In the latest edition of HBO's "Real Sports," Bryant Gumbel
examined the advent of corporations assisting U.S. Olympic
hopefuls with a focus on the U.S. decathlon team, sponsored by
Visa since '89. According to Visa Exec VP John Bennett, funding
the team costs the same as purchasing a primetime network spot.
He says expectations are high that the Visa brand will be
"enhanced" through the extra exposure. The athletes are paid in
the form of stipends, scaled down from the top performer.
Bennett: "What we are talking about is travel money, money for
equipment. We're talking about money so these guys don't have to
work a second job." USOC Deputy Secretary General John Krimsky
notes the USOC is considering marketing other teams in the same
fashion after Visa's success. Krimsky: "We took the word
'amateur' out of our parlance some time ago. The Olympic
movement today is really dedicated to producing the best in
sports competition." USOC Exec Dir Dick Schultz called
corporate involvement a "mixed bag," but "very necessary" if
athletes aren't government funded (HBO, 7/15).
