Support NeoGAF

[Silver Arrows]

Article

If Team USA’s Kim Rhode wins a medal in skeet shooting Friday, she will claim a piece of Olympic history: the 37-year-old Californian will be the first woman to take the podium in six straight Olympics.

Landing a big-name sponsor might be the bigger feat.

In the year leading up to Rio 2016, Rhode’s agent Patrick Quinn pitched her to around 20 companies that back the Olympics. None were convinced.

“The big mystery is how someone like Kim isn’t part of the Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and the Olympics sponsor push,” Quinn said by phone from Chicago. “It would be nice to have an Olympic sponsor recognize the magnitude of her accomplishment.”

Coca-Cola Co. and Procter & Gamble Co. didn’t respond to a request for comment, but Rhode and other shooters on Team USA think the reason is obvious. The rise in gun violence and mass shootings in the US have attached a stigma to shooting as a sport, they say. So while companies like Winchester, Beretta and Otis Technology support Rhode, she doesn’t have a single sponsor from outside the firearm industry.

The same is true for USA Shooting, even though the sport has since 2000 been the fifth-highest medal producer for the US team at Summer Olympics. The very first gold medal for any sport awarded in Rio went to Ginny Thrasher, 19, in her Olympics debut.

Politics may tell only part of the story. American television audiences don’t tend to watch shooting — or, for that matter, a number of other sports.

Seems like a somewhat unintended side affect of the spat of ever increasing mass murders happening in the US. Or maybe intended, who knows.

 

[DrForester]

Shooting might be a popular pastime in the USA, but it's not a popular sport.

Cry harder, lady.

 

[Messofanego]

"American television audiences don’t tend to watch shooting..."

Umm Americans watch real shootings on TV every week.

 

[vehn]

"American television audiences don’t tend to watch shooting..."

Umm Americans watch real shootings on TV every week.

No we don't

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Shooting might be a popular pastime in the USA, but it's not a popular sport.

Cry harder, lady.

sums it up, really. i didn't even realize this was still an olympic sport. good for her, though.

 

[Messofanego]

No we don't

http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

 

[Irnbru]

Shooting might be a popular pastime in the USA, but it's not a popular sport.

Cry harder, lady.

I'm not seeing where she's crying as she still has sponsors, just not the big names becuase it's not a hot sport and much less popular due to recent times. I mean, she just won 6 consecutive medals in 6 consecutive games, but she's crying I guess. Sharpshooting is pretty fun, but I prefer archery.

She's pretty cool in rl, she's spoke at my alma matter as she's an alumnus, haha.

 

[HStallion]

I actually do not minds gun's used for sport like this. Same for hunting things like deer in areas without major predators and such. I don't see what the big deal is, its not like they're shooting cut outs of people. Its just target practice taken to the highest levels.

 

[SpaceWolf]

"American television audiences don’t tend to watch shooting..."

Umm Americans watch real shootings on TV every week.

Oh damn.

 

[Lime]

Isn't it because she's against the second amendment? Or Nevermind, I read it wrong

 

[Dash_Riprock]

"American television audiences don’t tend to watch shooting..."

Umm Americans watch real shootings on TV every week.

I don't know whether I should laugh or cry.

 

[Speevy]

With a name like "Team USA shooters", I wouldn't want anything to do with them either.

 

[Dr.Acula]

The harsh reality is that she an overweight 37 year old woman, that's why she's not getting sponsors.

 

[popo]

Hit a target from a mile away and nobody wants to know. Hit an insurgent from a mile away and they will make a movie about you .

 

[Kinyou]

I wonder how the athletes in other shooting disciplines fair. The guns and athletes look so weird it feels hard to even still connect it to real life shooting.

 

[gnomed]

The harsh reality is that she an overweight 37 year old woman, that's why she's not getting sponsors.

That seems closer to the truth. How many shot putters get sponsored?

 

[Abounder]

The harsh reality is that she an overweight 37 year old woman, that's why she's not getting sponsors.

Yessir. After all the Olympics aren't exactly an ethical organization especially at the next venue, it'd be awesome if they did care about politics but yea right

 

[Jay Shadow]

I wonder how the athletes in other shooting disciplines fair. The guns and athletes look so weird it feels hard to even still connect it to real life shooting.

Just hangin. Shootin thangs. Whatevs.

 

[Veins]

I think it is because shooting is a sport most people only "care" about once every 4 years in a "huh, this is on TV next, I might watch it" sort of way.

Also it isn't very glamorous.

 

[Puck Beaverton]

If only those targets were looters she could skip the ads and get a movie directed by Eastwood.

 

[Lmo911]

I wonder how the athletes in other shooting disciplines fair. The guns and athletes look so weird it feels hard to even still connect it to real life shooting.

That's because "real life shooting" is playing with toys mainly. If you were serious about it, you'd wear the crazy things. That's how optimized the sport has become.

Really I think this would appeal more than AR-15 guy to a large part of the public. It reduces it to the skill and not the gun.

 

[Barrylocke]

I think it is because shooting is a sport most people only "care" about once every 4 years in a "huh, this is on TV next, I might watch it" sort of way.

Also it isn't very glamorous.

I agree to an extent. A lot of people in America mostly pay attention to the "prime time" events of swimming, gymnastics, track and field, and the events based on more mainstrean sports like basketball and soccer.

 

[gutter_trash]

LOL, the National Post. Canada's resident Conservative newspaper where Conrad Black wrote an op-ed praising Trump

 

[Kurtofan]

I wonder how the athletes in other shooting disciplines fair. The guns and athletes look so weird it feels hard to even still connect it to real life shooting.

Geralt

 

[Jack The Nipper]

Shooting might be a popular pastime in the USA, but it's not a popular sport.

Cry harder, lady.

this seems off base to me, she is doing something that is a sport. Guns are glorified in movies and violence that do a lot more harm to society than she is oing and it takes skill to use them. Why are you going in on her so hard?

I think it has more to do with it not being that exciting or popular than just guns though. If she got the coverage or power of phelps I think they would do it

 

[Messofanego]

I wonder how the athletes in other shooting disciplines fair. The guns and athletes look so weird it feels hard to even still connect it to real life shooting.

Haha at the Witcher eyepatch.

 

[massoluk]

The harsh reality is that she an overweight 37 year old woman, that's why she's not getting sponsors.

Harsh, but probably true

 

[vehn]

http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

Oh yeah each of these gets 4 hours of coverage on CNN each night

 

[alfredofroylan]

The harsh reality is that she an overweight 37 year old woman, that's why she's not getting sponsors.

Eh?

 

[Dreams-Visions]

wrong thread.

 

[baxter2231]

Well you know if they bothered to even air it then maybe people would watch. There are a bunch of sports they dont bother covering, how do you know people wont watch if you wont try?

 

[Geist-]

Eh?

Is that what she looks like now?

Not that it matters. Getting medals in 6 straight Olympics is a legendary feat regardless of the sport.

 

[golem]

Well you know if they bothered to even air it then maybe people would watch. There are a bunch of sports they dont bother covering, how do you know people wont watch if you wont try?

Even if it was shown I don't think the public would take to it necessarily. They need a more interesting competition style to garner interest like 3-gun

 

[Jay Shadow]

Haha at the Witcher eyepatch.

She has the medallion hanging off her belt too.

And appropriately won Silver.

Her side eye guard has Alice from the American Mcgee games.

 

[Carcetti]

I watched pistol shooting on accident last week and I have to say the greek contestant who won had an amazing death stare. She looked like a total, absolute killer.

That said, it's a sport where you watch people shoot silent guns with zero emotion in their faces. Not very marketable.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

Just hangin. Shootin thangs. Whatevs.

I don't like guns but she looks cool as shit.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

The harsh reality is that she an overweight 37 year old woman, that's why she's not getting sponsors.

Sad but true.

 

[alfredofroylan]

Is that what she looks like now?

Not that it matters. Getting medals in 6 straight Olympics is a legendary feat regardless of the sport.

This one is from 2 days ago, honestly I've seen much larger athletes, just look at the shot put team.

 

[Silver Arrows]

LOL, the National Post. Canada's resident Conservative newspaper where Conrad Black wrote an op-ed praising Trump

And, point being?

I don't see how this relates to anything present within the article.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Shooting sports aren't mainstream. It's silly to expect them to be. That said its a sport and they should be proud of their accomplishments. Go Team USA!

 

[mugurumakensei]

Shooting has several problems that make it hard to sponsor for anyone but firearm companies. the biggest problem is for most companies they can't make the claim that they are a necessary part of achieving Olympian class for shooting. maybe, a contact lenses company might. otherwise, it's sight, stability of the gun, and some level of upper body strength.

 

[CrocMother]

This one is from 2 days ago, honestly I've seen much larger athletes, just look at the shot put team.

Looks pretty marketable to me.

 

[gutter_trash]

And, point being?

I don't see how this relates to anything present within the article.

Conservatives in Canada are pro-guns and want to loosen up Canada's restrictive gun laws to imitate the US's

The National Post has a Conservative bias, and Conrad Black is a Trumpateer

 

[Kayhan]

I am in love.

 

[btrboyev]

Because people want to see freaks of nature in athletics, not someone who can shoot very well. Shooting is just not a popular sport. Archery suffers the same thing, though I think archery takes more talent.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Conservative Canada are pro-guns and want to loosen up Canada's restrictive gun laws to imitate the US's

The National Post has a Conservative bias, and Conrad Black is a Trumpateer

Once more, there isn't any sort of that sort of insidious bias present within the article, at least what I can see.

It's raising a fairly decent point.

 

[Jarrod38]

What I hate about the Olympics is how some Gold winners never get the game as other Gold winners.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

The rise in gun violence and mass shootings in the US have attached a stigma to shooting as a sport, they say.

The "rise"?

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Is that what she looks like now?

Not that it matters. Getting medals in 6 straight Olympics is a legendary feat regardless of the sport.

Here are recent pictures.

 

[Aurongel]

It's hard to market to a mass audience in America without physical prowess to back it up. It's sad and unsportsmanlike but true. A sport like skeet shooting has everything working against it in that regard. Our American view of what makes a sport is far more narrow than what the idea of sports actually encompasses.