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Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]
Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [jayski] [ In reply to ]
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jayski wrote:
Agreed. In the UK they are destroying family businesses and paying no tax so all of the spend goes out of the country. I know people choose to spend with Amazon and then complain that the country cannot afford certain public services etc but you cannot have it both ways.

I for one despise them and it is a shame that Ironman has partnered with them...I kind of think they are two peas from the same pod. Corporations that dont give a monkeys about their customers so long as it makes them a couple more $'s

Get this straight though. Amazon isn't destroying the family owned business. Just like Starbucks isn't destroying the family owned coffee shop. Amazon is going places because the consumer demands the stuff.

When it comes to "fake giro" helmets...I doubt it. They probably sold a look a like under a different brand name. When it comes to my chinese knockoff "sponeed" cycling shorts, uh, that shit is obvious. In fact all of the amazon brands are obvious...and the only reason they're being retailed is because the consumer wants that stuff.

So if you're going to blame anyone for the demise of the mom and pop store, you gotta blame your neighbors that buy on amazon instead of going down the street. That's the reality.

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [Anna s] [ In reply to ]
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It hopefully means Amazon, and their extensive streaming experience (like Twitch) can help bring better online broadcasts of IM events.
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [motorcity] [ In reply to ]
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I think this is generally a Good Thing, as Amazon is one of the very largest corporations in the world, so Kona will have (the potential) for some serious $ behind it.

As for fake shit being sold by Amazon - it's not Amazon themselves per se that's doing that, it's the thousands of affiliated vendors who sell THRU Amazon that do that.
Just like on eBay, there are scammers and BS artists trying to get over on consumers.
YES - it would be great if Amazon did a better job policing that, but buying online is always caveat emptor.

We've been Prime members for ages, since we seemingly order from there multiple times a month, if not a week.
Getting the free video and music is a nice bonus.

I've heard Amazon treats their employees poorly, but - aren't there Federal laws about that?
Work hours and conditions, minimum pay levels, etc.


float , hammer , and jog

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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [Murphy'sLaw] [ In reply to ]
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What percentage of people (endurance athlete or not) drive a Ford, or would consider buying a Ford?
What about a GoPro?
Amazon?
Whole Foods?

I don't see how this isn't a huge win for both sides.
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [hadukla] [ In reply to ]
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hadukla wrote:
jayski wrote:
Yep they have knowingly sold fake giro helmets that offered no protection and sold stuff like '3t' bars that sheared during descents...


So I'm curious, does Amazon work differently where you are? in that they aren't simply a middleman that essentially sells either directly from the brands itself or from actual retailers?


problem started happening when Amazon opened its Marketplace to Chinese sellers, and unscrupulous parties started selling fake product. Outside magazine did a good overview of retailers' struggle with Amazon,


https://www.outsideonline.com/.../amazons-war-on-gear


from one of the references in that article,
"Birkenstock stopped selling its shoes on Amazon earlier this year, citing a rise in counterfeit products and unauthorized sellers."
Presumably the same thing happened to 3t etc in the UK.


Apart from their vile labor practices, my other main problem with Amazon is as noted in that article,
"many analysts believe that Amazon’s retail operations continue to lose vast sums of money, with one estimating some $2 billion in shortfalls during the first quarter of 2018. Fueled partly by its lucrative cloud-computing services while it expands its share of the retail market, the company is a destroyer of businesses that need to make a profit to survive. "


Other background,
https://www.theatlantic.com/...zos-billions/566552/
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [Murphy'sLaw] [ In reply to ]
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Murphy'sLaw wrote:
As for fake shit being sold by Amazon - it's not Amazon themselves per se that's doing that, it's the thousands of affiliated vendors who sell THRU Amazon that do that.
Just like on eBay, there are scammers and BS artists trying to get over on consumers.
YES - it would be great if Amazon did a better job policing that, but buying online is always caveat emptor.

For the curious out there, the Reply All podcast did a good deep dive into the subject - https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all/124
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [motorcity] [ In reply to ]
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Does this mean that the live coverage of the race will be in full glorious HD (or even 4K?) with a decent streaming rate. (i.e The complete opposite of the shocking 70.3 Mens race recently)

Or does it mean that only Amazon Prime members will be able to watch it live?
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [motorcity] [ In reply to ]
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I think the European races have been insulated from the lowest/cheapest/most profit mongering common denominator that exists in the states. Nearly all events here are WTC owned, not many licensees. I believe the inverse is true in EU.

My experience at a couple of Euro events was that there was an authenticity to the product that the North American market lost when Graham sold to Tampa.

Knowing the internal workings of the offices here and the target profit margins that were demanded you begin to get irritated with a monopoly taking advantage of their status and not being a steward of the sport.

36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [Anna s] [ In reply to ]
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Anna s wrote:
motorcity wrote:
I know. Well, it is a new sponsor. Today more powerful than any other sponsor before (in financial terms). Reactions here in Germany are "how can you? Amazon is such a bad boy. Ironman is selling out their soul. Etc.". Maybe the reputation in the Us is different and the reaction is "who cares". Don't know. Just asking/posting...


Motorcity, where have you read this? Just read a few german articles and they all seem to be non-biased, just stating the facts.

e.g. facebook comments on an article from tri-mag.de. I agree, the articles were quite neutral, just sharing the news. However, reactions were negative in some parts ... as they mostly are today in social media ;-(

Looking at amazon itself, you could e.g. find here an article talking about the conditions at work: https://www.theguardian.com/...e-working-conditions
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [motorcity] [ In reply to ]
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So, if some of you are anti Amazon being title sponsor of Kona, then who should be? Every company has skeletons in their closets. So, perhaps instead of trashing companies that step up and help make Kona possible, maybe you can list those companies with deep pockets that has absolutely no negatives in its entire history for any stakeholder and is willing to sponsor a bunch of upper middle class type A weekend warriors doing a non-revenue sport that receives very low rating on TV? This should be a fun list.
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [motorcity] [ In reply to ]
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This one is double edge...I put it in the same category of Bud Light sponsoring Kona. Alcohol destroys health however you cut it, so its a bit counter to sport even though we like to brainwash ourselves that poisoning our body with alcohol is fine (if somone told a kid who never heard of it, if he would put something in his mouth that made him dumb, fat and slow, probably would not take that substance)....back to Amazon, like Bud they have deep pockets, but in a different way they also are gradually dismantling the triathlon ecosystem by putting the LBS out of biz. The LBS used to be the cornerstone anchor of the local tri scene. Maybe that is replaced now by clubs + Amazon. Still the demise of the LBS in general is a bit painful.
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Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]
Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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Fat slow and dumb? Ha, after a few beers I'm the most clever, funny and best looking guy I know, capable of achieving incredible athletic feats like diving over (or into) stationary bushes ... ;)
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Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]
Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [Anna s] [ In reply to ]
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Anna s wrote:
motorcity wrote:
Anna s wrote:
motorcity wrote:
I know. Well, it is a new sponsor. Today more powerful than any other sponsor before (in financial terms). Reactions here in Germany are "how can you? Amazon is such a bad boy. Ironman is selling out their soul. Etc.". Maybe the reputation in the Us is different and the reaction is "who cares". Don't know. Just asking/posting...


Motorcity, where have you read this? Just read a few german articles and they all seem to be non-biased, just stating the facts.


e.g. facebook comments on an article from tri-mag.de. I agree, the articles were quite neutral, just sharing the news. However, reactions were negative in some parts ... as they mostly are today in social media ;-(

Looking at amazon itself, you could e.g. find here an article talking about the conditions at work: https://www.theguardian.com/...e-working-conditions


Thanks for the reply, I'll read the comments on facebook. But yes, amazon is well known for their horrific working conditions . TBH I was more offended by the DTU selling out to Bahrain in our recent magazine than Amazon sponsoring Ironman.

Are you referring to the tritime magazine? Well, Bahrain is a completely different story. Enough said by Sebi when he quit taking money from Bahrein...
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Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]
Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [TheStroBro] [ In reply to ]
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No, actual fake giro helmets...there were TV investigations (BBC ONE, FAKE BRITAIN) and all sorts in the UK about it - I didn't experience it myself because I buy my kit at shops but plenty did and it was widely publicised...but I note the "don't be nasty to amazon" tone so I shall just leave these facts where they are and move on.
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [jayski] [ In reply to ]
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Is Amazon a good sponsor for Ironman? Absolutely. The % of people that actually have any negative connotations with Amazon is relatively small. And if Kona ends up on Amazon Prime for a while that’s another audience reached.

If you’re buying niche cycling products through Amazon then....wow.

Amazon and all large corps have rules set out to them by HMRC and the govt. It is these two groups who are making local business struggle, not Amazon! Furthermore the property market in the UK is just horrendous so high street retail is all but dead for LBS.

If the tax man wanted to encourage local businesses they could, instead they choose to under regulate larger corporations because the revenue the tax man gets is still higher!
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [Anna s] [ In reply to ]
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Anna s wrote:
ferretnt wrote:
It hopefully means Amazon, and their extensive streaming experience (like Twitch) can help bring better online broadcasts of IM events.


Now wouldn't that be great :-) unless I need Prime!!

I don't understand why they can't just stream through You Tube. I've been watching the ifsc climbing championship in Innsbruck all week without any problems.

Awesome, another climbing fan! :) I watched it as well. Cheering for Megos. He lives nearby!
Do you use climbing as cross-training?

Paulo Matos
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [pedaldancer] [ In reply to ]
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pedaldancer wrote:
Is Amazon a good sponsor for Ironman? Absolutely. The % of people that actually have any negative connotations with Amazon is relatively small. And if Kona ends up on Amazon Prime for a while that’s another audience reached.

If you’re buying niche cycling products through Amazon then....wow.

Amazon and all large corps have rules set out to them by HMRC and the govt. It is these two groups who are making local business struggle, not Amazon! Furthermore the property market in the UK is just horrendous so high street retail is all but dead for LBS.

If the tax man wanted to encourage local businesses they could, instead they choose to under regulate larger corporations because the revenue the tax man gets is still higher!

+1

Paulo Matos
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [Anna s] [ In reply to ]
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Last Year Redbull TV had a decent quality live stream of the race at Kona, you could view it off their website (you had to register but it was free), or in my case, I just watched it through Apple TV's Redbull TV app. I'm hoping that's back this year, and I can't see why it wouldn't be. There was the odd advert, mainly for other RedBull TV programming...
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [motorcity] [ In reply to ]
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motorcity wrote:
Ironman is selling out their soul. Etc.". ...

thought this happened many many years ago...
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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [Twinkie] [ In reply to ]
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I am all for this...bring in the large title sponsors...which might bring in more competitors..which might make entry fees not so damn ridiculous.



I don't think that is how things work.

I last raced an Ironman in 1992 and since then, the number of competitors and race fees have gone up exponentially. Has there ever been a triathlon where they lowered fees because of more competitors?

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Re: Amazon to become 2018 Ironman WC title sponsor [motorcity] [ In reply to ]
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I haven't seen this part added to the thread yet, or I missed it, so apologies if already discussed.

Amazon Opens Pop-Up Nutrition Store With Ironman Sponsorship[/url]Amazon’s sponsorship will provide participants access to a “vast selection of nutrition products,” all located in the same location on Amazon’s online Ironman store. The majority of the products located within the store will include third party certified supplement products, which Ironman says will help athletes “reduce the risks that are often associated with supplement use.”[/url]Full Article: https://www.sporttechie.com/...ironman-sponsorship/
Link to Store: http://www.amazon.com/ironmanrace

[/url]

-Brad Williams
Website | Twitter: @BW_Tri |Instagram: @BW_Tri | Strava | Co-Founder & Coach at: KIS Coaching
Partnered with: Zoot Sports | Precision Fuel &Hydration | ISM
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