The new Euro?

As you are all aware, we don't get the NBC "show", so we have no idea what they are showing you about things besides the actual Games themselves. What I mean by that are what fluff pieces are they showing? So, assuming you have seen, or read, something about pins and their value - I offer you the following. This was written by Tammie - a member of the Village team. Her job (at least I know what some people do) is NGB Services. What that means is that she is involved in just about everything that the sports need and she is doing a great job. Here is her perspective on pins and their value....

"I can't believe it has taken me this long to share this phenomenon with you. I remember from my athlete days how much fun it was to trade pins with competitors from other countries. Heck, I have pins from countries that no longer exist. ...But this Games had taken pin trading, if you can call it that, to a whole new level. It's a mob scene akin to having cartons of Marlboros in Pre-Perestroika Soviet Union. You can get massive favors for any pin, old or new, cool or not cool.

The bad thing about this pin craze, however, is that everyone asks for them regardless. We have NOC assistants who aren't even associated with us asking for them; if the police/security see pins in the x-ray, they will make us open our bags and then ask for them; and even the McDonalds employees want pins. Of course, I didn't bring any pins although I have hundreds back home. "