About ... Media Pins

Thousands of Olympic media types represent scores of publications and TV and radio stations from across the globe — and most will have at least one pin representative of their media market.

Why do some media pins bear the Olympic rings or a Games logo? Because the media corporation is also a sponsor or supplier — and at a high enough level to allow the use of the Olympic rings or the Games logo on paraphernalia ranging from pins and packaging to apparel and equipment.

A prime example is NBC, which pays hundreds of millions of dollars for the rights to broadcast the Olympics. Other media sponsors include Sports Illustrated, Canadian Press, USA Today, Time magazine, Reuters, Kyodo News and other major national and international media corporations.

Some longtime Olympic media players have become quite good at producing popular pins, despite being restricted from use of Olympic symbols and logos. Many such pins feature eye-catching designs using landmarks and symbols representative of the Games' locale.

Also, some sponsors and suppliers produce "media" pins — not because they're in the print or broadcast business but to distribute among the media. The result is another limited-quantity, specialized pin that becomes popular among traders.