The Smeal Network and PSU on the Olympics

First, congratulations to former Penn State fencer, Monica Aksamit, for her bronze medal win!  

If you have seen this article, you know that Nittany Lions tied for No. 10 nationally in USA Olympians among all colleges and universities. Also, in the Penn State News for Flashback Friday, take a look at past Olympians who contributed.  I have to mention local resident, Walter Bahr, who attended the 1948 games. He coached Penn State soccer for many years.  They even made a movie about it, "The Game of Their Lives," have you seen it?  Wes Bently played Walt Bahr. Wes went on to star in a very popular movie, The Hunger Games!  My son had the privilege of attending the premier in New York City with Walt Bahr and his family. Since 1948, Penn State has sent athletes to each event except for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, where 65 countries did not participate. A school record 20 Penn Staters represented their school and four countries at the 2016 Olympic Games. Will you be watching the closing ceremonies?

Below are articles from The Smeal Network as they have followed the 2016 Olympics!  Here are some of the topics covered below:

• Ads - from favorites like Michael Phelps for Under Armor to the complaints
• Monica Aksamit and her bronze medal
• How the global community has benefited
• Athletes and their day jobs
• Athletes make good entrepreneurs and can teach us about success
• Athletes gorging on MacDonalds?
• Big Data helping athletes' performances
• 3D printing designs Nike shoes
• Airbnb and real estate in Rio
• Drop in ratings since the London Olympics
• An Alumnus company partners with NBC for their great storage system
• The real worth of a gold medal

Shared by Curtis Adams ('12 MAcc) Senior Tax Accountant at Aronson LLC
--How Under Armour is outsmarting the Olympics strict advertising rules 
Under Armour is not an official sponsor at the Rio Olympics, but it has ties with some of sports most high-profile names including Michael Phelps, Andy Murray in tennis, Jordan Speith in golf and Kelley O'Hara in soccer.
--You Won't Be The Same After Watching Michael Phelps' New Under Armour Ad
Silence is golden in the newest Under Armour ad featuring 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps. The moving tribute to the grueling grind the greatest Olympian of all time goes through on a daily basis is set against the backdrop of the company’s new “Rule Yourself” campaign.

Former Penn State fencer Monica Aksamit earns Olympic bronze medal shared by Meg Alderman ('12 Supply Chain) Senior Advisory Consultant at Deloitte & Touche LLP
Former Penn State fencing All-American, Monica Aksamit, helped the United States women’s saber team earn a bronze medal in the Rio Olympic Games on Saturday, Aug. 13. The Matawan, New Jersey, native competed for the United States in the team’s 45-30 bronze medal match win over Italy.

Why Certain Olympians Should Try a Little Empathy shared by Mike Andera ('85 Accounting) Business Owner at Sola Salons San Diego 
"But the larger point is this: making one person the poster child for wrongdoing is, simply, wrong. It paints over a situation that’s truly more gray with the harsh judgment of black-and-white perspective."

Articles shared by Angelo Annese (‘97 Accounting) Partner at EY
--The Real Winner of the Rio Olympics: The Global Community
That is the legacy that these Games will leave behind in Rio. And for the rest of the planet, these Games demonstrate, once again, how local communities, of all sizes, all over the world, stand to benefit when the global community comes together in common cause.
--Olympians Reunion Centre by EY 
EY is excited to partner with the World Olympians Association and host Olympians past and present to reunite with old teammates, recall old rivalries and form new friendships.

The Day Jobs of 15 Olympic Athletes shared by Daniel Bak ('10 Finance) Global Multi Asset Management Analyst at J. P. Morgan
Some lucky Olympic athletes manage to pay the bills with sponsorships and speaking fees. Others have to work day jobs to pay their expenses—or they simply like their careers, and don’t want to sacrifice them for the love of the game. In honor of the 2016 Rio Games, here are the sometimes-surprising day jobs of 15 Olympians, past and present.

Articles shared by John Barnes ('95 Accounting) Partner at Grant Thornton
--Why Olympians make great entrepreneurs
Jeremy Bloom, a freestyle skier-turned entrepreneur, told Entrepreneur that having a “short memory” when it comes to setbacks is key to success — as an athlete or a business owner.
--Olympic athletes are gorging themselves on free McDonald’s 
You might assume that the world’s most finely tuned athletes would be eating something healthy — egg-white omelets, kale salads — as they strive to reach the pinnacle of their sporting lives. And you would be wrong.

How Can Big Data And Analytics Help Athletes Win Olympic Gold In Rio 2016? shared by Edwin Beyer (‘85 Marketing) Regional Sales Manager, Enterprise Accounts at Splunk
Across all sports, athletes and coaches are increasingly working with big data and analytics to squeeze every last insight out of every drop of data available. Nowhere is this more true than at the highest levels. The prospect of Olympic medals and success on the international stage mean at elite level, there is intense pressure to be on the cutting edge of analytics.

Nike used 3D printing and Olympic sprinters to design its new track shoe shared by Michael Castillo (MBA, Business Logistics) Director Project Management at BAUBAX LLC
When Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce competes in the women's 100m and 4x100m relay at the Olympics, she'll do so wearing what Nike claims is one of its most advanced track and field shoes yet.

Airbnb winning in Rio, even in poorest neighborhoods shared by Maddy Curry ('13 Marketing) Senior Analyst at Jet.com
Airbnb, the "official alternative accommodation service" for the Olympic Games, has made a big investment into Rio and it's is already paying off. A city that once lacked enough hotels and is living under Brazil's recession has meant big opportunity for the home-sharing marketplace.

Olympic Sponsors Might Not Be Reaching Target Demographics shared by Lauren Fusco, ('14 Management) Account Development Associate  and Kyle Skinner ('15 Marketing) Account Development Associate  at iQ Media Corp.
Despite so many amazing things happening during this year's Games, audience viewership and ratings for NBC aren't performing as expected. Through the first eight nights, the network was averaging 28.1 million viewers a night, which is down 15% from the London Games, although viewership has been on the uptick since. And with advertisers spending more than $1.2 billion for commercials for Rio, they might not exactly be reaching the audiences they anticipated based on these numbers.

Michael Phelps Could Owe Uncle Sam $55,000 for His Rio Olympic Wins shared by Tiffany Gourdin (Business Logistics)  Regional Marketing Manager, North America, at CPA Global
The United States Olympic Committee awards Olympic athletes who place in the top spots a bonus— $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze — that, like any other prize earnings from a jackpot hit to a Nobel Prize, is considered taxable income by the IRS.

Articles shared by Angel Grant (‘07 Marketing) Sr Manager, Digital Marketing, LG Electronics Compile
--NBC’s Ratings for Rio Olympics Fall Behind London
Thanks to Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles, the U.S. is on pace to take home the most gold medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics. When it comes to television ratings, however, NBC may have to settle for a bronze.
--NBCUniversal Hopes Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat Help Goose Olympics Ratings
NBCUniversal is already breaking ad-revenue records for the Rio Olympics, and while early ratings were significantly below those of the 2012 Summer Olympics, the gap has been closing a little more each day. Interest has been building in part thanks to what the company is calling "the most social" Olympics ever.
--NBC Fails to Score Gold With Olympics Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony for the 2016 Rio Olympics and the first few days of competition have so far, seen a sizable drop in TV audiences compared to the 2012 Summer Games in London.
--BuzzFeed Has The Keys To NBC’s Rio Olympics Snapchat Channel
About a dozen BuzzFeed staffers are on location in Rio, dedicated to creating a daily edition on Snapchat Discover. The feature of the popular disappearing messages app has content from from a host of publishers ranging from ESPN to Cosmopolitan to The Wall Street Journal.
--New York Times launches text-message journalism for Rio Olympics
The New York Times has embarked on a new form of storytelling to enhance its coverage of the Summer Olympics: Two-way text-messaging.
--Viewers Complain About Too Many Olympics Ads, But Volume Actually Fell
So much for all the complaining about commercial overload during the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics. Surprise: The number of advertisements was actually down from the 2012 London Olympics.

Olympic Real Estate: Good for Rio? shared by Jonah Gruda (Accounting) Senior Tax Manager at WeiserMazars LLP
Leaders in the real estate industry are no strangers to risk, and are not afraid to “go for the gold.” Still, those planning to make significant Olympic-related investments should consider a few key questions. 

Articles shared by Emily Leiden (‘15 Marketing) Retail Sales Representative at The Hershey Company Compile
--The Best Commercials of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games 
Much like the Super Bowl, the Olympics brings a slew of interesting and exciting commercials. From those that bring a tear to your eye to the witty charm of ads that make you crack up laughing, there's something for everyone. 
--What Are the Purple Dots on Michael Phelps? Cupping Has an Olympic Moment
While it may look like Phelps and several other Olympians with those skin marks have been in a bar fight, the telltale dots actually are signs of “cupping,” an ancient Chinese healing practice that is experiencing an Olympic moment.

How an Olympic Gold Medalist Learned to Perform Under Pressure shared by Rosalie Minovich (‘15 Accounting) Audit Assistant at Deloitte & Touche LLP
This is a story about Alex Gregory, an Olympic rower that won gold back in the 2012 London Olympics and he talks about how he learned to thrive under pressure.

3 Olympic Attitudes That Will Give You Success Today shared by Andrew Moses (Accounting) Associate at MorganFranklin Consulting
In his 40 years as a coach, Coach K has led some of the most talented, celebrated athletes in history (LeBron James and Stephen Curry, to name just two). Here is what he said he expects of his team: energy, enthusiasm and emotion.

NBC Olympics partners with EMC and Presidio for coverage of the Rio 2016 Games shared by John Tecce ('12 Marketing) Account Manager at EMC
Live Sports, you only get one shot - learn how NBC Olympics when choosing a reliable and future-proofed storage system chose EMC Isilon for the Rio Games

Global Rebalancing - Welcome to Rio shared by Ryan C. Weber ('03 Economics) Senior Vice President at Raymond James
Brazil is battling a major recession, plus a major health epidemic. Interesting timing for hosting over 10,000 athletes and 600,000 visitors.

How Much Is an Olympic Gold Medal Really Worth? Here Are 4 Possible Answers shared by Paul Zodtner (‘08 Supply Chain & Info Systems) Financial Advisor at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
As with anything, a gold medal’s true value depends on your point of view. The organization that hands out medals may value them very differently than the individual who wins one. How much a collector is willing to pay for such a medal is a different animal altogether, as is how much the medal’s metal would be worth if it were melted down.

Now back to your regular programming...