Every year - "so and so is leaving such and such"

Yeah, they want to negotiate the most amount of money possible from their sponsors. It's that simple.

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"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5

This reminds of when frodeno left specialized.

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...cialized%20#p5385431

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blog

I can take a wild guess who that was.

I find this whole thread and the Instagram comments very interesting. It’s apparent that many don’t understand the business side of being a pro (and some pros don’t understand it either). Us AG’ers take for granted our jobs/income and typically have some sort brand loyalty. And there’s an expectation that pro’s and sponsors have loyalty to brands or the athlete. Those days (if they ever existed) have been dwindling down for many years and I’d say there is very minimal loyalty in our sport (and there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with that). It’s all about the money and more pro’s need to be willing to turn down deals in order to help monetize off of their brand (whether it’s immediate or 1-2 years down the road). I see this all as a good thing as pro’s need to be more business savvy.

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I’ve never liked those comments by Eric as I felt they were unprofessional and unfounded.

But then again Eric has never been one that shys away from complaining.

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from what i hear, braden is moving, and already has a new deal. but that's 2nd hand.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Following up on Specialized athletes next season and I think it's interesting that they signed someone like Tom Oosterdijk (Dutch AGer turning pro next year). This makes me think that they're still willing to invest in younger talents (who have lower financial expectations).

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Instagram
Youtube Channel
Meta Endurance

I think bike companies realized this year with the bike boom so much sponsorship doesn’t make a major difference with people buying bikes. Companies like Specialized will continue to put money into something like Legion of LA because that’s giving them a different style of marketing.

The cycling team I’m part of, which has close to 300 people on it around a bunch of areas had a “pro” discount attached and we found out a month or so ago that it was “being placed on hold” which I assume means never come back.

I think a lot of these bike companies reached that deals like this cut into their profits and why bother to do it when this has shown people who ride will still purchase the products.

For a triathlete? I just don't see that at all.

Are we talking the likes of Zafares? I guess maybe. However, the majority of sponsorships outside of the handful or even less than a handful of top end sponsorships aren't going there. I'd love to see an audit report from PWC on athlete sponsorship in Individual Sports. PWC puts out a yearly report on the NFL so it would be interesting to see averages on both prize money and sponsorships.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

This sponsor was a major medical hospital that has a good pulse on the sport because the president's daughter had been doing youth + DL tri's well even before this female athlete's rise in the sport. They 1000% saw the power and presence said athlete had. So when it was told to them that it would take 6 figures+ to be on the logo of said kit....they didn't balk necessarily but they "understood business". It was a little too rich for their investment, but I'm just telling you what the "cost of doing business" was in that transaction.

Knowing the athlete, her career pathway it makes hella sense. My initial reaction was "no way" but after lunch w/ said sponsor it made me realize the "whole package" was worth it for companies to invest...It also made sense because I got so tired of seeing the athlete's daily "schilling" online that I had to unfollow/mute said athlete.


(and no it's not KZ)

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

It should also be understood that logo placement on ITU kits are very rigid and structured. You really only have about 4 placements because ITU restricts it so much and it has to be certain sizes, etc. It's not like a LC kit where the whole kit can be said sponsor w/ it littered all over the kit. LC kits you can do anything you want with them, splash sponsors anywhere and everywhere.....not so on ITU kit. The logos can't even be bigger than the name/fed you race for. So we are talking about likely 4 sponsors around the name and country.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

But in the big scheme of things $100k for a sponsorship isn't all that much especially for companies if your outside of the scope of said sport. Texaco sponsoring Richard Murray I bet pays him a pretty penny and he's always seemed "genuine" with his social media presence. That's the only issue I have with sponsors being attached at your social media presence as well. Sometimes it means said athlete turns into a social media sponsor zombie and it becomes pretty clear they getting more and more "fake". I unfollowed said athlete when a post about "family" came up and in the middle of said picture there was a perfect placed logo'd water bottle (funny enough it was said sponsor water bottle...funny how that works).


$100k to companies inside said niche sport, yeah you aint going to get it, unless your one of the biggest companies. Gu or sport beans ain't shelling out $100k to athletes. Specialized is one of the biggest bikes in the world. They ain't hurting by giving out 6 figure sponsorships. Raleigh bikes- nah couldn't do it.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

At the tip of the spear, companies like Breitling are willing to throw cash around, same with Mercedes. This is to say, I don't know what TV for long course looks like in Europe. But we know what it's like here. Outside of Ironman produced lives there's nothing on TV for the most part. So what are companies paying for etc? Maybe it's to be associated with winning, which I get. One of the reasons AIG held the most expensive sponsor deals with the All Blacks for a decade because they sponsored a winning team of two Men's Rugby World Cups, and the winner of a Women's World Cup in the Black Ferns.

I'm just looking at exposure and engagement etc. I do think the grind that Lagerstrom has put in on youtube this year with high quality content has made him extremely more valuable to his partners. One thing is for certain, activation of sponsorships is becoming more key to partnerships with both individual athletes and sports teams.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

So what are companies paying for etc?

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Likeability and connection with people. That was the #1 thing that said sponsor said why they were so big on approaching this particular athlete....who also won a lot (of course that's the reason you are liked and can connect). So you first have to win and then you build your brand. Then companies will come to you. That's what this athlete did and it has worked very very well for said athlete.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

It's the same reason a guy like Dak Prescott who by all accounts is a "nice guy" is going to make more money in sponsorship then he ever will playing in the NFL and this includes when he finally signs a massive deal where he'll likely be top 5-7 player paid in the NFL.

He's sitting on a gold mine being the "clean cut" QB for the biggest franchise in the world.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

You aren’t the only one who had to hit the unfollow button.

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blog

Side note, but for the Tim Don fans, came across these on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/...tim+don&_sacat=0




Disclaimer: I have no attachment/relationship with the item or seller.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

He will make a lot in endorsements, but it won’t touch his 35+ million per year in salary if he returns healthy. Star football players don’t get the huge shoe deals NBA players get.

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Let food be thy medicine...

Your info is incorrect.

He currently makes $50mil a year on endorsements according to several different reports. And that’s without a “shoe deal” which yes nfl guys don’t do “shoe deals” like every star nba player.

His playing contract will never touch what he makes off the field. From an google search from Oct '20 article: From AT&T to Adidas, Beats by Dre to Campbell’s Chunky Soup and Direct TV, Prescott has inked 11 endorsement deals in his young career, and all of them pay him handsomely for his support.



ETA: But that big money from endoresments is also why he can stare down Jerry Jones and turn down whatever millions they've already offered him. He's not dependent on his what under $2mil/yr current contract. So he can play chicken with the cowboys and make bank when the 2 sides finally agree on some likely $30+ mi/yr contract.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

But again Dak has capitalized on the fact that he plays for the #1 franchise basically in the world or atleast the US and likely top 3 in the world and he's' a "good guy". He isnt caught by TMZ at the strip club at 1am (not that there is anything wrong with that), he doesn't make the team/company look bad ever, he's "wholesome" and everyone likes him. He isn't a "line stepper". He's also a good QB, taken the team to the playoffs I believe several times. He doesn't "suck" that's for sure.

He is a lot like Russell Wilson, and one of the knocks on RW is that he's "fake". Every post game interview for those guys is the same cliches "I gotta play better", "I'm going to work hard", "God has blessed me", and that shit sells to companies. It's easy because they don't create drama or controversy.

And so back to what I was saying earlier. One of the reasons the athlete I mentioned was getting 6 figure sponsor deals is because they saw the gravitation pull she had with people. This athlete was a great "role model" for the next generation....she was winning + "America's sweetheart". So that's why you get paid big bucks by companies, that's easy as hell to sell!

And one of the things I find most difficult with this sport is there is so little money that you can't just do it on winnings. Cus you better be top of food chain or you might not get much money. But how do you work your social media game when your working away for 30 hrs a week training and "trying to make it". It's why imo you have to "win" in order to get the big bucks in this sport w/ sponsors. I dont know many pack fodder pros that are well compensated. What Eric Lagerstrom and Paula are doing is fantastic and I think they are going to find their niche and be able to capitalize on that *eventually*. But man what they are doing is really really hard, and I think atleast from afar the digital side is a passion of Eric's (atleast it comes across that way). So I dont know if you could do what they do + train as hard as they do if you didn't like both "jobs".

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Just a point of clarification, Prescott was tagged in 2020. He’s making $31.4 million this year.

I agree with this view in that, I used to follow a certain athlete on I.G. but felt like product placement and the way posts were worded, were so POORLY done, I felt like it was forced down our throat. I mean--how can you be talking about how beautiful a day it is then pop in a comment about your chocolate milk and silky (name brand) bed sheets into the convo? I stopped following as it was just too fake to stomach. I understand it is their job to have a social media presence as part of contracts and such, but you have to be subtle about it or you lose people, for good. I won't even follow the athlete's spouse either--same thing. Don't watch any Youtube videos they put out...too contrived...not genuine. There's a right way and wrong way to do these things and some pros just need to hire a publicist or learn marketing better.

Good catch, and he'll likely be tagged again cus he doesnt need to sign with the Cowboys if he doesnt like the asking price. He wasn't "hurting" before even this year's franchise tag.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

That's sorta the interesting thing in all of this. And I wonder what companies think of their athletes turning into "product schills" that then turns off the very public and eyeballs you want. But then again I'm guessing it's all in the contract fine print that said athlete will come back with "you said 5 product plugs a week....i gave you 5 product plugs". But I think what I've found most interesting in all of this, I've taken your very viewpoint on it. I wont even open anything that is attached to the athlete within any social media, unless it deals with a race.

I've got a guy likely turning pro next year and he's a former military guy turned triathlete and I've mentioned to him that he needs to get more "social media savy"....and I just mean, getting an more active account. But there is certainly ways to do it and not be over the top. But then again being so "fake" but making 6 figures from it, I guess they can tell all the "haters" to F off. But the real thing isn't that we don't want to watch/view etc., it's we dont want that fake shit pushed down our throat. That was imo one of the issues I have with Triathlon Taren....And imo when a athlete/person steps over the line into the "schilling" world, imo they dont get the consumer back ever....and as you put it, anything attached to them sorta becomes persona non grata. It def is a fine line, and there are some who do it really well.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

And I should say that I as a coach "need" to be social media savy etc. to grow my squad and support my athletes. I get the "hustle". I just cringe or maybe it's jealousy/annoyance when athletes turn their social media into product zombie bullshit. Maybe it's the game that is how it's to be played, but I've followed enough athletes etc to atleast recognize ones that are doing it they way I can enjoy their content....and ones that obviously cause people to turn away (evident by the ppl that have said like myself they got put off and ignore the content now). I think there is a way to do it without throwing it in your face every single post.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Right. There's basically two kinds. Some athletes just post interesting or entertaining things and are always riding a specialized, wearing a nike sweatshirt or whatever. Others have a lot of posts where they "just wanted to share something with my followers that has completely revolutionized my mornings. It's lavender essential oils, and my followers can get free shipping with my code just for them!"