By Brittany Steadman
With the 2002 Winter Games fast approaching, the commercialization of the Olympics is more evident.
For those working for the Olympics, commercialization can be a good or a bad thing.
John Holmes, the logistics manager for the opening and closing ceremonies at Rice-Eccles Stadium, has worked in both the entertainment and the sports world.
Holmes said the Olympics have become much more commercial than ever before.
'We are producing entertainment more than sports,' Holmes said.
The opening ceremonies for the Olympics is one of the highest watched events of all the competitions, Holmes said.
'People watch the opening ceremony to see the show and the famous people. That is entertainment,' Holmes said.
Mike Pearson, a broadcast manager for International Sports Broadcasting, has worked the Olympics in Atlanta, Sydney and other places and thinks the Olympics have changed over the years.
'The Olympics are more commercialized now than in the past,' Pearson said.
Pearson said this is evident by the outrageous price of $831.00 per ticket to attend the Opening Ceremony.
LeeAnn Chase, a production manager for International Sports Broadcasting, agrees that money is a big part of the Olympics.
'There is a lot of money being made at these games,' Chase said.
Chase thinks the opening ceremonies are made as a TV event more than ever.
She said the turning point in how the opening ceremonies are conducted was the 1984 Olympics in L.A.
'The opening ceremony at those games was like a Hollywood production because it was in L.A.,' Chase said.
Now every show is produced that way, Chase said.
However, Chase said she does not believe commercialization is all bad.
'Without TV and advertisements, the Olympics wouldn''t be as popular as they are today,' Chase said.
Chase said TV and money generated from advertising has helped give athletes better training facilities and has helped add sports into the Summer Game events.
Commercialization of the Olympics can even be seen at BYU.
Erin Lewis, 21, a junior majoring in dietetics works in the Bookstore gift department and said they have sold a lot of Olympic items.
'One of more popular items is a BYU 2002 Olympic pin,' Lewis said.
Lewis said the pins are popular because they incorporate BYU and the Olympics.