Madison Reporter

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games commence today, with events scheduled to continue until August 11. Experts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison are available to discuss various topics related to the competition.

Kevin Chung, an assistant professor in marketing at the Wisconsin School of Business, has explored the impact of celebrity endorsements on sports sales. He can provide insights into the value of an Olympic gold medal for an athlete’s brand and endorsement opportunities. "The value of the gold vs. silver medal is significant in regards to signing a new sponsorship," Chung states. "With this being said, gold medal is now becoming more of a ‘necessary but not a sufficient condition’ for athletes as brands want to make sure medal winners are engaging AND their personalities/values align well with the brand. This is especially amplified today as athletes have their own platform to reach people where good/bad behaviors are often exhibited live." He can be contacted at kychung@bus.wisc.edu.

Mark Eppli, director of the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the Wisconsin School of Business, can address how former host cities have leveraged their Olympic legacy for returns on investment in real estate and infrastructure post-Games. For inquiries, he can be reached at mark.eppli@wisc.edu.

Dr. Shilagh Mirgain, a distinguished psychologist at UW Health, offers expertise on how individuals can adopt the mindset of Olympic athletes to enhance performance in various challenging situations such as amateur sports competitions, professional presentations, artistic endeavors, and more. Her advice includes managing stress, focusing the mind, thinking positively, recovering quickly from setbacks, and visualizing outcomes. To watch a video featuring Mirgain discussing this topic or for further contact information: egreendonner@uwhealth.org.

Additional experts on news and current events are listed in the UW–Madison Experts Database.