Show Me the Money

[Marlow]

Isi's gonna see it. Excerpt from home-page-linked article:

Russian Olympic champion and pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva has agreed a multi million-dollar contract with China's largest sportswear retailer Li Ning, several sources have told Reuters. The agreement, worth $1.5 million annually for five years . . .
"There is no athlete on the track circuit that earns that kind of money," said a person familiar with the negotiations. That includes the base contract for Jamaican double sprint world record holder Usain Bolt, the source said. "It is out of synch in regards to the track market."

'out of synch', esp. considering today's economic state, but here's hoping it's the sign of things to come for T&F.

[SQUACKEE]

Love it! She deserves every penny especially considering what average and fat baseball players get. :twisted: Oh and over-rated actors. :P

[Marlow]

Love it! She deserves every penny especially considering what average and fat baseball players get:P

Like the quarter-BILLION dollar ones? As I was reading an A-Rod article yesterday, I laughed out loud when I read his quote:

"I was stupid for three years," Rodriguez said. "The truth needed to come out a long time ago. I'm glad it's coming out today.":

Hey, Alex, If this is such a good thing and you're glad it came out, why didn't you admit it years ago? You'd have all this extra time to bask in the happiness it's brought you. :roll:

Maybe it's a misquote. Maybe he said, "Damn, I got caught. This is terrible. I've got to spin it the best I can."

[SQUACKEE]

"I was stupid for three years," Rodriguez said. "The truth needed to come out a long time ago. I'm glad it's coming out today.":

quote]

Damn, ive been stoopid my whole life and Alex somehow gets smarter, thats not fair!

[26mi235]

Love it! She deserves every penny especially considering what average and fat baseball players get:P

Like the quarter-BILLION dollar ones? As I was reading an A-Rod article yesterday, I laughed out loud when I read his quote:

"I was stupid for three years," Rodriguez said. "The truth needed to come out a long time ago. I'm glad it's coming out today.":

Hey, Alex, If this is such a good thing and you're glad it came out, why didn't you admit it years ago? You'd have all this extra time to bask in the happiness it's brought you. :roll:

Maybe it's a misquote. Maybe he said, "Damn, I got caught. This is terrible. I've got to spin it the best I can."

He said that he had used for the three-year period when all that was 'known' was the 2003 test result.

[EPelle]

Not really out of synch.

Isinbaeva is adored in China... many a fan has the woman from Mother Russia; those tears shed during her national anthem on Chinese soil didn't hurt, either. If the Chinese buy rights to a fair amount of televised athletics broadcasts - including indoors, and Isinbaeva is sporting their gear at each and every one of those meetings, the advertising cost-per-viewer is relatively small.

Even if every Jamaican around the world clued in at one time to an athletics meet where Bolt was competing (he won't be in GL, so numbers are already to sponsors disadvantage), he still won't garner the numbers relative to Isinbaeva.

Good on her.

[polevaultpower]

Not really out of synch.

Isinbaeva is adored in China... many a fan has the woman from Mother Russia; those tears shed during her national anthem on Chinese soil didn't hurt, either. If the Chinese buy rights to a fair amount of televised athletics broadcasts - including indoors, and Isinbaeva is sporting their gear at each and every one of those meetings, the advertising cost-per-viewer is relatively small.

Even if every Jamaican around the world clued in at one time to an athletics meet where Bolt was competing (he won't be in GL, so numbers are already to sponsors disadvantage), he still won't garner the numbers relative to Isinbaeva.

Good on her.

Yeah, I think it's hard for US fans to appreciate how popular Isinbayeva is, because obviously over here Bolt is a bigger celebrity, but I think worldwide she has more appeal. Plus, she has been building her fan base for much longer than he has. If he doesn't do something big this season, he will quickly be forgotten (by the average Joe), but Isinbayeva has taken it to the next level and become a true celebrity, not just a sports star.

[polevaultpower]

There is also talk in the articles about Isinbayeva getting a second sponsor's logo on her uniform. This is interesting, because the IAAF basically prohibits that from all of their major meets (which are just about the only kind she jumps in).

This ought to be changed, the IAAF has effectively made it so that shoe companies are the only people that can sponsor athletes nowadays. This is hurting our emerging elite and most of the US elite athletes as well.

I think our athletes ought to be able to sell every inch of themselves to sponsors and look like NASCAR cars if they want. I don't care if that makes the purists of the sport cringe.

Isinbayeva has enough pull, that if she wanted to make an issue of it, people might start to listen.

On the other hand, she wears so little clothing, there is not much room for more sponsors!

[gh]

I don't believe the lack of "NASCAR patching" has anything to do with "purism" in any fashion. It has to do with the IAAF making most of its money off sponsorships and not undercutting the exclusivity of their contracts with other people by flooding the arena with more (and/or conflicting) messages.

[Marlow]

I think our athletes ought to be able to sell every inch of themselves to sponsors and look like NASCAR cars if they want. I don't care if that makes the purists of the sport cringe. . . . On the other hand, she wears so little clothing, there is not much room for more sponsors!

I must be a purist, because I don't like the idea of 'NASCAR' uniforms, but . . . on the other hand, if it help bring in some extra coinage for the wearer, I say, go for it!
As for your latter statement, I'm definitely against creating more uniformage on which to display said advertisage.

[Cooter Brown]

Just curious about the no two logo rule, what does the IAAF do if your country's national uniform is Adidas but you're a Nike athlete and wearing Nike spikes?

[eldrick]

funny state of affairs in the world if the world's fastest human has to play 2nd fiddle to the best gal in the world at jumping over a stick using another stick...

[polevaultpower]

Just curious about the no two logo rule, what does the IAAF do if your country's national uniform is Adidas but you're a Nike athlete and wearing Nike spikes?

Two logo rule isn't the right way of putting it. The rule is that your uniform can only have the manufacturer's logo and there are significant size restrictions and locations for it. There are also regulations regarding things like adidas stripes and such.

It also allows for a club logo on the chest (or obviously in international competition, the country's name/logo).

The brand on the various pieces of clothing don't have to match, it just limits what can be on each piece.

[EPelle]

... On the other hand, she wears so little clothing, there is not much room for more sponsors!

Non-permanent tatoo would work!

[Marlow]

funny state of affairs in the world if the world's fastest human has to play 2nd fiddle to the best gal in the world at jumping over a stick using another stick...

Works for me!