General Short Track Chat

[mtnme]

Well doesn't that just suck big time for the athletes....

I wonder how many will just throw in the towel and retire after the Olympics given this new wrinkle in their funding.

[Deleted]

I read the full article and was preparing to post here when I saw the link. It's just tough in the U.S. right now. Something many of us are not accustomed to. It all filters down.

There are many things that concern me about the ongoing lament that Short Track is tough to market. It wasn't that long ago that NASCAR was an also ran. Look at it now. You don't see those drivers until they win. What you do see are those hot, brightly painted cars going round and round.

The USA Short Track teams' skinsuits are boring. Dark blue suit, light blue 'vest' and no sponsor logos!

How about skinsuits that make a statement? How about their names down the leg. NFL puts it on their backs, why not do the same for ST. I get the immediate argument. You don't know who will be going to the Olympics. Doesn't matter. We need them across the board from WCs to Nationals to the Olys. Frankly, I think the team members are trying to find a way to stand out and establish an identity by tagging their feet with their own personal colors. Allison's doing the pink; Katherine's in green; and it seems Apolo has retired the trademark RED--boo hoo!

Being an intense, solitary sport does not preclude it from being exciting the moment the players set foot on the floor with a vibrant skin suit that has a little personality.

There's the throw-away comment that AAO's stint on DWTS helped him tremendously. No doubt it did. Not every Olympic athlete is cut out for reality shows. So it seems to me USS needs to figure out a way to get this sport some TV time and see if it CAN develop a fan following beyond friends, families and the current crop of fans!

My old, ragged out gardening clothes are more exciting than the color of the US skinsuits, old and new! hee hee

[Deleted]

Wow! It will be interesting to see how this plays out!

Colbert goes for gold, sponsors US speedskating
By JAKE COYLE
AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

NEW YORK -- Of the many countries participating at the Vancouver Olympics, add Colbert Nation to the list.

On Monday's "The Colbert Report," Stephen Colbert announced his show has become the primary sponsor of the U.S. Speedskating team. The team's largest annual cash sponsor, DSB Bank NV, left the team in the lurch after it declared bankruptcy in October.

The name "Colbert Nation" - the catchall for the legion of ardent fans of the satirical Comedy Central program - will be emblazoned on the team's uniforms.

"On their enormous, billboard thighs, it will say, 'Colbert Nation,'" Colbert said in an interview before Monday evening's taping. "Be looking for that logo as it comes around the final turn. It will be easy to see because it will be in first place."

Speedskating has produced some of the most iconic figures in U.S. Olympic history, from Eric Heiden to Dan Jansen and Bonnie Blair. In all, Americans have claimed 75 medals - 32 of them gold - on the traditional long track oval and the wild-and-wooly short track rink. In Vancouver, Shani Davis, Chad Hedrick and short track star Apolo Anton Ohno will all be vying for medals.

"I personally love Comedy Central + The Colbert Report," Ohno said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Any attention the sport can get is going to be beneficial. I'd like to see how creative they can get! I'm game to do a skit about it :-)"

The show isn't paying the team any money directly. Instead, Colbert is calling on his fans to donate to the team via www.colbertnation.com and www.usspeedskating.org. In the past, Colbert has had a great deal of success raising money this way. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a charity that assists injured service members and their families.

The Dutch bank DSB was to pay $300,000 for the sponsorship but failed to make any payments. That put U.S. Speedskating in a difficult position with little time to court new sponsors before the games begin in February.

U.S. Speedskating executive director Robert Crowley, who appeared on Monday's show along with Jansen, acknowledged it was a "definitely unconventional arrangement," but said it would generate exposure for the sport.

"We're highly optimistic that the country is going to get behind this and get behind the Colbert Nation and support this amazing team," Crowley said. "I don't have any idea if it's going to make $5 or $500,000. I couldn't tell you."

Colbert, who often leads his audience in chants of "U-S-A!," said he had been considering taking "The Report" to Vancouver for the Olympics, much as he took the show to Iraq earlier this year to perform for American troops.

"My character sees the Olympics as war, but nobody gets hurt," Colbert said. "It's a way to peacefully figure out who has got the top country."

Colbert, who plays a kind of mock conservative talk-show host on "The Report," also has a penchant for seeing his name adopted for various causes around the world. Things that have taken his name include a NASA treadmill used in the international space station (COLBERT), a bald eagle (Stephen Jr.), a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream flavor (Americone Dream) and a junior hockey league team (mascot Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle).

An American Olympic team is clearly a step up, and Colbert can be expected to feature the team frequently on his show in the coming months.

"It still tragically involves a lot of Canadians," the comedian said. "It's kind of unseemly how many Canadians I'm going to have to be dealing with."

---

[Laura (Lori)]

Haha, Gasp - I LOVE this!

I can't wait to see where this goes - at the very least, it'll put his show on my DVR...

[Deleted]

Thank you Stephen Colbert...

He's a really funny guy and I'm a big fan. But at the heart of some of his "campaigns" is exactly that ....a heart. Witness his support of our troups.

I think he will have fun with this but would not be surprised if underneath, he really wants to support this team for what it represents to the US at the Olympics.

Here's a link to the segment on his show last night about speedskating:
www.comedycentral.com/

Sounds like Apolo is looking forward to being a part of this. Does Colbert know that JR is in NYC tomorrow for the Olympic event? Hope he tapes a segment with him while he's there.

Whooo hoooo, this exposure is going to be great for the ST/LT teams.

[Laura (Lori)]

Hahaha - that video is hilarious!

Loved seeing Bob Crowley on the show too! ;D

Here's the deeper link which contains the video:

ccinsider.comedycentral.com/2009/11/02/the-colbert-report-announces-sponsorship-of-the-u-s-speed-skating-team/

Said Colbert, "We must ensure that it is America's 38-inch thighs on that medal platform!"

[Deleted]

TIME/CNN has picked up the story along with many local papers. I love Katherine's comment at the end. Too funny!

Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009
Colbert to the Rescue: Can He Save U.S. Speedskating?
By Sean Gregory

In an icy economy, where can a cash-strapped team training for the Winter Olympics turn for help? Stephen Colbert. Seriously. On Monday night's Colbert Report, the mock-blowhard host of the Comedy Central show announced that he will ask his loyal fans to donate money to the U.S. Speedskating team, whose largest commercial cash sponsor, Dutch bank DSB, just went belly-up. (Colbert snarkily referred to DSB as "Deposit Savings in Bong"). In exchange for the publicity and potential revenue, "Colbert Nation" logos will be stitched onto the suits of both long track and short track skaters during World Cup competitions before the Olympics. Right now, the long track team is preparing for a competition in Berlin, while the short trackers are in Montreal for a meet. "We are scrambling like crazy to get the logos on the uniforms this weekend," says U.S. Speedskating executive director Bob Crowley. (See a video of U.S. athletes training for the Winter Olympics.)

This isn't some kind of prank, right? "We're not viewing this as a joke at all," says Crowley. Colbert really is throwing U.S. Speedskating a lifeline. The Dutch bank had been the American team's most generous benefactor (speedskating is huge in the Netherlands) but a run on the bank caused DSB to go under in mid-October, leaving U.S. Speedskating with a $300,000 budget shortfall. "The Olympics are our Super Bowl, Masters, and Tour de France combined," says Derek Parra, a 2002 speedskating gold medalist who is now one of the coaches for the American team. "And we were scratching our heads at the table, wondering how we are going to get through the rest of the year. It's tough." (See Colbert's nomination to the TIME 100)

Then Colbert's staff saw a story on the DSB sponsorship fallout, and pounced. To them, the irony was too delicious: the tentacles of the financial crisis have stung the innocent athletes who aspire to Olympic glory. Plus, the sport offers comic material. "We must ensure that it is America's 38-inch thighs on that medal platform," Colbert said in a release announcing the sponsorship. (See a video of Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner.)

So the show's producers called the U.S. Speedskating office in Salt Lake, and the parties quickly hammered out a deal. "My gut reaction was, 'great,'" says Crowley. "It's a unique sponsorship opportunity, and you know what? It's going to be fun." The market price for sponsorship logos on speedskating suits is $100,000. Colbert will get a logo on the leg and the hood of the long track skaters; on the short track athletes, the "Colbert Nation" mark will be stitched on the leg and the chest.

Colbert, however, isn't exactly cutting a check to U.S. Speedskating for $400,000. Over the next few weeks, the show will plug the sport regularly and feature speedskating in a few bits. The team is counting on the generosity of Colbert's audience, in both a down economy and around the holidays, when spare change goes to stocking stuffers. "It's a gamble," Crowley concedes. U.S. Speedskating was in preliminary discussions with a few sponsors, but none were willing to pay $100,000 for the suit space. And with the Olympics just 100 days away, Crowley was left with little choice. "We need to make up lost revenue, and we don't have the comfort of getting that guaranteed check every three months," he says. (Take TIME's quiz on Olympic gold.)

Luckily for speedskating, Colbert's audience tends to adopt his causes. He has raised at least $240,000 for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which assists injured service members and their families. But even if the economics work out, the Colbert stunt could backfire. After all, if your sport becomes too intertwined with a comedy program, does it become a joke? "We talked about that," says Crowley. "We stressed to the Colbert staff that we have exquisite athletes who have trained their entire lives for that Olympic platform. They can't minimize that. They get it, and they recognize that."

Plus, many Olympic speedskaters don't take themselves too seriously. "We're Olympic athletes, and that in itself deserves respect," says Katherine Reutter, a short track skater who will be competing in her first Olympics in Vancouver. "But we race around in little circles in full-body spandex. There's plenty of stuff to make fun of." And who knows? Those jokes may pay for her medal.

[Deleted]

November 3, 2009 at 11:45 there's a comment on the Colbert Nation report stating that $40,000.00 has been donated so far! Holy Cow!

[Deleted]

Another internet article. Seems USOC's name is coming up more frequently on these google alerts. Do we assume there is unrest within the association? Sounds like to me they should query their athlete and their fans for some ideas.

USOC Chair Larry Probst reiterated he is "not going to resign" and is "signed up to do whatever it is going to take to get this on a positive track," according to Ed Hula of AROUND THE RINGS. Probst: "I think [that] obviously in the international world of the Olympics, the expectation is for the president of the NOC, in this case, it’s me, for that person to be the primary face of the NOC on an international basis, and I’m signed up to that." He added it is "also important" the USOC's next CEO "have some exposure to that international community as well." Probst: "We’ve talked about getting the ship pointed in the right direction and that means that we‘ve got to have a long term, strategic plan to enhance our reputation in the international community. It’s also going to be part of the responsibility of the CEO but obviously most of the CEO’s focus is going to be domestic." He noted the new CEO "has to participate in the development of that long term, strategic plan." Probst: "At the end of the day, it will be the CEO’s responsibility to help develop that strategy with input and guidance and oversight from the board." The U.S. only has two IOC members, but Probst said they have a "lot of previous experience, so their relationships and their know-how will be important and will certainly be integrated into what we come up with ultimately." Probst called his recent meeting with eight U.S. NGB leaders "very constructive," adding, "I don't think anyone pulled any punches." He said the USOC has "got to take a look" at bylaws limiting a Chairman to just four years in office. Probst: "With a four year term, it doesn’t give you much time to build the relationships that need to be in place." Probst said the USOC's goal is "to improve communication, to enhance the level of engagement with all the constituencies to make sure that they are feeling that they are participating partners in whatever the USOC is doing, develop a long term strategy to put us in better standing with the international community"

[aaosmts19]

Ah! I didn't realize that B&B had a chat thread, and I've been 'feeling a need..."

Colbert's latest USS plug, asking the fans to send mail to the Canadian 'ice holes', is going a bit too far for my taste. I understand that Colbert has a long tradition of slamming the Canadians and that this hasn't just popped up with the sponsorship of USS. I guess the reason he picks on them is because they are too polite and perhaps boring (my interpretation). His writers struck gold when they found the old news article about ice time at the Richmond Oval. It played right into his schtick.

However, the fans that are attending the meets and who's a**es are in the seats are not necessarily Colbert Nation fans; many might know of Colbert only thru this latest sponsorship. However, people at the rink will associate any US fan with the icehole campaign, which is not the case.

In my mind, the Canadian team is like a brother/sister. heck, if the US isn't on the ice skating and Canada is, I'm going with North America! But I'm afraid that we US fans will not be perceived as anything other than Colbert Nation fanatics.

We were in the seats long before Colbert Nation, and we will still be in the seats next year, when Colbert Nation has gone away....

Thoughts?

[ruff]

You're taking Colbert too seriously. If people really start complaining because this incredibly generous sponsor's satire is too offensive then the only thing relfecting badly on the fan community is their epic lack of humor.

[mtnme]

Com'on now Ruff, play nice.
Now that someone finally noticed we had a chat thread, let's not scare them away, lest there be no one around to chat with.

Truth be told, I understand -and agree for the most part with what aaosmts19 is saying.
(...and I have a great sense of humor. After all, I usually laugh at your stuff Ruff...most of the time...)

In an era for which the terms 'good sportsmanship' and 'professional sports' can't often be used in the same sentence with any degree of seriousness, most have come to put Olympic Athletes on a higher level. (Don't believe me? Then I have two words for you...'Michael Phelps'. I doubt a photo of your home-team football player with a bong would barely have been deemed noteworthy enough to make Entertainment Tonight. Let an Olympic athlete do it, and the media launches into an all out feeding frenzy, salivating like they just got handed Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas Morning all rolled into one.)

Realistic Expectations? Probably not. Fair? Definitely not. But it is what it is....

Right, wrong or indifferent, we think of our Olympic athletes as class acts. So too then, do we expect the same from anything or anyone affiliated with them.

That being said, I'm well aware that Colbert Nation is closer to Saturday Night Live than the evening news, and isn't meant to be taken seriously. I'll even go as far as to say that in regards to the article that prompted the 'icehole' campaign - hey Colbert Nation does have a point. And I am beyond happy and thankful that they chose to turn the spotlight on this sport, these hard working athletes and help them out, especially in an Olympic year. Even so...the 'icehole' campaign still makes me a little squeamish. (And those who know me will attest to the fact that I have a pretty bawdy sense of humor.) I too do not care to be viewed in an unsporting light when our butts are in those seats cheering. For Team USA? Always! For others? That too sometimes.

From a fan standpoint, we often do cheer for the Canooks when our team isn't skating. We follow what's going on with Team Canada and many of us have our personal favorites among their skaters. Sometimes I wonder what the skaters on Team USA think about that. In reality, I get the impression there is no love lost between Team USA and Team Canada, it's an intense rivalry. Off the ice, Team USA is probably more chummy with members of the Korean Team as opposed to some arbitrary North American camaraderie.

mmmmm, that might explain why an American fan is more apt to get a wink and a smile in passing from Charles Hamelin these days than AAO.

Doth perchance I detect a little jealousy? LOL
(Don't worry Team USA. It's you we LOVE. Team Canada is just - well - eye candy...)

[ruff]

The only thing that would scare somebody away is the way any dissenting opinion is viewed as trolling or some personal attack.

Stephen Colbert is a satirist, everybody knows this. Canada is comedy gold, everbody knows this, especially Canada. Some of the kids on the Canadian ST team are probably even fans of Colbert and would understand this campaign/his humor right away. There's no reason to think any intelligent individual would be offended by his antics and then somehow deduce that ST fans are too wild and controversial. Believe me, THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

[Laura (Lori)]

This sponsorship was my introduction to Colbert Nation, and I've become a fan - I'm now recording his show every night. Members of our group in Montreal (including a couple of Canadian residents) painstakingly constructed and held up 'We Colbert Nation' letters at the Montreal World Cup.

Initially, I had wondered how it would be received. The Canadian audience read our message quizzically - there was no hint that any of them were angry in the least. The only indication of Canadian angst about Colbert was this display as we walked into the venue:



Not what I'd call a national uprising...

In my travels abroad, I've encountered serious arguments about our country - some of which I can sympathize with, others that I believe are misguided.

If satire about your country is coming from your 'enemies', it feels a whole lot different than if it is coming from your 'friends'. IMO, Colbert is poking fun among 'friends'.

...and the Canadians in Montreal seemed to take it as such.

[ruff]

A post from another blog I visit where this came up:

community.livejournal.com/ohnothedidnt/41721550.html?page=1&view=6450690254#comments

Shani needs to chill out.