A Downhill Slope

Over a month has passed since the 2010 Winter Olympics concluded and many of the athletes have already vanished from the media’s eye, not to be seen again for four years. Even an athlete like Julia Mancuso, who has two medals under her belt, has faded from the spotlight and out of the minds of the American public.

Julia Mancuso earned two silver medals at the games yet is probably better known for her “feud” with fellow down-hill skier, Lindsey Vonn. The feud was sparked by Mancuso’s comment about Vonn in Sports Illustrated:

“People are having a hard time reaching their potential because it’s such a struggle for attention. You come to meetings after races and it’s like it’s a bad day if Lindsey didn’t do well.”

The media quickly transformed the comment into to a feud between the two athletes, and pitted one against the other as battling for the spotlight. Mancuso claimed her comment was taken out of context and that the media was just looking to stir up controversy, but the controversy was not enough to keep Mancuso current.

What Mancuso lacked was the ability to appeal to a wide range of audiences. She focused herself only to the audience that she felt related to her through her own personal interest. Although she denied any feud between herself and Vonn, any competition between the two is a clear victory for Vonn. Vonn recognized the need to diversify one’s image to many audiences and used her appeal to become the face of the skiing team.

Mancuso has held herself back by not appealing to the family oriented audience. She has never presented herself as a role model and there for cannot be treated as a role model.

By simply comparing Mancuso’s personal Web page to Vonn’s own Web page, the two athletes are presenting themselves completely different. Vonn’s page is sophisticated and neatly organized with pictures and videos of the athlete. Links to all her sponsors are clearly listed at the bottom of the page. The first thing seen on Mancuso’s page is an animated depiction of her lying on a bed in underwear and ski boots. The sponsors are not shown on the front page but the link to Mancuso’s lingerie line can be found.

Since the Olympics, Vonn has embarked on a media tour, won the World Cup championship for women’s skiing, and just finished filming her cameo on Law & Order. Mancuso appeared on Larry King Live, the Daily 10, and other talk shows after the Olympics but has yet to leave an impact on the American audience.

Ready, Set, Go

The White House celebrated Easter today with the annual Easter Egg Roll that featured a range of celebrities. Among the celebrities rolling eggs and reading to kids was none other than Olympic Athlete Apolo Ohno who has sealed his fame as the American Golden Boy with the government’s approval.

The theme for the Easter Egg Roll this year was “Ready, Set, Go” a perfect fit for the Olympic gold medalist. With the Olympics close to two months behind us, Ohno has continued to ride on his wave of success. He has once more proved his staying power as he connected with a new audience of children and their parents.

Ohno has transformed himself from an athlete to a brand with appeal that now reaches all ages. Within the sports world he dominates his field of Speed Skating but has learned to endorse himself to a wider audience. ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” was a launching point for Ohno and he has never looked back.

Ohno has mastered the use of social media and through his facebook and twitter pages has put his daily life out there for the fans to see. He consistently updates both pages but never to the point of annoyance. Some celebrities have been known to take twitter to the extreme with constant updates about nothing. Ohno gives what his fans want: interesting moments with the athlete they admire.

With his social media skills combined to his charismatic appeal, Ohno has become a house hold name. He has really learned what is the best way to promote his character and sell himself as a brand. Often in interviews, he can come off rehearsed and the Easter Egg Roll allowed him to be more natural and genuine. Ohno has made himself into a commodity that even the President wants.

The Next Golden Boy

Evan Lysacek has already won an Olympic gold medal but is now ready to dance his way towards stardom.

When Lysacek took home the gold medal in Men’s Figure Skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics, he become the first non Russian or Soviet male to earn the medal in over eighteen years. So what does a gold medal winner do after such an accomplishment? Join the cast of ABC’s megahit show “Dancing With the Stars” of course.

Lysacek is already being dubbed a frontrunner in the competition after placing second in the first night of dancing. However, winning the coveted mirror ball trophy takes more than just skill and high scores from the judges. The viewers ultimately decide which contestants go home. Despite being a gold medalist, Lysacek remains unknown compared to other Olympians, but the show is already making him a household name.

Just days after the first episode, Lysacek had gained more followers on his Twitter page. The athlete even took the time to tweet his thanks:

“Hit over 40,000 followers today! I'm so honored. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me! I appreciate it so much.6:00 PM Mar 27th via HootSuite”

Only in America can a world champion athlete remain relatively unknown until he steps into the reality TV spotlight. But this isn’t the first time that the show has turned an athlete into a superstar. Apolo Ohno was unknown outside the sports world when he competed in and won the fourth season of the show. Three years later Ohno has endless amounts of endorsements ranging from Nyquil to AT&T. Also compared to Lysacek’s 40,000 followers, Ohno has over 160,000 followers on Twitter and even more fans on Facebook.

Lysacek is hoping to follow in Ohno’s footsteps and use the show as a launching point for stardom. Athletes are no longer sticking to the sports world but branching out in order to reach a larger audience. Larger fan bases often lead to more endorsements and Lysacek is dancing his way there.

Lindsey Vonn, Athletic Cover Girl

The cover of Sports Illustrated is a coveted spot that athletes dream of. For U.S. Olympic athlete, Lindsey Vonn, it’s a dream that has come true not once but twice, though her first shot was less than ideal.

Rarely do female athletes ever get the chance to grace the cover of the magazine, so when it was announced that Vonn would be the next cover, it became an overhyped event that left many women disappointed. The cover featured Vonn in a skier pose looking at the camera in full makeup with a bright smile and within hours the pose was being called “sexual” and “provocative.” Women’s groups began calling the magazine sexist because a male skier would never pose in the same position as Vonn.

The main issue here is not the pose itself but why Vonn posed at all? Fellow Olympic athlete, Apolo Anton Ohno, was featured on the following Sports Illustrated cover. The cover depicted an action shot from one of Ohno’s races. A stark contrast from Vonn’s perfectly positioned and made up cover photo. If the magazine calls Vonn “America’s Best Woman Skier Ever” then why not show off her athleticism instead of her attractiveness.

Luckily for Vonn, the controversy was never large enough to outweigh her hyped image of the U.S. poster girl for the Winter Olympics. Vonn remained a favorite for many and overall a solid role model. Her behavior and performance at the games proved she is more than just a covergirl.

Vonn’s social media saved her image. She used Twitter and Facebook to connect with her fans while also showing her character. Even after crashing in her favored event, Vonn took to her Facebook to congratulate the other athletes, yet she was honest in talking about her disappointment in not winning. She never made excuses but instead accepted the outcome and remained optimistic about her next race.

Now that the Olympics are over, Vonn continues to build her image. Recently she was featured again on the cover of Sports Illustrated decorated with her medals alongside fellow athletes Andrew Weibrecht, Bode Miller and Julia Mancuso. This new cover solidifies Vonn as a top athlete and continues to carry on the image that she and her team have created. Vonn has only recently become a household name but we can expect more in the future from this talented athlete.

On Thin Ice: The Controversies of Johnny Weir

We usually only remember the names of gold medal winners. Despite finishing in sixth place in Men’s Figure Skating, we will remember the name of U.S. Olympian Johnny Weir—but maybe not for his Olympic performance.

Before the Olympics even began, Weir was in the middle of controversy after wearing fox fur in his U.S. Figure Skating Championship costume. Animal rights groups quickly called out the athlete and forced Weir’s name into the public eye.

Weir handled the backlash well by replacing the fur with faux fur but still expressed his own opinion on the subject. “I totally get the dirtiness of the fur industry and how terrible it is to animals. But it's not something that's the No. 1 priority in my life," Weir said. "I tend to focus my energy, if there is a cause, on humans. While that may be callous and bad of me, it's my choice."

From there, his costumes took on a life of their own with glitter, feathers, and more. Some saw his costumes as a way to create shock appeal instead of relying on his actual abilities. I look at his approach as a way to create an image. His eccentric costumes have become a part of his image in the same way musicians, like Lady Gaga, use over the top outfits and behavior to create an identity.

Unfortunately the controversy just wouldn't end for Weir. During his performance, commentators from both Australia and Canadian TV made homophobic remarks about the athlete. The commentators’ remarks revolved around Weir’s flamboyant costumes and went so far as to suggest Weir needed to be gender tested.

Instead of staying quite, Weir openly fought back against the remarks. He held a press conference to address the problem and established a new image as a strong role model within the gay and lesbian community.

Post Olympics, Weir is continuing to build his image and recently readdressed the homophobic remarks on Larry King Live. He also has a reality TV show on the Sundance Channel called “Be Good Johnny Weir.” The eight episode documentary follows the athlete in his daily life.

Weir’s best public relations approach has been being vocal about his opinions and at the same time understanding where to draw the line as to not offend anyone. By being open, he has been able to connect with his audience on a genuine level. People know what they are getting with Weir: an over the top show from an athlete who is comfortable in his own skin. This helps him be more than just an athlete but a role model with the power to turn his name and image into a commodity.