Since the nearest Starbucks to Sochi, Russia is hundreds of miles away, NBC has been battling caffeine withdraws by importing baristas from all over the country. The International Olympic Committee must approve all of the sponsors, it is difficult to find options other than its Sochi coffee sponsor Mc Donald’s. The way NBC has gotten around their extensive rules is the fact that the Starbucks is not open to the public. The employees were flown in from stores all over the country and are being paid their normal salaries as well as being provided housing near Olympic Village.
Not exactly a small price to pay, but they have deemed it necessary. As Napoleon once said, “An army travels on its stomach.” Although, I’m not sure if he was talking about coffee, its apparently worth it to NBC employees. The spokesperson for McCafe at Sochi claims that Mc Donald’s is still a favorite for the athletes themselves but this is not a surprise to anyone, as when given the choice between bad tasting, overly sweet caffeine or no caffeine at all, we choose the lesser of two evils. The point is that corporate sponsorship has taken over the Olympic Games. Mc Donald’s can say that they fuel the athletes, but we all know those bodies are not sculpted by the hands of the Hamburglar. Millions of dollars go into sponsoring the games, just so they have exclusive rights to shove their logo in people’s faces. I understand that it’s what’s necessary to keep the games funded, but it seems so wasteful.