LONDON — “Got a pin?”
In past Olympics, I received that question every other hour or so. Everyone from fans to other journalists to even some athletes would see my Denver Post credential and ask if I could add to their collection. For Sydney and Salt Lake City, we had Denver Post pins which we handed out like Pez.
No more. One of the little-known casualties of the worldwide recession is the Olympic pin. At one time they were the standard prototype Olympic picture. Every Olympics had dozens of fans whose entire shirts, blouses or hats were covered with pins from the Zimbabwe Olympic Team to NBC Sports. Reporters had dozens of pins on their press credential rope, weighing them down like a yoke.
In London I see no one with a pin collection. Some maybe have one or two. While pin salesmen covered street corners as recently as 2008 in Beijing, I see three lonely people sitting in front of their displays by the entrance to the Olympic Park. I’ve never seen them with a customer.
And I hear the Olympic Super Store is pricing all its items seemingly to clear up Britain’s economic problems.
If Olympic committees were smart, they’d get together and open a store to sell real specific national merchandise. How cool would it be to wear an Italy Swimming T-shirt around Denver? Or Switzerland Tennis? Or Great Britain Cycling?
Just a thought.