WAG USAG + FloSports

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

USAG announced they are partnering with FloSports. Last time I checked it was a $30/month subscription :( Hopefully there are other avenues to watch.

I think the big, big meets will still be on NBC, but smaller meets such as JO Nationals, Eastern/Westerns, etc...will be on Flo. I did receive an email with an offer of 20% off for being a USAG member.
 
So the heels of one of the worst scandals ever, when people don’t trust them and question the direction of the sport USA Gym goes... “Let’s team up with a horrid company, who shared pornographic images of a gymnast we allowed to be abused, and charges 10 times what they should for terrible content and the worst streaming services ever!”

Excellent plan y’all
 
So dumb.

So now, when my kid goes to Elite Team Cup, if I can't go, I have to pay for him to go, pay for the meet, the travel, AND buy a subscription to watch since his dad wouldn't be able to send me videos. Oh, plus his grandparents who can't go watch, etc.

I would not like the thought of someone owning the rights to my (minor) child's videos. Which they would, for Easters/Westerns/Nationals, and any other meet they get the rights too (some regionals are already on there).

Plus, those are prime recruiting videos.

All that is in addition to the production value of FLO which I have not heard good things about, and their past issues with content.
 
So the heels of one of the worst scandals ever, when people don’t trust them and question the direction of the sport USA Gym goes... “Let’s team up with a horrid company, who shared pornographic images of a gymnast we allowed to be abused, and charges 10 times what they should for terrible content and the worst streaming services ever!”

Excellent plan y’all
WOAH! WHAT????
 
So what is Flosports, and what will it mean for gymnastics?

It is a streaming service that costs $30 a month or $150 a year. I have never used them, but have heard that they do not have good quality, that they buffer a lot. Also, if they are streaming the meet, the own the rights to that meet, and all the routines/videos from it, so parents are not allowed to video and/or share their child's videos. I have heard that they make you purchase the videos from them. While on teh surface, streaming of events sounds great, it will actually make it harder for casual fans or new fans.

IMO MAG will really suffer. We get our image and our sport out there through word of mouth, by sharing videos. If the only way to see the elite and high level (regional and nationa) men is to pay, it will be nearly impossible to get new fans, and may cause loss of current ones.

Also, if I had a minor child, I would not want a company with their history owning the rights to my child's videos.
 
It might make sense to get a full picture of what's involved. My DD was at a gym where we used Flo (pre scandal) to video the meet. I know that under the contract, parents could still video their kids and Flo did not get the copyright to that video. They only kept the copyright to their video. So, there may be similar carve outs with the USAG deal.
 
I just cannot believe that at a time when MAG is facing an existential crisis, USAG's response is to make their one major national competition other than championships harder to see. Completely idiotic and destructive.

Exactly. Add to it the fact that they are doign this when no spectators are allowed! So destructive to our Men's program!
 
On top of all of this, the quality on Flo is ATROCIOUS. I have not paid for a subscription since they linked to hacked images of a nude underage gymnast, but I've seen clips. The commentary is terrible and the video buffering makes things almost unwatchable. Also, when I cancelled my subscription I had to email something like 3 times before they stopped charging me. Flo is the absolute worst. Even if they didn't have such a shady ethical history, this is bad for the sport in terms of access and quality of coverage.
 
I don’t know how it works in the US, but here in Dance competitions you can’t video or photograph anything on stage. Just like if you went to a professional theatre show, you would not be able to video or take photos.

There are professional videographers and photographers at every event and you can purchase the videos and photos.

It works well. In the audience no one has to worry about cameras obstructing view, or people videoing other peoples kids and routines.

People can still take photos of awards and on the backdrops outside the theatre. They still share these online, and people still purchase their own kids videos/photos online after purchase.

I’m not trying to say this change is good. Just that we get used to doing things a certain way, but there d CD an still be advantages to other ways.
 
I don’t know how it works in the US, but here in Dance competitions you can’t video or photograph anything on stage. Just like if you went to a professional theatre show, you would not be able to video or take photos.

There are professional videographers and photographers at every event and you can purchase the videos and photos.

It works well. In the audience no one has to worry about cameras obstructing view, or people videoing other peoples kids and routines.

People can still take photos of awards and on the backdrops outside the theatre. They still share these online, and people still purchase their own kids videos/photos online after purchase.

I’m not trying to say this change is good. Just that we get used to doing things a certain way, but there d CD an still be advantages to other ways.
I would note that they do this for many dance competitions in the US and it works, however, gymnastics and dance are very different. In dance the girls warm-up off stage, in hallways or in dressing rooms and one act competes at a time. A camera person can set up once and achieve the same recording value of every performer.

Gymnastics does not have that luxury. There are multiple events running at the same time and they're all on different schedules. There are coaches and other athletes moving freely (warming up, running through routines, transitioning between events) on the competition floor at all times. You would need an NBC sized crew to properly film and record every athlete in a large level 10 session due to issues with camera angles, obstructions, timing, etc. USA Gym is not going to invest in that level of quality and Flo does not provide that level of quality. Flo provides badly angled, poorly streamed, lazily commentated opportunities to buffer your life away.

This deal is about one thing - MONEY. It gives USA Gym a cut of Flo's ridiculously overpriced model and is yet another example of them putting profit over athletes. THEY WILL NEVER CHANGE.
 
I guess the problem with one company having exclusive rights to video and photo all comps means there is no pressure to improve the quality of the service.

In dance many companies work the competitions. If the quality is poor they would not be rehired the next time.
 

New Posts

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

Gymnaverse :: Recent Activity

College Gym News

New Posts

Back