Why do media put so much pressure on athletes to win gold at Olympics, for example, Japan with its judoka, South Korea (speedskating), Australia (swimming), Brazil (soccer), and so on, and then treat

Because Japan overall doesn't win many medals.

Ask media.

The same media who put wealthy people in spot light 24/7 ? People like hearing "success" story, "after working/practicing hard days and nights for years, she/he finally won the gold medal, or became wealthy!", no one seems to care about the dozens other who similarly practiced and worked hard, but still fail.

I suppose it is because every country likes to be good at least one sport. You only have to look at the sports pages of any newspaper in any country to see how more important sports are than most news and business stories. I remember being in Australia after the London Olympics, and the Aussies had returned with very few swimming medals. It was like a meltdown. The media called for a national inquiry.

I can understand how athletes who sacrifice so much for four years practicing for the Olympics can get really depressed when they do not win a medal, but the media shouldn't tie a country's national mood to their performance.

I also remember seeing tearful Japanese athletes, being interviewed on TV after not getting a medal, apologizing to the nation.

Wouldn't it be nice to if heads of each team could tell their athletes, "Go out and have a good time. Do your best and enjoy the fun of the Olympics. But it's not the end of the world if you don't win a medal."

There is a huge huge sum of money spinning in this cycle of building up the hype around participants and then pulling the plug later. Its like any other reality show which is run by the media on a global scale.

And the participants, the real idiots on the stage, are really made to believe that they should be proud to represent their nation at a global arena. The opportunistic media fuels these pride factor more and makes more money in the process. Pressure tactics 1: There are several medalists who sell their Olympic medals when they grow old for meagre financial assistance. By then they become wiser and the reality dawns onto their minds that all the years of sacrifice that they made just for that piece of metal was not worth it after all. But the media never covers these sad stories as there is no money in it.

Pressure tactics 2: I really hate to see sportsmen crying like babies on national television when they don't manage to get that piece of metal. Only real adults should be allowed to participate. Neither do I feel ecstatic whenever someone gets that piece of metal and loudly sings a song that coincides with something called national anthem. Thats because they are just playing into the hands of the media to make more money.

Given the choice I am happy following professional sports instead. At least there is less drama and more serious business at such events.

Why?

Bread & Circuses

Bread & Circuses & Money

Bread & Circuses & Money & Belief in I Deservit-ism.

All of the above cloaked in a fever of crass nationalism.

Because it sells. Media know they will make their best audiences with sports where the locals are expected to do well, thats why they often talk their chances up before the comp. Then it's up to ppl themselves to accept being fooled, or not.

Been in oz for a very long time and reckon most ppl, anglo aussies or new aussies, know it's 'part of the game/show'. Matildas were 'supposed' to beat canada last night according to oz media, well they lost. It happens, same for the swimmers, it won't be easy. But it won't be a tragedy if they dont do that well (plus footy finals kick off in sept).

Imo one sport nations (I.e nz with the AB) put much more pressure on their athletes. In any case sport isnt everything in life and most ppl would rather live in a great, safe country with plenty of job opportunities etc than a nation doing well in a couple of olympic sports. Kenyans, north koreans, azeris etc may be celebrating a few golds soon, I know I'll be fine even if my 2 countries dont perform as well as I would like.

If the media concentrated on getting more people educated and thinking, we would all be better off. Media and schools push way to much with sports. Ban sports in my opinion.

The UK has half the population of Japan and usually wins twice the amount of medals. Hilarious, as Brits are not so interested in the Olympics.

Two reasons: Media has to milk it for all its worth & its the taxpayer funding that gets the athletes to the Olympics - not to mention all the other associated costs (training, facilities etc.). Australia alone has put $350m into its Rio programme alone!

I have noticed at all levels of sport in Japan that athletes/spectators are very gracious winners (little grandstanding as is often the case with victorious athletes in the U.S.), but very poor losers. It may be cultural in that losing/failing is just not tolerated in this society.

During my time spent helping with jhs/hs athletics, the coach would verbally abuse and single out team members who had cost the team points, even when the team had won. Failing at anything here makes one an insufficient/bad person in many people's eyes.

"Go out and have a good time. Do your best and enjoy the fun of the Olympics. But it's not the end of the world if you don't win a medal."

This is the part of the game that was abolished long, long ago. The Olympics used to be about participation - how far back in time should we go for that moment? The games in the media are sensationalized and obscenely commercial. The pressure on athletes has become hard to bear, up to a point where it is distressing to watch their performance. Don't expect the media to change its ways. They report the news as they see it and how the 'people' want it - they think. After all 'they' are people.

News media - nothing to lose and nothing to gain except their own senses of self-worth.

This time around, it's worse: zika virus, doping up to national team level with governments and national intelligence services; slip-shod quality of facilities and accommodations; pollution; crime; local socio-political inequalities, and the usual terror threats. For the media, bad news is always easier to deal with than good news.

The only real bright spot is the 'Refugee' team. I wish them well.

Why do media put so much pressure on athletes to win gold at Olympics, for example, Japan with its judoka, South Korea (speedskating), Australia (swimming), Brazil (soccer), and so on, and then treat it like a national tragedy when they lose?

To get us to love our flags all that bit more, and distract us from what's actually important.

Apologies for the gibberish on the previous post ( edit button pls). Meant to say it's all about tv ratings these days hence media spruiking their own athletes. Bookies are more realistic.

Re pressure, sportsmen are used to it so imo its not really an excuse.

Huge amounts of cultural insecurity, I'd say. A lot of countries are guilty of it, especially with the Olympics, but you see it in other international sports competitions, and of late some nations, particularly Japan, are boosting the numbers SO much that they have to hold press conferences every time the events end to explain why they got 1/15 or less of what they promised, while neighbouring countries got not only more than Japan did, but more than they predicted they themselves would get. Worse still is when politicians get involved and make promises of money and/or gifts, respite from responsibility, etc., if the win, and threats and insults by said politicians and the media if not. South Korea was among the worst offenders when they promised the baseball team if they beat Japan the would be exempt from mandatory military duty (and they did), and also Japanese politicians about the last Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics (plural) performances, with Mori saying incredibly insulting things about Asada Mao, for example.

They can't simply say they hope for the best, because of misplaced pride and nationalism, and as such, again, you have the press conferences after to apologize, and the media and people seeting that promises were not met, when the promises should never have been made!

All the thumbs down! For telling the truth, Japan should have higher aims bearing in mind its population size and the fact so many of the events are "Japanese" origin.

Media would have nothing to do and would need to lay off staff if it just reported what happened rather than raving about popularity contests or nationalistic fervor

During my time spent helping with jhs/hs athletics, the coach would verbally abuse and single out team members who had cost the team points, even when the team had won. Failing at anything here makes one an insufficient/bad person in many people's eyes.

There are lots of approaches to coaching but the super strict motivator, i.e., the bully, is all too common in Japan.

I also feel sorry for kids when I see their coach line them up and start prattling on about some vacuous philosophy or lessons in life. The "love the sound of their own voice" coach is also very common.

For a contrast, here's one of the most successful coaches in global athletics, a calm and very humble man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmXN-kQZ04M

You ARE the media. Why don't you tell us something we don't know. Maybe because the whole point of these types of games is to win gold?

Because such sells. It's all about the dinero at the end of the day....

Because they haven't got anything better to do... ;-)

I remember when Canada barely beat the Soviets in the Summit hockey series in 1973. At the award ceremony, Canada's most famous hockey commentator told the Canadian TV viewers (nearly the country's entire population) "Both sides played so well, neither side deserved to lose."

So I guess that sentiment is long gone, eh?

Japanese TV is certainly relentless in its cheerleading and boosting of Japanese athletes, to the exclusion of all others. You would barely know sometimes that competitors from other countries are taking part. This blind and unrealistic partisanship is certain to be disappointed quite often. But winning medals especially gold should not be set as the sole criterion of success, which it seems to be here.

to the exclusion of all others.

Well my wife was watching NHK in the evening two days ago about a Jamaican runner and his attempt to win a 3rd gold medal, despite his spinal and other health problems. Kind of a weird comment since most countries promote their own athletes, right?

FizzBit, Usain Bolt is the athlete, and is one of the most recognizable in the world.

However, has NHK said anything about, say, the women's soccer tournament? Or what about the other teams in the same group as the men's team, other than making fun of Nigeria's travel problems?

Have they said anything at all about the judo players besides perhaps Teddy Riner that aren't Japanese?