Most of us can remember the excitement when the Summer Olympics first came to our 해외축구중계 screens in Los Angeles back in 1984. The world was watching and the games themselves were something to behold. Whether you supported the US teams or rooted for the competitors from the UK, it's likely you felt more of a connection with this historic event as it was broadcast on TV than you do when watching the same games at the Olympics. But that was then and this is now. It's been 30 years since those remarkable games in LA and today the Olympics are rarely seen on TV. The 2020 Summer Games were postponed until 2021 and while there was some initial interest in watching them online, less and less people are turning to untrusted sources to follow the action.
Why is the TV market moving away from the Olympics?
It's impossible to pinpoint one reason why the TV market has moved away from the Olympics, but it's quite clear that a number of factors have contributed to its decline in popularity. First and foremost, we need to acknowledge that the games themselves have become less of an attraction. Since the inception of the Summer Olympics, television audiences have steadily declined. In fact, back in 1992, the Summer Olympics averaged 200 million viewers per day—a number which would put it in 39th place among all of the Olympic Games up to that point. Things had started declining long before then however, with the 1976 Montreal Olympics attracting just 49.2 million viewers, its lowest since the turn of the century. And in 2020, less than 11 million people tuned in to watch the opening ceremony, making it the least watched opening ceremony in over a decade.
Is the decline in ratings a reflection of the times we live in?
It's hard to say if the declining popularity of the Olympics is a reflection of the times we live in or if it's just a blip on the radar. The fact is, the Olympic Games have been around for over a century and while they've seen their peaks and valleys, they've always retained a significant audience. In the early days of TV, the Olympics were broadcast live and there was no other major sporting event on at the same time. This meant that anyone, regardless of where they were located in the world, could tune in to see some of the greatest athletes in the world compete. In those early days of TV, the Olympics still managed to pull in an audience of around 140 million viewers per year. It wasn't until the late 1950s that things started to decline dramatically. This was primarily due to the number of TV stations proliferating in the US at that time and the competition for viewers' attention growing as a result.
It wasn't until the 1960s that the games really started to decline. That was when the Pan Am and the World Championships were brought over from Europe and the US started holding its own events to counterbalance them. This meant that North American athletes had another major sporting event to compete in and the number of people interested in the Olympics plummeted. At that point, the Pan Am Games, the World Championships, and the Olympics had become largely irrelevant and were barely broadcast on TV at all. It wasn't until the late 1970s that the Olympics started to see a small uptick in viewership after being canceled for nearly a decade. But even then, it was more of a blip.
How has the internet impacted popular culture and the Olympics?
The internet has undoubtedly impacted popular culture and the Olympics in a number of ways. For one thing, people are now able to follow the competitions and results much more easily. Back in the day, if you wanted to follow the Olympics you had to turn on your TV and tune in to one of the networks which would usually show them at mid-day on a Wednesday. Alternatively, you might get lucky and catch them on one of the rare days when they were actually shown live. Nowadays, if you want to follow the Summer Olympics you can simply turn on your smartphone or tablet computer and log on to one of the sites which provides live streaming coverage of the games. This has made a world of difference.
Is the decline in ratings an indictment on the state of modern sports?
In a sense, the decline in ratings for the Olympics is an indictment on the state of modern sports. Ever since the early 1900s, the Olympics have largely been about picking teams of the day and then having them compete in various sporting events. It wasn't until a later generation which grew up watching the Olympic Games that the idea of athletes actually competing in the Olympics turned into a reality. Before then, it was largely hypothetical that someday the games might return to their former glory. Unfortunately, many of the sports which are featured at the Olympics are far from being representative of the modern sporting world. It wasn't until the 1960s that the games started having events for which we have no word in our language to describe them. Things like the high jump, for example, didn't exist in pre-modern times. It wasn't until the early 1900s that the first modern Olympics were played and it wasn't until the 1920s that the idea of having track and field events became popular in the first place. Prior to this, the preferred method of athletics was to simply run around the block as many times as you could for the sake of exercise.
Nowadays, if we compare the Olympics to other major sporting events, it's quite clear that they're of a different generation. Take the 20th century for example. It was a time when people were just beginning to embrace the idea of having an all-around sports team. It wasn't until the 1950s that the Summer Olympics started to actually feature sports which could be considered representative of the modern era. And even then, it wasn't all that representative. For example, the 100 meter dash, one of the events at the 2020 Summer Olympics, was first held in 1922 and it wasn't until the 1950s that the metric system was adopted throughout all of Europe and North America. So for that matter, many of the sports in the Olympics are quite old fashioned.
What does all this mean for the future of the Olympics?
So, what does all this mean for the future of the Olympics? Well, it means that they're unlikely to come back as they were before. Back in the day, the games were so important that they would often decide the outcome of the presidential election and set the tone for the following year. Today, the Olympics are unlikely to regain their previous popularity. First of all, they've become irrelevant as a result of all the changes which have taken place in the last 100 years. Second, the TV market has shifted towards online viewing and while this is a great convenience for viewers, it's a nightmare for those who wish to follow the competition live. Finally, many of the sports which are featured at the Olympics are old fashioned and simply don't resemble the games we see today.
Nevertheless, the Olympics will always retain a special place in the hearts of sports enthusiasts. Just like many other iconic sports arenas, such as Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, or Wembley Stadium, the Athens Olympic Stadium, known as the Herod Atticus, will be fondly remembered for its unique history and stunning design.