Bye bye Team Sky

fat and old
Posts: 6179
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2014 12:06 pm
Location: Mill Park

Bye bye Team Sky

Postby fat and old » Thu Dec 13, 2018 7:39 am

At least as we know it

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/spor ... -npsk8xxjr

It will be interesting to see how all those 3 and 5 year contracts are dealt with.

User avatar
biker jk
Posts: 7001
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby biker jk » Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:20 am

A proper zero tolerance policy finally implemented. :D

User avatar
biker jk
Posts: 7001
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby biker jk » Thu Dec 13, 2018 2:14 pm

Funniest comment I've seen so far,

Said Brailsford, "I am very confident of acquiring a new sponsor. In fact, Jiffy approached us a few days ago and have been very pleased with the publicity they have received as a result of our usage of their products and are keen to take on a more active role. I dare say we have that one in the bag."

User avatar
RonK
Posts: 11508
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:08 pm
Location: If you need to know, ask me
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby RonK » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:42 pm

biker jk wrote:Funniest comment I've seen so far,

Said Brailsford, "I am very confident of acquiring a new sponsor. In fact, Jiffy approached us a few days ago and have been very pleased with the publicity they have received as a result of our usage of their products and are keen to take on a more active role. I dare say we have that one in the bag."
No doubt they'll be forthcoming with the £35m budget in a jiffy.
Cycle touring blog and tour journals: whispering wheels...

User avatar
MichaelB
Posts: 14775
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:29 am
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby MichaelB » Thu Dec 13, 2018 7:02 pm

Can’t say I’m sorry for Brailsford one iota.

Just hope he disappears for good.

I doubt that he’ll get the same budget, but Vaughters commented that “he’s someone that can put their hand in a toilet and pulls out chocolate”.

User avatar
biker jk
Posts: 7001
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby biker jk » Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:34 pm

Here's the new bus for the former Team Sky now that it's budget is no longer GBP35 million.

Image

User avatar
AUbicycles
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15583
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 2:14 am
Location: Sydney & Frankfurt
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby AUbicycles » Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:35 pm

With Team Sky they created the circumstances for 'the underdog' where most other competing teams were the underdog.

As a sponsor, Sky are very attractive and compatible however the continuing dubious events certainly would have been a source of frustration for the sponsor. I recall when they started they promoted zero tolerance towards doping. A catch22 is that Sky benefit from the success and likely put pressure on the team to continue to perform but no sponsor wants to know that the team is achieving success with anything other than fair and legal tactics because of the eventual harm to their brand.

For a team with such strong financials, it was surprising how many problems Team Sky had 'explaining' themselves. Although smaller budgets are unfortunately not the answer or solution to creating credibility.

For pro-cycling, I want to see a new era without a single dominant team who are surrounded by controversy... a return to 'clean cycling' as we do get glimpses of that from time to time.
Cycling is in my BNA

User avatar
Alex Simmons/RST
Expert
Posts: 4997
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 3:51 pm
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby Alex Simmons/RST » Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:25 am

So ends the only blue chip corporate sponsorship of a professional cycling team leaving us with lotteries, nation states, bike brands and rich white dudes.

Calvin27
Posts: 2435
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2013 5:45 pm

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby Calvin27 » Fri Dec 14, 2018 8:31 am

Naturally I went to find out who funds the other teams. I would have thought some sheik could fund it, but apparently they already have a team lol.

http://inrng.com/2018/01/pro-team-spons ... explained/

It's a real mixed bag of mainly ultra wealthy. But yeah a few strange lottery folks in there lol.
Heavy road bike
Cushy dirt bike
Very cushy dirt bike
Bike crushed by car (RIP)
No brakes bike
Ebike

User avatar
find_bruce
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10579
Joined: Mon May 09, 2011 8:42 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby find_bruce » Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:05 am

biker jk wrote:A proper zero tolerance policy finally implemented. :D
You will miss them when they're gone - who will you bag then ? :D

fat and old
Posts: 6179
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2014 12:06 pm
Location: Mill Park

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby fat and old » Fri Dec 14, 2018 3:39 pm

Reading the comments all about, one commonality was the laughter at G's interview, claiming there's now an excellent "opportunity" for some other sponsor to buy in. It has me thinking he's actually right. Blue chip (thanks Alex) property...Team Sky.... just waiting for a ew owner. Walk in walk out. I guess if there is any chance of large single sponsors now will be the time we see it.

User avatar
AUbicycles
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15583
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 2:14 am
Location: Sydney & Frankfurt
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby AUbicycles » Thu Dec 20, 2018 4:06 am

There are good sides to having teams with less wealth.

- Cycle sport remains as interesting/attractive to fans
- Increase in competition between teams and riders as teams can’t stack themselves with top riders
- Less predictable racing with less access to professional support and services for enhanced performance.

Blue Chips will still be involved in race sponsorship and TV advertising... getting a reality check is important.
Cycling is in my BNA

ironhanglider
Posts: 2842
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 9:44 pm
Location: Middle East, Melbourne

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby ironhanglider » Thu Dec 20, 2018 10:45 am

It's peculiar that a 'big budget' for a whole cycling team still wouldn't buy Man U a decent mid-fielder.

Cheers,

Cameron

User avatar
trailgumby
Posts: 15469
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby trailgumby » Thu Dec 20, 2018 9:12 pm

Alex Simmons/RST wrote:So ends the only blue chip corporate sponsorship of a professional cycling team leaving us with lotteries, nation states, bike brands and rich white dudes.
Yep. Pretty sad.

User avatar
g-boaf
Posts: 21320
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:11 pm

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby g-boaf » Tue Dec 25, 2018 8:36 pm

AUbicycles wrote:There are good sides to having teams with less wealth.

- Cycle sport remains as interesting/attractive to fans
- Increase in competition between teams and riders as teams can’t stack themselves with top riders
- Less predictable racing with less access to professional support and services for enhanced performance.

Blue Chips will still be involved in race sponsorship and TV advertising... getting a reality check is important.
Big corporations do come and go in cycling. We've had big telecommunications companies before, then Murdoch's lot and also one of the worlds largest airlines (Emirates). I'm sure there will be another big corporation who will come in. It's a matter of when, not if.

User avatar
Alex Simmons/RST
Expert
Posts: 4997
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 3:51 pm
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby Alex Simmons/RST » Wed Dec 26, 2018 6:02 am

T-Mobile withdrew over a decade ago due to brand reputational damage being done from ever increasing doping scandals. Around the same time all broadcasting of pro cycling on German television channels ceased as a protest over the lack of action on doping and it remained that way for at least 10 years. Yes it was hypocritical considering other sports but it's what happened, one of the biggest and richest cycling markets in the world was no longer showing cycling races on TV.

Emirates is wholly owned by the UAE government and is not what I call a blue chip company. No one can trade their shares. It's part of a nation-state sponsorship.

Sky was really in the rich white fanboy category of sponsor (James Murdoch). Now that Murdoch is no longer an owner within a year the deal is off.

That pro cycling teams do not appeal at this level is just a reality. It's still a relatively minor tribal sport with limited market appeal and no event actually makes any money (all major bike races are heavily taxpayer subsidised, even the TdF with towns and nations bidding for hosting rights).

fat and old
Posts: 6179
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2014 12:06 pm
Location: Mill Park

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby fat and old » Wed Jan 02, 2019 7:02 pm

Alex Simmons/RST wrote:T-Mobile withdrew over a decade ago due to....
Telefonica’s (Movistar) revenue in 2017 52B Euros. T-Mobile revenue 46B Euros. If T-Mobile is blue chip then I’d say Movistar is as well? Not to mention one of the more stable team structures getting about.

User avatar
MichaelB
Posts: 14775
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:29 am
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby MichaelB » Thu Jan 03, 2019 1:57 pm

fat and old wrote:
Alex Simmons/RST wrote:T-Mobile withdrew over a decade ago due to....
Telefonica’s (Movistar) revenue in 2017 52B Euros. T-Mobile revenue 46B Euros. If T-Mobile is blue chip then I’d say Movistar is as well? Not to mention one of the more stable team structures getting about.
Just because the companies make a motza, doesn't mean they'll tip much into the sponsorship pool. Sky's reported revenue in 2018 was only GBP13.6B.
Just goes to show that there needs to be a flag bearer (that is not adverse to a bit of -ve publicity) in a company that like cycling to get the sponsorship. That seems to be getting rarer these days.

We'll see what happens as the year rolls on. Especially for Froome.

fat and old
Posts: 6179
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2014 12:06 pm
Location: Mill Park

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby fat and old » Thu Jan 03, 2019 4:57 pm

Absolutely. And given the ROI on cycling sponsorship along with the potential (lol.....potential) negatives it’s surprising that 21(?) WT teams can exist. Does anyone really doubt that the publicity surrounding Sky, Froomay, Wiggins etc didn’t have any effect on the new owners of Sky when they were reviewing their advertising?

FWIW, Telefonica (Movistar parent) sponsors some heavy hitters in the sports world alone...Nadal, Yamaha GP team, England Rugby (the real rugby.....Union.). Much less chance of any doping controversy in that lot. Yeah, I know. Piti. Meh, he’s Spanish lol.
Last edited by fat and old on Thu Jan 03, 2019 8:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Alex Simmons/RST
Expert
Posts: 4997
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 3:51 pm
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby Alex Simmons/RST » Thu Jan 03, 2019 7:52 pm

Movistar is primarily Spain and some Latin America but I’ll grant it’s probably the biggest fish. They sponsor many sports teams, Moto GP for example.

User avatar
AUbicycles
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15583
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 2:14 am
Location: Sydney & Frankfurt
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby AUbicycles » Wed Jan 09, 2019 10:29 am

Niche companies like Lampre have a very specific market but also a keen interest in cycling are the interesting ones but tend to have limited international appeal to the broader cycling audience.

Genuine international companies are tough to get, a brand like Red Bull comes to mind but they have pick a style of sport for their sponsorship and professional road cycling is not compatible. Other international brands may also opt for mass market entertainment or sport such as global soccer sponsorship.

One segment that seems obvious is the luxury segment as I feel that pro-racing is comparable with Tennis and Sailing, there is grace and elegance in cycling which can be visualised in the team kit. Would love to see a Prada cycling team or Boss or Bottega Veneta get into it. These brands may have a limited audience but it is about aspiration and could be an interesting move.
Cycling is in my BNA

User avatar
Alex Simmons/RST
Expert
Posts: 4997
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 3:51 pm
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby Alex Simmons/RST » Wed Jan 09, 2019 3:51 pm

AUbicycles wrote: I feel that pro-racing is comparable with Tennis and Sailing, there is grace and elegance in cycling
I don't see tennis players taking a dump by the side of the road.... :D

User avatar
AUbicycles
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15583
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 2:14 am
Location: Sydney & Frankfurt
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby AUbicycles » Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:56 pm

Alex Simmons/RST wrote:I don't see tennis players taking a dump by the side of the road.... :D
But the cameras do pan away when the players sit down and put a towel over their lap...
Cycling is in my BNA

User avatar
g-boaf
Posts: 21320
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:11 pm

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby g-boaf » Thu Jan 10, 2019 9:59 am

fat and old wrote:
Alex Simmons/RST wrote:T-Mobile withdrew over a decade ago due to....
Telefonica’s (Movistar) revenue in 2017 52B Euros. T-Mobile revenue 46B Euros. If T-Mobile is blue chip then I’d say Movistar is as well? Not to mention one of the more stable team structures getting about.
And McLaren Group is a partner in Bahrain-Merida. They might not be as huge as a telecommunications company, but I'd say they are a very big name.

https://www.mclaren.com/appliedtechnolo ... ling-team/

I wonder if the McLaren excessive perfectionist culture will carry over.

User avatar
Alex Simmons/RST
Expert
Posts: 4997
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 3:51 pm
Contact:

Re: Bye bye Team Sky

Postby Alex Simmons/RST » Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:25 pm

Bahrain-Merida fits the stereotypical national state / bike manufacturer sponsor mould.

McLaren would not be a major sponsor, certainly not naming rights.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users