So, do corporations participate in the Olympics? Options

[3278]

Sometimes I doubt things like NASCAR advertising work. Then I see the people at Target.

It definitely works, the same way that advertising almost certainly works to get you to buy the stuff you do. Hell, I'm about as ad-blind as you can get - no television, radio, newspaper, or magazines, and almost no ad-supported websites except Google - and I'm sure it works on me. I've seen the Home Depot car, even though I don't watch NASCAR, and that will play a role in deciding where I shop when I think, "Hmm, I need to pick up this home improvement widget." [Of course, I'll just go to the local hardware store, but you get the point!] Advertising is whack, but what's most whack of all is how well it works.

It depends on whether augmentation (and adepts) are allowed.

As of the 2056 games, neither are allowed. [Shadowbeat, p63.] The only other place I know of that the Olympics are discussed is SOTA:2064 [p164], and there's no mention of augmentation and magic there. If anyone can think of any other books they'd like me to look in, I'd be happy to. [This will get easier once I've finished scanning all the SR and ED books and OCRing them; sorry!]

Sure, it violates the "pure human" idea, but if they're barred from the Olympics, they might set up a rival event, perhaps Ultimate Olympics, where they use superhuman performance to make the Olympics look cute but small and limited, kind of like how ice hockey cramps the attempts of figure skating to look manly...

Yeah, I can't imagine that at some point, someone wouldn't start a competition which allows such things. [Unless they started it themselves, it wouldn't be called "Olympic" anything: they're really, really, really serious about that.] Now, granted, these sports all have their own leagues and such where augmentation and magic might be allowed, but it's hard not to think that someone, somewhere, would find it profitable to start the Ultimate Games, where athletes from every nation and megacorporation compete in all the major events during a month-long every-four-years event.

[Paul]

Just for the record, I imagine corporations would have no shortage of non-augmented personages to stock an Olympic team with. It's big business today, the future likely holds nothing different on that front.

As for Augmented individuals I am sure I'll catch hell for this, but I imagine there are plenty of markets-niche markets mind you-for displaying them in some public manner. TV Shows like Mythbusters, and many more are immensely popular. Now project them 70 years into a dystopic future! Truck drivers fighting awakened creatures. Loggers with built in chainsaws. Really the only limit is the market share. Sure the local street samurai might not make it into the Olympics-although i am sure there's some market for messing with the opposition's team by injecting nanites, etc...-but maybe you can be UCAS Pickers 207x?

[3278]

As of the 2056 games, neither are allowed.

Oh! I forgot to mention: performance-enhancing drugs are, though. What the limits are of that is anyone's guess.

Just for the record, I imagine corporations would have no shortage of non-augmented personages to stock an Olympic team with. It's big business today, the future likely holds nothing different on that front.

It's also worth pointing out that there's nothing canon about the legality of genetic engineering and the Olympics.

As for Augmented individuals I am sure I'll catch hell for this, but I imagine there are plenty of markets-niche markets mind you-for displaying them in some public manner.

Niche, nothing: I would assume there would be some "broadcast channels" on which it would be odd for more than a few minutes in a day to not feature someone Augmented, doing something crazy. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I would think a pretty substantial portion of the "airtime" is filled with people, real and virtual, doing insane things with their augmented bodies. It's all humans have ever done, and the potential to ratchet that shit up a notch is unreal! The "purity" of the Olympics would be, I would think, the exception, by a long shot.

Massive changes in pornography, too.

[Snow_Fox]

The NFL,..., NBA,.... , and NHL are all corporate organizations made up of professional athletes, whose numbers completely dwarf the national teams fielded for the Olympics. Nationalism isn't the only reason people compete:

I'm not going to go along with that, I removed NASCAR/formula 1 because those aren't team sports in the olympics. but to look at NHL and NBA these are leagues and pay big big bucks in professional sports but the players proudly go back to their home nations, especially Baseball, the MLB might be the big deal if you play in America but when it comes time for the Olympics the naitonal pride is big and that's now. the same for soccer/football- the euro-leagues are the big deal but when the torch is lit, people return home. So what can the corp offer? Me RL worked for Xerox in the 90's and had soem pride in that but I'm not with them now...ok I'm probably not the best choice for htis since I tend to be a snarky sarcastic pain in my bosses' collective buts no matter where I go but still..

[CanRay]

Hockey is always popular in Canada. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I never worked for a company big enough to field a team. (No, the Gubbermint job doesn't count, I was a Temp.).

[Paul]

When corporations become as powerful as Nation States-in terms of influence wielded, and actual square footage controlled, it's easy to see how in various places in Shadowrun setting material, and fiction various employees take as much pride in their corporate affiliation as others do their national affiliation. It'd be virtually identical in terms of most things.

[3278]

I'm not going to go along with that, I removed NASCAR/formula 1 because those aren't team sports in the olympics. but to look at NHL and NBA these are leagues and pay big big bucks in professional sports but the players proudly go back to their home nations, especially Baseball, the MLB might be the big deal if you play in America but when it comes time for the Olympics the naitonal pride is big and that's now. the same for soccer/football- the euro-leagues are the big deal but when the torch is lit, people return home.

The simple canon answer to that is, as Paul mentions, that the corp is "home," is "nation," for a large number of people. They willingly get zaibatsu tattoos, and care deeply about the personality quirks of their leaders. For some people - not all, by any means - loyalty to the corporation would supplant nationalism. Again, this doesn't have to be true for everyone, just enough people to field a decent track team. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

One thing I don't know, and wouldn't know where to start looking: if you're an Ares citizen, can you compete for the UCAS in the Olympics?

Me RL worked for Xerox in the 90's and had soem pride in that but I'm not with them now.

The less simple just-me answer is that most people are like you [and me]: their loyalty to the corporation that feeds [and houses and clothes and governs, in Shadowrun] you is pretty minimal, and very mercurial. [Of course, national loyalty is often remarkably plastic, as well.] They're not competing in the Olympics because they love the corp, any more than most modern Olympic athletes are doing it for their pride in their nation. You mention a lot of today's athletes play hockey in the NHL for Canada but go home to Russia to play in the Olympics, but if Canada was paying twice what Russia could, how many guys would stick around? Enough to field a decent team? I mean, that has to be true, or else they'd be playing professional hockey in Russia still! They go where the money is.

So what can the corp offer?

• A roof over your head, forever; for many, this alone would be worth selling your soul.
• Free PR, and exclusive access to endorsement deals worth millions.
• The chance to compete at an international level; for any athlete I've ever known, this would be more than enough.
• Training and equipment at no cost, for life.
• Access to pleasures and vices that would be considered extralegal in nation-states.
• Money, money, money.
• Fame, the chance to be well-known and publicly appreciated.
• World-class nutrition and supplements, aka free food.
• Sex. People really like to have sex with famous athletes. I mean, so I hear. [Call me, Shaq?]
• The simple pleasure of bringing glory to the people who feed and clothe you, who educated you, who bought [and made] your first car, who paid for [and produced] the song you lost your virginity to. Nobody loves the company store, and the company boss less so, but the company is something people will even fight and die for, in Shadowrun, and why wouldn't they? The corporations have done more for most of their citizens than any government ever did for you or I, and all they ask for in return is everything.

[CanRay]

I just threw up. A little. In my mouth.

And a lot. In the toilet.