Hello, all.
The organizers of Ironman Brasil, who have been running the race for the last 20 years, announced that both the full IM and the 70.3 in Florianopolis will be AG-only races this year.
According to them, the date changes (from April to July for the 70.3 and from May to August for the IM) caused some sponsors to back out and also a lot of Age groupers opted to race in 2021. That, of course, will impact this year's race financially and therefore they can't (or won't) afford prize money.
This decision made a lot of people very angry, both Pros and AGers alike. The organizers are being destroyed in social media, which brings me to the discussion I wanted to have with you guys.
I understand that, for Ironman, paying prize money is an investment to (i) bring elite racers to the venue and therefore hope to lure more AGers who pay to race; and (ii) increase awareness in hopes of attracting more/better sponsors. It's purely a strategical move hoping to maximize revenue - as a private company they have no obligation whatsoever to support "Professional" racing.
Ironman is a private company that runs a participation sport business and occasionally invites "PRO" athletes to race for money when they see fit. Why is it that most so-called "PROs" feel like it's their "right" to have a professional race and Ironman's duty to provide them with a professional race?
Being a professional athlete is just like running any other kind of business. If your business sucks and you're struggling to make a living out of it, it's on you if you decide to keep pushing on it instead of trying something different.
The organizers of Ironman Brasil, who have been running the race for the last 20 years, announced that both the full IM and the 70.3 in Florianopolis will be AG-only races this year.
According to them, the date changes (from April to July for the 70.3 and from May to August for the IM) caused some sponsors to back out and also a lot of Age groupers opted to race in 2021. That, of course, will impact this year's race financially and therefore they can't (or won't) afford prize money.
This decision made a lot of people very angry, both Pros and AGers alike. The organizers are being destroyed in social media, which brings me to the discussion I wanted to have with you guys.
I understand that, for Ironman, paying prize money is an investment to (i) bring elite racers to the venue and therefore hope to lure more AGers who pay to race; and (ii) increase awareness in hopes of attracting more/better sponsors. It's purely a strategical move hoping to maximize revenue - as a private company they have no obligation whatsoever to support "Professional" racing.
Ironman is a private company that runs a participation sport business and occasionally invites "PRO" athletes to race for money when they see fit. Why is it that most so-called "PROs" feel like it's their "right" to have a professional race and Ironman's duty to provide them with a professional race?
Being a professional athlete is just like running any other kind of business. If your business sucks and you're struggling to make a living out of it, it's on you if you decide to keep pushing on it instead of trying something different.