I was reading this AdAge piece about Budweiser not renewing its latest deal with the US Olympic Committee.
My first thought is, I’m not drinking any more Budweiser…
That’s un-American to not support the USOC after you’ve been supporting them for most of my lifetime.
Then I realized that Budweiser, despite branding themselves as “America” last summer in a cheap ploy to distract buyers from the swill they put in cans and call beer, isn’t actually an American company any longer anyway.
As I continued to scroll down the list of sponsors that have backed away from the USOC, I see that the USOC’s partnership issue has come at the hands of globalization…and the fact that it isn’t patriotism that drives the decision to sponsor or not the US Olympic team, but demographics and viewing habits.
Which is all fine and good, but I think highlights a larger challenge in the global economy and one that is going to hamper developed countries, if they aren’t careful.
To be clear, globalization is something we have always dealt with.
Goes back to the East India Company at the start of the 1600s. And, probably before that.
That being said, as we have become more interconnected, the theory goes…that we are not nations now, but global citizens.
The only problem with that is that all of our laws, money, etc is all based on nations and but money moves around and around, chasing the lowest costs and the highest returns. Which isn’t good for workers, but it is great for the people that control the money.
In real terms, it creates opportunities in some places, destroys them in others, but largely will churn through workers as the opportunity to achieve more from less presents itself.
To an extent, that’s just the nature of capitalism and always will be.
Where this goes in regard to the USOC is that because money flows so freely and globalization has been embraced on such a large scale, companies don’t really have national identities any longer and don’t really have national or community pride.
Which is one of the unfortunate issues we have to deal with as a society.
Because with out community, connection, and commitment, we are all a bunch of freelancers.
And, the USOC will continue to struggle to get sponsors.