Olympics Committee Sends Cease and Desist to Ravelry

Knitters Outraged After U.S. Olympic Committee Squashes Knitting Olympics—and Disses Knitters

If you mess with the Olympics trademark, a cloud of legal hurt will descend on you faster than Tyson Gay in the Men's 100 meters. Case in point: The U.S. Olympic Committee has sent a cease and desist letter to a knitting-based social network for hosting a knitting "olympics." Now, knitters are in revolt.
2012 was to be the third year that the knitting social network Ravelry—yes, this exists and is surprisingly popular—hosted a "Ravelympics," a knitting competition for users that includes events like an "afghan marathon," and "scarf hockey." Knitters were supposed to compete in their events while watching the actual Games on TV.
But that was before the U.S. Olympics Committee got wind of it and sent Ravelry a cease & desist, for making a mockery of the Games with their needlework. Here's a passage from the letter, sent by the USOC's general counsel and posted by Ravelry founder Casey Forbes to his blog (Ravelry account required):

The athletes of Team USA have usually spent the better part of their entire lives training for the opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games and represent their country in a sport that means everything to them.  For many, the Olympics represent the pinnacle of their sporting career.  Over more than a century, the Olympic Games have brought athletes around the world together to compete at the Olympic Games and represent their country in a sport that means everything to them.
[…]

We believe using the name "Ravelympics" for a competition that involves an afghan marathon, scarf hockey and sweater triathlon, among others, tends to denigrate the true nature of the Olympic Games.  In a sense, it is disrespectful to our country's finest athletes and fails to recognize or appreciate their hard work.

Yeah, Ravelry, do you want to make olympic athletes cry with your dumb knitting olympics?

If you would like to read the whole article you can by following the link below.

Knitters Outraged After U.S. Olympic Committee Squashes Knitting Olympics—and Disses Knitters

 This story really upset me. Especially the part in which they said "We believe using the name "Ravelympics" for a competition that involves an afghan marathon, scarf hockey and sweater triathlon, among others, tends to denigrate the true nature of the Olympic Games.  In a sense, it is disrespectful to our country's finest athletes and fails to recognize or appreciate their hard work." This implies that crocheting and knitting is a disrespectful pass time. The community that donates hand made scarves to the special Olympics and that donates many projects a year to other charities such as the purple stitch project.

Also the Olympic athletes themselves use crocheted and knitted goods for a lot of the winter Olympics. This was especially popular during the olympics that were hosted in Sweden. Crocheting can not be automated, so someone, somewhere use the time and effort to make that for them. Without skillful yarn crafters those goods would not exist.

Also the group organizing the Olympics in London paid a Crochet artist 500,000 pounds to complete giant lions that are meant to represent the London Olympics. So England can embrace it's yarn crafty community, but America see's it being associated with the Olympics "disrespectful". Video below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17915318

Also Ravelry was giving The Olympics free advertisement dedicated to a demographic that I do not think is normally reached for the Olympics. The Ravelympics encouraged that while you competed in your "event" your watch the Olympics. Now the one in three Americans who yarn craft may be so upset with the Olympics Team that they might not watch.

If you would like to read the whole article you can by following the link below.
Knitters Outraged After U.S. Olympic Committee Squashes Knitting Olympics—and Disses Knitters