatever they want in the pool, because that's performance.
And as soon as they're out, they make a medal, they make up a podium. That's when they switch into the US OPC and team USA Nike apparel. So it's a little bit confusing, but watch what they wear walking out on the pool deck. Watch what they wear in the pool or on the track or on the pitch or whatever it might be. And then they transition into the Nike world afterwards.
Side note to that, again, if you look at USA swimming in particular, or any of the US sports, the USA on their jackets, on their parkas, is a different font. The national governing body does not have any rights to use its logo in the Olympic games. And it's not really a Team USA function, because it might be on a TYR jacket, or an arena, or ASICs, or whatever it might be.
So the NGBs and for each individual sport actually have to design their own modification of a USA. It's kind of like this font purgatory where there's all these different versions of the USA out there that aren't necessarily a Nike team. And so I have to use a different version of the USA that can't be the same USA font and style as the traditional NGB logo. A little bit nerdy inside baseball, but just another
odd and unique factor of the Olympic world to pay attention
Five, the new voices. I've got to say I've really enjoyed Snoop being part of the coverage. He knows his place. He stays in his lane. He's sitting with parents. He's having fun. He's not trying to pull himself off as an expert on anything. And I just really enjoyed him. I get a little bit concerned about overexposure and overuse of Snoop right now, but so far.
I've just really enjoyed it and found him fun. Another person that I just think is absolutely brilliant and fun is Flava Flav. Now he's not an NBC talent. He's not an NBC spokesperson. He saw a need with the women's water polo team that they needed a sponsor and he came in and women's water polo in the U S is just really, really traditionally strong. And that guy's just come in and been a super fan and everything you see social media.
is him cheering, him being an advocate. And yes, it's a star studded celebrity driven Olympics from Tom Cruise to Lady Gaga to John Legend to Chrissy Teigen. But this is the one that just feels the most natural with Flava Flav. And it's so much fun to watch.
Okay. It's time to talk about the downs with, with anything with that much programming, there's going to be some downsides and I'm usually a fan of NBC does. I just feel like some of the in integrations are just going a bit too far. especially with SNL, which I consider myself a fan, Colin Jost from Tahiti, a podcast with Bowen Yang.
John Mulaney randomly appearing on the primetime set during the weekend. I just don't know what it adds to those of us who are true Olympic sports fans. And it just feels too much and forced to me right now. Love John Mulaney. I think he's great in his normal lane. But gotta admit, there's a little bit of eye rolling seeing him walk out on the primetime
when there's still sports going on or sports highlights to show. I didn't get it. I just felt forced. The other one, or I'm going to admit, I flipped a little bit. So it gets a little bit of a free pass, is the Minions integration in the opening ceremony. As soon as that clip started to show on the opening ceremony, I rolled my eyes.
And then, but I was in a room with about 50 people. And then I looked around and I watched the kids in that room. And they lit up. They laughed, they giggled. And then I'm like, okay, maybe it's not about me. And so I flipped a little bit on that one, felt a little bit forced, but watching the room and reading the room, I get
The second down for me is some of the, of the talent. This also goes into the, I like Peyton Manning. I like Kelly Clarkson. They were just forced on the opening ceremony broadcast and, I was excited about this. had high hopes for it. but I just, as an Olympic insider, I just not sure what it added
I had higher hopes for that one but I was looking for just more expertise and more commentary and more insight and unfortunately they're always fun. It just wasn't working.
My third down is actually some of the protocol that is still a part of the opening ceremony. Now I've said in this podcast, I've said other ways, I give the international Olympic committee a lot of credit for its youth movement, sports it's adding to the program, everything from surfing to breaking to, you know, LA adding flag football and lacrosse and even cricket.
I give them a lot of credit for how to make the games younger and really just be more relevant. And then we go and do these, what I consider long speeches during the opening ceremony. And it's just, it's still painful to me. And that part still feels a little bit tone deaf to an already long program to stop everything.
for some speeches that really come out of feeling like protocol of the 70s and the 80s is just falling flat. Most of the other professional sports leagues in the United States, even when their commissioner comes on, NFL and NHL, they sometimes get booed, but at least they know to keep it short and sweet. And that's one piece that the Olympic world just hasn't, the dime hasn't gone down quite yet.
of maybe that type of blue blazer formality protocol is or has seen its best days
Otherwise, I'm just going to keep watching the games. I'll add some notes as we go. Please like this podcast, leave it a five star review. Even check out the YouTube channel, which you can watch and interact there. Leave me a comment on what we should be talking about on the business side of the Olympic games. Meanwhile, I'll continue some extra bonus episodes during the Olympics and hope you enjoy it. And thanks for tuning