Originally Posted by Big  The fact of the matter is that wrestling is on the verge of being dropped from Olympics because advertisers are not interested in sponsoring it due to poor viewership of those with TV access to Olympics. FILA is being pressured to do something about it. It changes the rules for 2 reasons: 1) to attract more interest and 2) to let more countries win medals which would increase participation in those countries which could also attract viewers.
The fact of the matter is Olympics is a money maker now and wrestling is not bringing in enough money. Its a capitalist way of thinking and America is a major player.
In ancient Greece Olympics were about athletes. Today its about the fans. |
Most olympic sports do not bring big TV audiences. Look at Shooting, archery, fencing, sailing, equestrian...are these sports in danger of being dropped?
I agree that the Olympics are about money first and foremost not about sport.
The Olympic committee gets huge fees from the TV network becasue they go to the highest bidder. In order to make a profit the network has to show the events that bring the biggest audience and having paid all that money the network has a lot of influence over when the events take place.
The IOC should look at more than just $$$ when awarding the rights. There should also be consideration to which network will give the best coverage.