International Business Final Project

Hockey

Hockey is a big part of the Olympics. Hockey has been around for a long time and has been in the Olympics since 1920. As Jim Harriet once said “ the Olympics is a game of war you either win or go home.” This quote came from Jim Harriet who scored the first goal in the Olympics ever back in 1920. Hockey overall has been a great sport for the Olympics for the fierce competition within it. Canada being one of the biggest Hockey countries has always been very good and it has forced other countries to compete.

Hockey has been proof of the fierce competition between countries. Back in 1980 when Russia played the U.S it was a prime example of competition. This was back during the Cold War and we needed to win. We of course did and it was incredible because it was a bunch of college kids that won it. To this day it is very competitive in the Olympics. International business plays a big role in Olympics hockey because the players lose money to play in the Olympics. The players have to take time off from the season because it interferes with their season. The companies that run the Olympics and invest in the Olympics make a fortune off the Olympics because of the fierce competition and also how all people from all over the world want to watch.

Swimming

Swimming in the Olympics is very big. It is rated as the most watched sport in the Olympics according to the 2016 data as bill Fonder reported. “People love it” Bill said “It is the pastime of the world”. It is a true pastime for the world to watch. The competition is very big in Olympic swimming and as we know Michael Phelps has been a gold medalist for the past four Olympics. Business is huge in this industry because since not many people watch swimming during the year, money is tight, so when the Olympics roll around people like Michael Phelps make a fortune due to the global industry to watch it.

Michael Phelps makes most of his money from the Olympics alone. As Phil Richardson Says in his post Olympic review “Michael Phelps would simply not be Michael Phelps without the Olympics. He relies on it for his survival as an athlete.” Swimming from a business standpoint is huge. It brings in about 50% of the revenue for the summer Olympics when related to what all the other sports bring in. This is due for the main purpose of how much swimming is viewed by the global population in the Olympics.

Wrestling

Wrestling is a very special kind of sport. Wrestling is the oldest Olympic sport right next to track and field. Wrestling has been a huge sport and in the past few Olympics has actually grown in ratings by 20%. Wrestling back in the early 1900’s was very big all the way up until the 2000’s then it died down in ratings and just recently picked up by an incredible amount. Wrestling is a very interesting sport because it takes the mind, soul and strength of a single individual just like boxing. I say this because from an international viewpoint a win symbolizes superior strength to any country if they are to win creating a vast number of viewers from all over the world.

As gold medalist Dan Gable once said “wrestling is truly a great sport, a great business”. This quote pretty much wraps up the truth about sports, they are a business. When Dan Gable said this he meant it and this is coming from a hard core wrestler and a man who knows the business. People come from all over the world to watch the Olympics of wrestling. I find it even more interesting that even dating back to Ancient Greece Olympics International business existed where people from other countries would go and visit the games. To this day it still holds true.  

Basketball

Basketball has been one of the most watched summer Olympic sports right next to swimming and wrestling. Basketball as we all know has been infamously known for the dream team back in the 1992 Olympics where the U.S.A used to beat up on teams so badly from all over the world. Today it is more fairly matched but the U.S.A still always wins. As Michael Jordan said “I love winning especially in the Olympics. It makes me feel good to feel on top of the world.” This quote said by Michael Jordan shows the confidence they had in the Olympics and it still is around today. Basketball has been watched by the world so much for the reason that no one could compete with us. Today other countries can put up a good match but not a very good one.

Basketball opens up many doors for business involvement. The players for starters have to take time off from their off season to play and it is really good for the players to make a lot of money in their post season. Businesses own portions of the Olympics and can invest and Basketball has the highest investments in the summer Olympics probably due to the very high ratings and also the competition is huge between countries. Basketball has had a huge influence on the world and in particular businesses throughout the world and it has caused global businesses to provide a trust in the Olympics for an investment.