NEW YORK -- The Olympics are full of stories of underdogs triumphing against the odds for athletic glory. But in the case of Olympic marketing, smaller brands are finding it tough to prevail amid strict rules.Sponsors such as Visa, Samsung and Coca-Cola pay hundreds of millions of dollars to be associated with the Olympics. So the International Olympic Committee cracks down on non-sponsoring brands that reference the Olympics by name or use Olympic logos in tweets or advertisement.This extends to athletes who tweet about non-Olympic commercial partners -- brands that sponsor the individuals but dont pay the IOC or a national Olympic committee itself to be an official Olympic sponsor. The IOC can punish athletes for rule violations by disqualifying them from events and even stripping them of medals.But in the age of Twitter and Facebook, its difficult to clamp down entirely on messaging. The IOC tried to relax the rules this year to make it easier for non-Olympic brands to advertise. Some brands took advantage of that, but others were left frustrated by the hoops they had to jump through to qualify.Long in place, the Olympic Charters Rule 40 limits athletes, coaches and other participants from appearing in advertising and other marketing, including social media posts, without the IOCs permission. Participants are also forbidden from wearing clothing with logos of non-Olympic brands.Although the blackout period covers just one month -- from July 27 to Aug. 24 for the Rio Olympics -- its a crucial window for many brands because for many athletes, this is the only time they have the worlds attention.Theres a long list of words that advertisers cant use, ranging from obvious ones like Olympics to seemingly benign ones like effort or performance, depending on context. The IOC says the rules are in place to protect its sponsors investment and prevent over commercialization.Frustrated by their inability to mention their sponsors, dozens of athletes launched a Twitter campaign during the 2012 London Olympics to urge an end to the rule. In an attempt to address the problem, the IOC modified the rules to let brands apply for an exception.This year, brands could feature Olympic athletes in ads as long as they applied for a waiver, avoided certain words or logos and started their campaigns by March. IOC spokesman Benjamin Seeley said in an emailed statement that about 1,000 brands applied and were approved.Under Armour and Gatorade, for instance, came out with ads featuring swimmer Michael Phelps and tennis champ Serena Williams , among others, even though neither is an official Olympic sponsor.But many smaller brands found the changes unfeasible. Unless an athlete is a superstar like runner Usain Bolt, its hard to know in January whether an athlete will become an Olympian. And because the ad campaigns have to run continuously beginning in March, many smaller companies couldnt participate with their limited ad budgets.At first the waiver process did seem like a viable option, but when we started going down that path, we realized ... its hard to do that in a generic, approvable way, said Jesse Williams, senior global sports marketing manager at Brooks Running, which sponsors eight Olympic athletes around the world, including U.S. runner Desiree Linden and decathlete Jeremy Taiwo.The relaxed Rule 40 rules only benefit brand name athletes, said Christopher Chase, a partner in the law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. If youre a (lesser known) Olympic rower or shot putter, its a great time to thank sponsors, and they cant do it.To protest the rule, Brooks created a guerrilla marketing campaign -- anonymously at first, until The Wall Street Journal identified the company by tracing internet-registration records. The protest site offers downloadable bright yellow signs that carry such messages as good luck, you know who you are, on making it you know where.Williams said that even though the campaign isnt anonymous anymore, the media attention it has gotten has been good.Its cool to see a movement or conversation starting, he said. We really hope to continue to help fuel that. Another athletic apparel brand, Oiselle, got in trouble after it congratulated a runner it sponsors, Kate Grace, on becoming an Olympian and going to Rio on an Instagram post after a qualifying event. The U.S. Olympic Committee demanded that Oiselle remove the social media and blog content because it violates Olympic trademarks.The Seattle company complied, but CEO Sally Bergesen complained on the companys blog that for smaller brands, it reduces the benefits of participation in the program to a practically nonexistent level. China Shoes Nike . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. China Shoes Outlet . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. https://www.chinashoesshop.com/ . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. China Shoes Free Shipping . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. Fake China Shoes . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. FRISCO, Texas -- One day after the Columbus (Ohio) City Attorneys Office decided not to pursue charges against him stemming from allegations of domestic violence toward a former girlfriend, Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott admitted hes learned an important lesson.?Im a target, Elliott said Wednesday in his first public comments. Thats what Ive realized from all of this, and I have to conduct myself that way, so I cannot have any distractions so I can just focus on ball.In July, Tiffany Thompson filed two police reports claiming Elliott abused her and struck her several times ... leaving bruises on her arms. The former Ohio State star, however, told police that he never touched Thompson in a harmful manner, saying she suffered the bruises during a bar fight.On Tuesday, the City Attorneys Office said it declined to pursue charges because of conflicting and inconsistent information. It also said Elliott was cooperative in the investigation and offered affidavits and photographs to support his case.I feel like there has been some damages done, Elliott said of his reputation, but the past is the past. Im focused on now.Elliott, the fourth player taken in the NFL draft, said he wanted to focus on Week 1 opponent the New York Giants.Im ready to leave that all behind me, he said. I really dont want to talk about it much. I tried to block it out and try to focus on football -- whats important. I know I didnt do anything wrong.We were very confident since Day 1. I wasnt really worried that much. I was really ffocused on ball and let my lawyers and representatives handle the rest.ddddddddddddElliott remains under review by the NFL. A player does not need to be formally charged with a crime to be punished under the leagues personal conduct policy.Last month, Elliott found himself in the news for another reason. He visited a legal marijuana dispensary in Seattle before the teams preseason game against the Seahawks, and afterward, owner Jerry Jones and coach Jason Garrett criticized the rookies decision.The Dallas Morning News, meanwhile, obtained court documents that revealed an exchange of texts messages between Elliott and the former girlfriend regarding whether he thought he might fail a drug test.I know youre stressed out, if you need me, call me. Just do everything you can to pass your drug test tomorrow. Youll be okay. Im here for you, the womans text read.Im gonna pass (the test), Elliott replied.The next text, according to The Dallas Morning News, came from Elliott and read: About to live in this sauna the next 24 hours.When asked about the text exchange Wednesday, Elliott said, Honestly, I have no idea what youre talking about. I havent seen those. Im actually talking about football. Im sorry.Note: ESPN typically does not release the names of alleged domestic violence victims, but Thompson posted Instagram photos showing bruises on her body. One of her posts was tagged to Ezekiel Elliott. ' ' '