You said that you were amazed that people couldn’t understand that they aren’t a governing body that they are in fact a business. I don’t think it’s that people can’t understand it. It’s that because they are in fact a private business they can act as both a governing body when it suits them and then as a “business” when it suits them. So I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to say your amazed people get it confused.
They are their own governing body full stop. It’s just that they are a private business and not the actual “governing body” of said sport that then allows them to miss regulations/rules, that those governing bodies are held too. But let’s not pretend they aren’t a governing body. Just that being a business affords them runarounds to things that the other governing bodies aren’t afforded.
Steve, I very loosely follow Formula 1. I have zero idea who governs the sport, but I see the Constructor’s championship starting from a bunch of private companies coming together to brag about who builds the best cars. From the outside, it seems like a private organization “governing” a sport. But I don’t know.
People on the outside of Iromman racing will probably just think that Ironman runs long course racing. Rightly or not, they are the custodian of Ironman racing from a public perception angle. They are dead without their stakeholders, just like ASO is dead without Tour de France stakeholders.
So while I agree with you, Ironman has a larger responsiblity from a public engagement angle than most private companies.
Don’t see this on Spotify
It popped into my apple podcast feed at 1PM Friday so it looks like there is some lag