[QUOTE=OverandOnward;8805099]
I doubt that. 
This has become entirely a political issue with the Brazilians. What really happened, or did not happen, is beside the point. :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
The real story (truth) has come out but I love it that some people think there is some sort of Brazilian conspiracy against these idiot swimmers! :lol: They behaved badly and got caught…end of story.
[QUOTE=KellyS;8805257]
The real story (truth) has come out but I love it that some people think there is some sort of Brazilian conspiracy against these idiot swimmers! :lol: They behaved badly and got caught…end of story.[/QUOTE]
+1
G.
Darn, I was thinking they got rolled by hookers. I didn’t realize their were serial whizzers. They got what they deserved. They have once again portrayed the arrogant ugly americans who treat others as inferiors.
In my state, giving a false statement to a police officer is a felony.
And security guards can carry guns and can legally hold offenders of misdemeanors at gunpoint until the police arrive.
[QUOTE=OverandOnward;8805097]
My guess is that right now all of the swimmers and their connections are trying not to anger the Brazilian system any further, so they can get the two swimmers out of the country. They will agree with anything the Brazilians say at this point, regardless of what really happened. Lots of apologies and backpedaling the story are in order - doesn’t matter if it is the truth, or not.
The Brazilians are sounding as if they may be considering making an example out of the two swimmers they stopped from leaving. The way the system works in this country is no indication of how things will go in Brazil.[/QUOTE]
This. I think all the facts still aren’t on the table also.
Looks like they have been allowed to leave …I think swimmers were bad acting but I also think private security shook them down for the money using a gun.
I noticed Brazilian police chief carefully said something like a robbery did not happen the way they said it did-- leaves open on whether technically there was a robbery or a shake down by use of a gun.
Some of the swimmers were fairly young, and I can see them not realizing that screwing up overseas is stupid. However, Ryan Lochte has zero excuse, and is only lucky he left before the Brazilians stopped him. One of the arrested ones donated $11,000 to a charity, apologized, and then will be allowed to leave.
Ryan Lochte has apologized, but from the safety of the U.S. It’s safe to say that Lochte’s endorsements from big name companies are probably gone, especially the cereal box, and the Disney (I’m going to Disney commercials, if they still even do that) deal, and I’m betting others are gone too.
However, I do see the possibility of shakedowns by the security guards, and did see the swimmers with their hands held up, and one emptying his wallet and giving the money to a person that was identified as a guard.
Did anyone actually confirm the hookers story? Or is that an unconfirmed rumor? If that’s true, then they really are living dangerously.
There is a chilling story of what might have happened to the swimmers.
A 71-year-old IOC official was arrested, and is being investigated for ticket scalping/resale. He was having chest pains, taken to a hospital, and then taken to a maximum security prison while the investigation continues. Here’s the story from the msn home page:
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/olympics/olympic-official-held-in-brazilian-maximum-security-prison/ar-BBvOTE5
So according to the facts agreed on by (both) parties:
They did lie about being pulled over at first, likely to tell the story without talking about the bathroom incident. Again, mistake. They should have just been honest about messing up.
Honestly though, can we please stop acting like they started World War 3?
Not excusing their actions, as they did mess up, have admitted it, and have paid/will pay for the damage, and then some. I think there’s a difference between saying “they did nothing wrong” vs. “they messed up badly, but let’s not make this into a gigantic deal.”
I highly doubt all Lochte’s endorsements are gone. People saying his future is ruined seem to forget that endorsements sometimes don’t have anything to do with ethics (sometimes they do, but not always). He probably won’t be featured for a while, but especially if he aims for one more Olympics, I’d expect to see endorsements again.
Kind of funny, but in the articles about Lochte I’ve read regarding the incident, the ads feature him doing endorsements. So…in a funny way…it definitely is getting the ads he does out there.
Not that it affects any of us in any way. 
Not that it affects any of us in any way.
It’s given me a headache.
I hate to bring politics into it, but how many times in the last year have we heard “that will be the end of” a certain candidate, and yet… :eek:
Two of the other swimmers landed in the U.S. this morning, and the third paid just under $11,000, and will be allowed to leave. The authorities are appealing the amount of the ‘donation’, but if it’s raised by the court, then he only has to pay if he wants to go back to Brazil.
Lochte is so much older, and more experienced than the others, that he should have known better than to act like an idiot in a foreign country. However, Esquire channel is rerunning his so-called reality show, and he just isn’t the brightest either. He’s simply never grown up into a responsible adult.
The news commentators say that he will lose millions in endorsements, and I’m hoping that money gets routed to others that act like grown ups, and not drunken fools.
[QUOTE=MHM;8806685]
I hate to bring politics into it, but how many times in the last year have we heard “that will be the end of” a certain candidate, and yet… :eek:[/QUOTE]
I think it’s partially because the mainstream media as well as people on social media tend to sensationalize everything. Exaggerated responses to things have become the norm. We love controversy as a society, it interests us, it makes the media money, so everything becomes a controversy.
Not that certain things aren’t actually serious, but when people respond to everything in the same manner, it makes it harder to discern what effects a certain controversy might actually have and respond in a measured way.
Honestly, maybe we should just…show a little more restraint and less outrage at things that really don’t affect us, whether we think they “deserve” our outrage or not.
None of this is directed at anyone in this thread, more just thoughts on the response I’ve seen in the media/social media in general, regarding Lochte, yes, but also the election and any other recent controversy.
[QUOTE=JanM;8806692]
The news commentators say that he will lose millions in endorsements, and I’m hoping that money gets routed to others that act like grown ups, and not drunken fools.[/QUOTE]
People keep saying this, and while it might be hard for him to get new endorsements, there are a couple of factors at play.
He’s not really at his peak anymore. He was injured and only did one individual event (didn’t medal) and one team event this Olympics. He didn’t have a lot of endorsements currently to begin with, and certainly not multiple multimillion dollar ones.
He had his biggest endorsements in London that have already expired, and won’t be affected at all.
He MIGHT lose current endorsements, though all have currently just said they are following the case with the exception of one that said they are remaining with him as long as his athletic performance is in top shape.
He’s not at his peak anymore, he’s getting older, etc. Companies are likely going for the younger swimmers who have several more (potential) Olympics left. Even Phelps doesn’t have the endorsements he used to, though it is one thing they are hoping his return in Rio would help with after the DUIs.
So yes, I think it would be hard for Lochte to get endorsements right now, but…if he were somehow able to make a physical resurgence to get back to the top of his game leading up to the next Olympics…I think people might be surprised.
The (by then) 36-year-old swimmer going back for redemption having “grown up” and left his childish ways behind determined to leave a legacy for the sport? A redemption and comeback story is advertising gold. Granted that is if he does make a physical comeback.
If he doesn’t…well, I’m not sure what future millions of dollar in endorsements people think he might lose, because they won’t endorse someone who isn’t going to be swimming.
DH says, in the military, guys like Lochte would have a staff sergeant assigned to him to make sure he didn’t embarrass himself or his corps. Ironically, Lochte is probably older than most staff sergeants. One would think that at age 32, he would know how to behave as a responsible adult. :rolleyes:
Some of this might be a moot point if USOC or US Swimming suspend Lochte.
IMO, his ‘apology’ sounded hollow coming a bit late after the incident and long after he beat feet home.
So yes, I think it would be hard for Lochte to get endorsements right now, but…if he were somehow able to make a physical resurgence to get back to the top of his game leading up to the next Olympics…I think people might be surprised.
The (by then) 36-year-old swimmer going back for redemption having “grown up” and left his childish ways behind determined to leave a legacy for the sport? A redemption and comeback story is advertising gold. Granted that is if he does make a physical comeback.
According to one report, Rio was supposed to be a comeback for him, maybe if only in his own mind. It said he was inspired by Phelps’s comeback to come back and have a showdown with him.
He faded and finished fifth in that race. Shortly afterwards he went out on the town with three other swimmers …
… and the rest we know. (Well, actually we don’t, but one day it will be history. I just hope for his sake that he won’t be. In the colloquial sense.)
[QUOTE=OverandOnward;8805097]
The Brazilians are sounding as if they may be considering making an example out of the two swimmers they stopped from leaving. [/QUOTE]
Not necessary by the Brazilians. Our swimmers have brilliantly done it all by themselves.
[QUOTE=Anonymoose;8806781]
According to one report, Rio was supposed to be a comeback for him, maybe if only in his own mind. It said he was inspired by Phelps’s comeback to come back and have a showdown with him.
He faded and finished fifth in that race. Shortly afterwards he went out on the town with three other swimmers …
… and the rest we know. (Well, actually we don’t, but one day it will be history. I just hope for his sake that he won’t be. In the colloquial sense.)[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I mean there’s no guarantee he will make it another Olympic cycle still physically competitive. He was injured right before the Olympic trials, and only qualified in the one individual event. He did put in a good time and won one of the heats, but yes, didn’t medal in the finals. He is still not fully recovered, but Rio definitely wasn’t a comeback after failing to qualify in trials for multiple events.
If he IS able to be physically at the top of his game again, I think he could still get endorsements four years down the line. Probably not huge endorsements, but it’s not like he was a contender for those this cycle even before this happened. But staying physically sound is a huge “if” for any athlete, regardless of the sport and age of competitor. He’s already quite old for a swimmer, though I think he could have performed better had he not been injured right before trials. No way to know for sure.
I think he’ll be mocked for it online for a very long time, but I’m not sure it will have too many effects on the rest of his athletic career, which is most likely nearing its end already for other reasons. If this had happened during Beijing or London, it might have had more serious ramifications.
If he is suspended from swimming, I don’t think it will be for long. Probably more akin to what Phelps got for his DUI.
After his short lived reality show (which Esquire channel rebroadcast yesterday), and his actions showing him to be immature, and probably a pain to work with, then he can forget expert commentator jobs too. I think his celebrity is more in his own huge ego, and not real.
I think the reason the commentators said he lost out on endorsements would be if he had won more medals, which he didn’t. I’m hoping he learns from this, and fades away to whatever he’ll do later. My personal guess is that he probably is as bad with money, and thought that would never end, and his judgment so far is pretty bad, so I’m betting he’s probably going to need a steady job.
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