PatrickBrown
Active Member
heard on the tour that discovery channels sponsorship is up, but they do have a replacement lined up for a new sponsor.... anyone hear anything on who it may be?
discovery team sponsor replacement?
- Thread starter PatrickBrown
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ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
How come the sponsors change so often? You would think that with as much exposure as they got over the past few weeks they would want to keep their name attached to that.
Because you're talking about sponsorship contracts with 8 digit sums, and that's a lot of money no matter how large your company is. Discovery had a 3-year contract. It's up. New Discovery Channel CEO isn't bike-friendly like the last one, so this sponsorship doesn't get renewed.
It should be pretty easy for them to line up a new sponsor. I'm sure they're just shopping for the best deal...
ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
I wonder if the ratings changed over the time the tour was going on. I watch the DC on a regular basis.
But im sure the offers are lined up for them. I think i also heard chatter about nike not being with them also. IDK if there is anymore truth to that.
Jersey_Girl_Rides
Member
That would make some sense, HP uses AMD/Athlon processors in a lot of their computers (in my limited experience far superior to Intel's chips).
AMD is a current co-sponsor but not big enough to take full control. HP would be a nice fit.
I wonder if Steve Jobs likes bikes...perhaps we will have iTeam iRace inext iyear in the i2008 iTour de France.
it's all about image. seriously. on an interview one time the VP of sales asked me what made his company's rum different from all the other rums out there? there is only one answer, really. image.
the discovery channel thing has been in the works for awhile. nike, eh, not sure why they'd bail...they're literally knee deep into every other sport on the planet. all it takes is one person with the CxO title to say 'do we really want our brand to be associated with these cheats?' and it's over.
however, i did read an article yesterday about how volkswagon (i think, i can't find the article) doesn't really care. they cover off half of europe with the TDF sponsorship, and the other half with their skiing deals.
the discovery channel thing has been in the works for awhile. nike, eh, not sure why they'd bail...they're literally knee deep into every other sport on the planet. all it takes is one person with the CxO title to say 'do we really want our brand to be associated with these cheats?' and it's over.
however, i did read an article yesterday about how volkswagon (i think, i can't find the article) doesn't really care. they cover off half of europe with the TDF sponsorship, and the other half with their skiing deals.
RosyRambler
Member
Cycling sponsorship is a continually revolving door - for the most part they change as frequently as the riders change teams. It's the doping problems that's causing all the hesitation now. Slipstream and Jonathan Vaughters's new team sounds like it's going to be a bit of fresh air for the sport though. I look forward to watching them next year.
One thing that keeps playing on my mind is whether Alberto Contador's past is going to come back and haunt the sport. He was cleared by the Spanish of any wrong doing in the Puerto doping mess, but all's not said and done with that. We all got slapped in the face by Ivan Basso last year, I just hope the same doesn't happen with Contador. :hmmm:
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One thing that keeps playing on my mind is whether Alberto Contador's past is going to come back and haunt the sport. He was cleared by the Spanish of any wrong doing in the Puerto doping mess, but all's not said and done with that. We all got slapped in the face by Ivan Basso last year, I just hope the same doesn't happen with Contador. :hmmm:
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Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
The discovery team is being completely disbanded, there are no sponsors lined up for 2008...George Hincapie is going to the T-Mobile squad as a leader...Hopefully Contador gets picked up by one of the bigger teams so he can have the support he needs to become awesomer than he already is!!