Business 101: Corporate Sponsorship
Posted on August 26th, 2008
Canada came home with 18 medals from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, matching the mark for the second most medals earned at a (non-boycotted) Summer Olympics. Some people are saying that this was a very successful outing for Canada, despite going about a whole week without winning a single medal. In the end, things turned out just fine, but could Canada have done better?
The life of an amateur athlete is not an easy one and it can be very difficult to receive consistent funding to pay for training, facilities, and other items that are needed to produce a world class Olympic athlete. While it may be possible for the government to divert some funding toward amateur sport, there is a growing population in Canada that feels that corporate sponsorship is the better route. This way, tax dollars can be spent on things like health care, education, and poverty management.
It sounds like it could be a very viable solution, because everyone wins, right? On the one hand, the athletes can get the funding that they need and on the other hand, the corporations and business that provide the sponsorship dollars can get all sorts of positive exposure in the marketplace, perhaps getting more out of that marketing buck than through a conventional advertising campaign.
The trouble is we’re not sure just how corporate the Olympics can get. How would you feel about your favorite Olympic athlete wearing a uniform that is decked out with company logos. Instead of going into the event representing Canada, this athlete may appear to be representing HSBC, Pennzoil, and Coca-Cola. It’s arguable that this is good business — brand exposure is a big deal — but is this right for our country?
What’s your take? Would you be open to vastly increased corporate sponsorship of our athletes?
Posted in Business Topics | 303 views
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[...] “Canada came home with 18 medals from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, matching the mark for the second most medals earned at a (non-boycotted) Summer Olympics. Some people are saying that this was a very successful outing for Canada, despite going about a whole week without winning a single medal. In the end, things turned out just fine, but could Canada have done better?” In this article BlueFur is asking about your opinion on corporate sponsorship. Read more here. [...]
No money for the Canadian athletes was a bitter complaint heard throughout the games.Canada does not fund their athletes the same way many other countries do. And that’s a shame.I would rather see our country symbols than company logos on our athletes clothing.