As the Beijing Olympic Games draw to a close, a lot of people have asked the same question: Who organizes and funds the USA Olympic teams? It is the United States Olympics Committee (USOC).

The USOC is the official entity responsible for “all matters pertaining to United States participation in the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, and the Pan-American games”. Technically, it is a non-profit organization, and as such, it receives no guaranteed or continuous funding from the government. Unlike other non-profit organizations, however, the USOC has certain governmental powers, conferred by the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act: it holds exclusive rights to names (such as the word “Olympic”), seals, emblems, and badges; it has the power to recognize amateur sports organizations as national governing bodies (bodies with the authority to represent the U.S. in the appropriate international sports federation); and it is charged with the resolution of conflicts involving amateur athletes, national governing bodies, and amateur sports organizations.

Like other non-profits, the USOC competes with other charities for funding (both from individuals and from corporations). The USOC’s leading source of income is broadcasting revenue, primarily from NBC, which has exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympics in the United States. Other USOC revenue comes primarily from five sources: corporate sponsorship, joint venture income, licensing, fund raising, and grants from the U.S. Olympic Foundation. Normalized across a four-year period, the USOC’s revenue breaks down to roughly 33 percent from broadcast revenue, 50 percent from sponsorship revenue, with the remainder spread across other sources. In 2007, the USOC reaped $147 million in total revenue. Because of the 2008 Olympic Games, its revenue for the fiscal year of 2008 should far beyond this number.

Since the Olympics is such a widely broadcasted event, many large corporations elect to become a partner or sponsor. This year’s partners consist of 16 big brand names, including Coca-Cola, AT&T, Atos Origin, Bank of America, Anheuser-Busch, GE, GM, Home Depot, John Hancock, Johnson & Johnson, Lenovo, McDonalds, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung, and Visa. This year, the partnership costs each company around $10 million. Partners purchase exclusive worldwide marketing rights in the Olympics in their product category. Sponsors of the 2008 Beijing Olympics include Allstate, Kelloggs, Nike, Tyson, Hilton, United airlines, and others. In return for their substantial donations, sponsors are given the right to use the “Olympic theme” in their marketing programs.
However, the expense for the USOC is also substantial. For example, it sent 596 athletes to the Beijing Olympics. The USOC training facilities also claim a big portion of expenses. The USOC often runs on a significant yearly deficit. However, thanks to the Beijing Olympic Games, USOC should have a significant surplus this year.
According to Nicole Sauches, a U.S. committee spokeswoman, “The USOC is one of the few national committees whose athletes do not receive government funding” (Ellin, Abby, MSN Money). For many athletes, their sport began as a hobby that got more and more expensive as they needed better equipment and training. Corporate funding, scholarships, and other associations only begin to chip in when their talent catches someone’s eye or lands a national award. Sometimes, an athlete is lucky enough to compete in a sport that is also popular in the United States. In these cases, the athlete can often hold a job with a national league or association (such as the NBA), while competing in the Olympics. Other sports, such as weightlifting, do not draw enough attention. Meanwhile, families of young athletes carry the burden. For example, Kobe Bryant makes a handsome salary with the Lakers and gets sponsorships to pay for his advertisements for various corporations, as basket ball is popular in the United States. On the other hand, “Sweet heart” gymnast Shawn Johnson won the Gold Metal in Women’s Balance Beam at the Olympic Games in Beijing after ten years of training, but her family took out multiple mortgages to cover the costs of her training and competitions before she was selected to be in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.

Though there is a lack of support from the U.S. Government, we think that the U.S. Olympic Team has done an excellent job in getting medals. We are glad to see that the Beijing Olympic Games are a success.

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