U.S. Cycling's Anti-Doping Policy Helps Land Three Big Sponsors
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Millar (l) Says Garmin's Sponsorship
Is A Positive Sign |
Garmin Int'l Wednesday signing as title sponsor of Team Slipstream-Chipotle in time for this year's Tour de France "completed a trifecta few might have thought possible in professional cycling a year or even six months ago," according to Bonnie Ford of ESPN.com. The combination of the multi-year deals signed by Garmin, Columbia and Denmark-based Saxo Bank to title sponsor teams, which come as "both the U.S. and European economies are suffering and companies are being extra mindful of marketing expenditures, underscores a few things." Cycling, with its "broad international reach, still delivers a lot of bang for the promotional buck or Euro." Despite being overshadowed by drug scandals in recent years, the Tour de France remains "one of the biggest, snazziest, most dramatic moving billboards a globally oriented company can rent for three weeks in July." Ford noted, "Riding clean is clearly good business now." Team Garmin-Chipotle team member David Millar: "More than anything, this reiterates that we're doing the right thing. That a brand this well-respected has decided to join forces with us is indicative of the fact that we represent something positive." Team Garmin-Chipotle Owner Doug Ellis: "This deal probably would not have happened if we hadn't had that (anti-doping) component in our team" (ESPN.com, 6/19).
IMAGE IS EVERYTHING: In next week's issue of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Pete Williams examines the deals signed by Garmin and Columbia. Team Garmin-Chipotle Dir Jonathan Vaughters: "The message I've gotten from sponsors loud and clear is that the image of your team is more important than the number of wins you achieve. It's possible to win clean and the teams that can do that are going to be at the forefront of bringing the next generation of sponsors into the sport." Ellis added, "I can't guarantee that there isn't going to be a rider [on the team] who does something wrong and gets caught. It's unlikely. But I can guarantee to sponsors that there isn't going to be a doping program with the team and they're not going to get bitten by the thing that is so damaging -- a corrupt organization -- and that's a very reassuring message" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/23 issue).
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