Critics Call On Alpine Skiing To Be More TV-Friendly, Marketable
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Carlsberg Cutting Back On Alpine Skiing
Sponsorships, Hopes Sport Will Make Changes |
Critics of professional Alpine skiing believe the sport "is badly in need of a shake-up," as they say that there are "too many races ... and too many skiers," according to Brian Bollen of the FINANCIAL TIMES. U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association VP/Sales & Marketing Ted Morris, who is "among the critics" of the sport, said, "We'd like to see no more than 40 to 50 skiers taking part in the World Cup races." Infront Sports & Media Exec Dir of Winter Sports Bruno Marty, whose company sells "most of the sport's rights," said that as a result of the number of skiers in events, "much live television coverage stops after about 45 minutes." Meanwhile, Bollen noted Carlsberg is cutting is sponsorship of races from three last year to just one this year, and Carlsberg Int’l Marketing Dir Keld Strudahl "insists that the move was not financial but strategic." Strudahl: "If skiing wants sponsorship income, it has to change. It has to listen to what the sponsors want." Bollen noted this "includes offering more pre-race entertainment and razzmatazz for spectators." While some companies like ReMax have increased its spend this year, the economic crisis is "likely to mean that skiing's quest for sponsorship will become more difficult, thereby providing sponsors with greater leverage to impose their will" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 1/24).
CROSS THE LINE: In N.Y., Bill Pennington noted the sport of ski cross has taken all of skiing's "natural, alluring elements and modernized them with tricked-up ramps, supersize jumps and scary turns, then packaged the whole thing into a made-for-TV format that promises mishaps, calamity and confrontation worthy of a reality show." The format, which features four to six people racing simultaneously, is "a bit like motocross and NASCAR except that there are more midair accidents." Ski cross athlete Casey Puckett: "People like the fact that anything can happen at any moment -- you can't turn your head away from watching it." He added the discipline is "simple to understand: you know, first one upright at the end gets the trophy." Pennington noted ski cross next year will receive "the ultimate sporting sanction as a new sport" during the '10 Vancouver Games. U.S. ski cross coach Tyler Shepherd: "Once you put a gold medal on the line, not just Americans but people from all around the world take notice and commit resources to try very hard to win" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/24).
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