Robinson hopes the inclusion of BMX racing will help broaden its appeal.

BMX made its debut as the newest Olympic sport last night, and American Donny Robinson, the world’s top-ranked BMX rider, helped kick off the proceedings. Aside from battling for the gold tonight, Robinson hopes his appearance will help broaden exposure to the sport, and he boasts a marketing portfolio full of partners willing to help him in that endeavor. Robinson’s agent, Octagon’s Heather Novickis, hopes the exposure will “help people see that it is an accessible, popular and cool sport, and I think athletes like Donny are going to help take BMX to the next level.”

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Novickis said Robinson’s sponsors are a “sign of how popular BMX is,” and include “such big companies, you can’t help but think that some of them will want to remain involved in the sport because of the enviable demographics beyond the Games.”

A lot of Robinson’s corporate partners are using their affiliation with the rider as a test period to better gauge the reach and effectiveness of BMX as a whole. “I think BMX was somewhat unfamiliar to a lot of these big sponsors, who have traditionally worked with swimmers or divers or gymnasts,” Novickis said. “But I think for them, being involved with Donny was exciting. They enjoy the element of not really knowing what BMX is about, except that it was a new sport. And I think BMX will stick around for a while and continue to attract sponsors.”

The chart below lists all of Robinson’s endorsement deals. 

PARTNER	CATEGORY	SINCE
Go221.com	Action Sports Web Site	2007
McDonald's	Fast Food	2008
AT&T	Telecommunications	2007
Nike	Apparel	2007
Hyper Bicycles	Bike Frame	2008
FLY Racing	Bicycle	2001
Kellogg's	Cereal	2007
Hershey's	Confectioner	2007
Monster Energy	Energy Drink	2007

Hyper Bicycles, which earlier this year signed Robinson to a multi-year deal, has been in discussions with him about a signature bike. BMXers can wear customized jerseys in non-International Cycling Union events, and though Nike is Robinson’s apparel sponsor, Hyper puts together Robinson’s jerseys. Novickis said after the Games, Robinson’s sponsors “will all have an opportunity to get their logo on his jersey.”

In the weeks leading up to and during the Olympics, McDonald’s has featured Robinson, among a host of other athletes, on its cups, bags and other packaging. McDonald’s for the Beijing Games rolled out FaceTheGlory.com, an Olympic-themed Web site for which Robinson serves as the “host,” lending his voice and likeness to the effort.

Robinson also currently shares a Times Square window display with U.S. sprinter Sanya Richards for sponsor Hershey’s as part of the brand’s larger campaign. In addition to other athletes, Robinson joins other AT&T Olympians in appearing in a music video montage for 3 Doors Down’s new song, “The Champion in Me,” which is part of AT&T’s Olympic Soundtrack.

Novickis said sponsor activation featuring Robinson “speaks to the companies wanting to reach out to the younger audience and target that demographic BMX speaks to.”

Novickis also noted sponsors that signed Robinson as an endorser through this summer’s Games have “already seen how popular BMX has been — especially the media coverage and exposure Donny is receiving — and we’re starting to have conversations already about how we can continue the deals into next year’s BMX season.”