Analysis: Why The Olympic Athletes Should Be Paid

The origination of the Olympic Games lies in the stories of Greek mythology as a way for athletes to perform and compete in front of the Greek gods. The evolved and modern Olympics may not serve this original purpose, but they still bring the best athletes in the world together to showcase their talents. To stay relevant in today’s society, the International Olympic Committee must continue to find ways to attract young viewers, adapt to new viewing technology, and perpetuate the athletes in sporting events for future generations.

The Olympics have not outlived their usefulness because they still serve as a platform where the entire world comes together to give athletes an opportunity to showcase their skills across the globe. Once every two

Currently, only medal winners receive compensation of $37,500 for the gold medal, and the number decreases with each medal ending with bronze which receives $15,000. Athletes are forced to rely heavily on endorsements and crowdfunding to replenish a fraction of the money that was spent training to become an Olympic athlete; however, it is mostly the top performing athletes that receive the endorsements. Stipends or training grants should be given to top Olympic athletes to help bridge the cost of training and lack of opportunity for employment. The opposition argues that the United States athletes are paid based on their performance while competing in the Olympics; however, to remain competitive, programs that parallel other countries should be implemented. Olympic athletes should be paid as a result of their commitment and dedication to their team that is representing the United

Unfortunately, this year many of the premier sports like figure skating and slalom skiing often did not begin until after 10:00 pm because of the time change and network programming decisions. I watched approximately two hours a day, which is a decline from past Olympics. The decrease in ratings in network television can be attributed to poor coverage times, lack of interest of millennial viewers, and new streaming technologies. Due to the 15-hour time difference, popular events like figure skating and half-pipe snowboarding events did not begin until after 9:00 pm and continued into the middle of the night. Another reason viewership declined at the recent Olympics Games is due to lack of interest of the millennial generation as compared to their predecessors; however, the new progressive technology of streaming allows the individuals to live stream the Olympic Games anywhere across the globe in real time which is a draw to younger generations. Overall, there has been a decline in viewers watching the Olympics on broadcast television while streaming is on the