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Olympic Athletes Requested to Cover Apple Logos During Opening Ceremony Because of Samsung Sponsorship [Updated]

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I see a bit of both sides. Yes, Samsung sponsored the event and has exclusivity to a point. Yes, people here are being overly hateful towards Samsung. Yes, it seems like an overreach to ask this of the athletes.

I think the problems lay in a few places. First, this could be any company, not just Samsung. IOC gives them that ability, that is a problem. How much is Samsung involved in requesting this? I'm not sure, but it would be interesting to know. So, at the moment, reserve some of your hatred for Samsung.

Secondly, I get that the title sponsor at any event, is going to be afforded certain privileges, and certainly, a conscious effort should be given to not have their unpaid competitors logo plastered around. However, I do not think that should apply to the personal belongings of an athlete. I get they want to control what is on uniforms and gear that are worn during games and such. But a personal article, like a phone, camera, glasses, wallet, purse, etc...shouldn't be regulated by sponsor ship bylaws. I realize they are saying just cover the logo, not to not use it, but come on...it's their personal property on them...you shouldn't be allowed to dictate that. If it is team wear or gear that everyone on the team is wearing, I get it. Athletes aren't getting paid to walk around using iPhones, it isn't an unauthorized paid sponsorship to censor, it's just them using personal property. Are they going to ask ticket holders at the event to cover their logo's on their devices, etc? What point is to far? Will we not see shots of the crowd if too many of them are using non-Samsung devices?

For those that mention movies, it isn't the same thing. A studio or whomever owns that whole movie. Down to every last detail. It is their work of art they are signing. It isn't a filming of a live event to report as news, it is a commercialized scripted and contrived piece of art that they get to do that to. The Olympics aren't a movie.


IOC needs restructured.
 
AppleScruff1 said:
It's not fair, they send you to Russia for the Olympics. You get to rub elbows with athletes from around the globe who think your're a great guy because you give them all one of those super cool Note 3 phones. I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't giving out some of the ATIV Book 9 Plus laptops too. And you get paid from Google too since Samsung and Google are partners against Apple. And you get a key to the Executive Washroom while I have to use the dirty one like the rest of the peons. It's not fair.:D:D
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If you kept your mouth shut, and stopped blowing the cover of all our covert ops in the field, maybe you'd get to hobnob with the elite and have the nice bathroom privileges. You think of that? Huh? HUH? :mad:

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AppleScruff1 said:
Hard on the teeth though.
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Well, you let them sit out for a bit before eating them...
 
Nunyabinez said:
For all of you bashing Samsung, you need to read the article more closely. The Olympic Committee asked this and it has always been done.
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Not according to the IOC. They say: "No it is not true. Athletes can use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremony. The normal rules apply just as per previous Games."

And given that it was only reported by a site which offered no real evidence to substantiate it (and where the google-translation may not have been accurate anyway), it seems quite likely that Samsung didn't request a ban on non-Samsung products in the first place.
 
za9ra22 said:
Not according to the IOC. They say: "No it is not true. Athletes can use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremony. The normal rules apply just as per previous Games."

And given that it was only reported by a site which offered no real evidence to substantiate it (and where the google-translation may not have been accurate anyway), it seems quite likely that Samsung didn't request a ban on non-Samsung products in the first place.
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You are correct, I posted about this very thing yesterday when I Googled the topic and everything pointed to one poorly written Swiss blog. Until this latest announcement, I was assuming that Samsung had not requested but IOC had. Now it turns out nobody did. ******* that Swiss blog.
 
Nunyabinez said:
You are correct, I posted about this very thing yesterday when I Googled the topic and everything pointed to one poorly written Swiss blog. Until this latest announcement, I was assuming that Samsung had not requested but IOC had. Now it turns out nobody did. ******* that Swiss blog.
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I don't care what you proof you offer up. I'm still gonna have my spaz fit at Samsung's expense, and there ain't nothing none of you can do to stop me.
 
G4DP said:
This happens at every Olympics, regardless of the main sponsors. The main sponsors are always given priority and similar requests made. These companies pay a huge amount of money to have their name associated with the games.

Why do you think McDonalds outlets are built in the athletes village'? Because they pay to have priority over others.

If Apple actually sponsored something then they would be given priority over others. But they don't.
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This is wrong. First, contrary to your assertion that "this happens at every Olympics," this is in fact atypically pushy. It's one thing to ask athletes not to conspicuously display non-sponsor logos; this is normal. It is another thing to require athletes to take proactive steps to avoid an inadvertent display of a non-sponsor logo on their personal devices, under the threat of disqualification if they fail to comply. That is what Samsung has done here.

A better approach, and one in line with typical past practice, would be for Samsung to ask the athletes to respect its sponsorship by avoiding the conspicuous display of non-Samsung devices. This wouldn't require an athlete to take the affirmative step of masking the logo and also wouldn't subject him or her to disqualification -- a draconian remedy -- for inadvertently failing to comply. What was done here simply was not normal business practice.

I would go further and suggest that it was a poor business decision. First, it is newsworthy in itself, and not in a way that makes Samsung look good. Second, it creates negative sentiment that chips away at whatever goodwill its sponsorship created. Third, it invites backlash, for example by athletes who comply (which they will because of the draconian penalty) but who also do something like conspicuously covering Samsung logos on their devices. None of those potential issues would have followed from a polite request to the athletes, and that request probably would have done exactly what Samsung wants.

To be sure, this is in no way "censorship" as some have argued. There is no governmental authority behind the IOC and the athletes have chosen to subject themselves to IOC rules, including those proposed by sponsors and accepted by the IOC. But the mere fact that IOC restrictions on free expression do not equate to censorship does not necessarily make them a good idea.
 
Renzatic said:
I don't care what you proof you offer up. I'm still gonna have my spaz fit at Samsung's expense, and there ain't nothing none of you can do to stop me.
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LOL! This whole thing was weird for me. I'm a little but of a Samsung hater, but I found myself defending them against all the rabid Apple fans because it was so over the top and the hypocrisy was really blatant. Go figure.
 
Renzatic said:
Nope. As it turns out, Samsung hasn't done crap.
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According to the Swiss article they have requested for competitor devices not to be visible during the opening ceremony. But they could be liars..

But even if they did, it certainly wouldn't be worth the freak fest this thread became.
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At least the usual crowd enjoyed the playground... :rolleyes:
 
Nunyabinez said:
LOL! This whole thing was weird for me. I'm a little but of a Samsung hater, but I found myself defending them against all the rabid Apple fans because it was so over the top and the hypocrisy was really blatant. Go figure.
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Honestly, I'm not that huge of a Samsung fan myself. I think their stuff is alright, sometimes even pretty decent, but they haven't made anything that's absolutely blown my mind and reduced me to a quivering heap of jelly in anticipation for their next new thing.

But the whole "Samsung is the DEEEEVVVIIILLL" thing that's been going on in the Apple community at large is so ridiculous, I can't help but take their side because it's dumb. Even if they did make a request to cover up all the logos on competing brands during the opening ceremony, the escalation that went on here deserves a good amount of flippant replies.

"Yeah, I hear that if you don't cover up your logo, they kick you out of the olympics then put you in a room with a sloped floor with a drain in the center then shoot you in the back of the head to kill you dead cuz RUSSIA".

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dec. said:
According to the Swiss article they have requested for competitor devices not to be visible during the opening ceremony. But they could be liars.
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And from what we've seen after the fact, it's turning out that Swiss article might be rather suspect.

At least the usual crowd enjoyed the playground... :rolleyes:
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Oooh, I just got rolleyes'ed. That's the universal symbol for I'VE JUST BEEN TOLD!
 
AppleScruff1 said:
He's very knowledgeable and I've learned a lot from his posts.
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So did I, I have the most utmost respect for him.

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Renzatic said:
Honestly, I'm not that huge of a Samsung fan myself. I think their stuff is alright, sometimes even pretty decent, but they haven't made anything that's absolutely blown my mind and reduced me to a quivering heap of jelly in anticipation for their next new thing.

But the whole "Samsung is the DEEEEVVVIIILLL" thing that's been going on in the Apple community at large is so ridiculous, I can't help but take their side because it's dumb. Even if they did make a request to cover up all the logos on competing brands during the opening ceremony, the escalation that went on here deserves a good amount of flippant replies.
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Same, I hate Touchwiz and the build of most Samsung phones. But at the end, this is only my opinion and I know many people that love their Galaxy devices. If it were based on preference of device, I would root Apple all the way since the Samsung item I own right now is a tablet vs for Apple, I own a Macbook Pro, iPhone, a few iPods, ATV and bunch of Apple accessories.

And AFAIK, all corporations are devils, Samsung and Apple included. Their goal is to take our money. I'll take whoevers side that the facts say is right.
 
applesith said:
I'm referring to the location, organization and overall experience. Nothing against the athletes. They don't pick the location.

If you haven't been following, Sochi is like a 3rd world country with yellow water, buildings forever in construction, hotels can't keep reservations right, etc. I don't know why anyone would think Russia is a good place to hold the Olympics.
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YEP, that bombing in Atlanta In 1996 - I don't know why anyone would think Atlanta was a good place to hold the Olympics.
 
aerok said:
Same, I hate Touchwiz and the build of most Samsung phones. But at the end, this is only my opinion and I know many people that love their Galaxy devices. If it were based on preference of device, I would root Apple all the way since the Samsung item I own right now is a tablet vs for Apple, I own a Macbook Pro, iPhone, a few iPods, ATV and bunch of Apple accessories.
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Yup. One thing I hear a lot around here that is true is how the Galaxy phones do feel kinda creaky and cheap in your hand. They don't feel durable or built to last, and I've shied away from them because of that. But they do have enough going for them that I could understand why someone would like them, and I don't really care if someone ends up going for one of them over an iPhone, which I tend to prefer. Quality is ultimately subjective.

...but using one did make me wish the iPhone had a bigger screen. That, at least, was pretty nice. :p

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RedOrchestra said:
YEP, that bombing in Atlanta In 1996 - I don't know why anyone would think Atlanta was a good place to hold the Olympics.
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Bombing hell. Atlanta traffic alone probably cost the lives of thousands during the 96 Olympics.
 
Renzatic said:
And from what we've seen after the fact, it's turning out that Swiss article might be rather suspect.
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That could be. I had my doubts that the IOC would ban non-sponsored phones in first place, since they don't seem to be covered by that ominous "rule 40".

Oooh, I just got rolleyes'ed. That's the universal symbol for I'VE JUST BEEN TOLD!
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No, really the "omg the posters are so dumb here" circle jerk is always amusing to watch.
 
Renzatic said:
Yup. One thing I hear a lot around here that is true is how the Galaxy phones do feel kinda creaky and cheap in your hand. They don't feel durable or built to last, and I've shied away from them because of that. But they do have enough going for them that I could understand why someone would like them, and I don't really care if someone ends up going for one of them over an iPhone, which I tend to prefer. Quality is ultimately subjective.
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used a few Samsungs.

the "feel" is not indicative of the actual devices. The Note II for example was actually a really well built device. yes there is flex and creak to the plastic, But the phone itself had no loose seems. No build quality issues. Nothing out of place or broken. the actual build quality, and performance of samsungs devices are on par with just about everyone else.

Dont get me wrong, because of the plastics, and the finish they chose to use, it doesn't FEEL as nice as the competition.

its this perception tat makes samsung's devices get the impression of being poor quality and cheap, But in reality, They're not.

However, there are good alternatives to Samsung that provide equal performing parts, that don't feel nearly as crappy in the hand.

Though touchwiz is a disaster that has forked too much from Android. even the 4.3 update was still buggy and laggy. Threw CM on my NoteII while i was still using it and it was extremely fast, lag free and a joy to use
 
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