lotek 

Lets see, Lance is making how many $millions from Subaru, Nike, Dupont (dow?) Glaxo you know the
pharmacutical co? and you say there is no money in cycling?
How much do you think Berry Floor made off of sposoring the TdF champions team? they estimate
they have doubled sales based on USPS sponsorship alone.
Big corps? USPS, Saeco, Berry Floor, Gerolsteiner, Phonak, Deutsche telecomm.
just to name a few a huge in Europe, and some are making significant inroads here (T-Mobile, Saeco).
The US companies just haven't gotten it yet.

Marty

BlastRadius

The context was that there is no money to be made by the athletes themselves. If you're a big enough star, i.e. LA, then sure, there is money to be made but I think he's more the exception than the rule. I can't find any statistics to support it, but I'll bet the money made by American pro cyclists is nowhere near that made by players of the various ball sports.



My point exactly. Other than the few US companies that sponsor cycling teams, most US companies haven't seen the benefits of sponsoring cycling, especially the exposure in Europe.

lotek 

I think the situation of US companies not getting it is changing.
Look at US companies sponsoring pro teams. CSC, while a danish team is a US company.
You would not believe the push that CSC has in its business using the cycling team
in almost everything (I know I work for them).
Then there is EDS (boo hiss. . . competitor co.) who sponsored
both the Frisco Velodrome and a pro team (Fatka?), sure not a big name but it was there,
and they also saw benefit from the logo on the teams jersey.
Any US company wanting to do business in EU should be seriously looking at sponsorship.
Despite the USPS debacle, the sponsorship did what it was envisioned to do, they (USPS)
got alot of advertising in Europe, and subsequently use of USPS for package delivery
did increase.
I'm not sure of the salary of pro riders, I know that not everyone makes what LA does
(in fact I'm sure no one does in terms of sponsors/advertising etc.).
Will cyclists ever make the same as ballplayers? I doubt it, unless the big advertizers
get on board and the US general public suddenly take a huge interest in pro cycling.
That is what something like USPS and LA bring to the picture, evidence the Tour day Georgia. . .

khuon

I don't think coffee is on the banned list. Besides, even if it were, that didn't stop Jittery Joe from sponsoring a team. I think another ideal sponsor might be health insurance companies... like say Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Laggard

Many a can of Coca Cola has been handed to a TDF rider.

RiPHRaPH

i still say it would be hilarious for donald trump to sponsor the team himself.

el Inglés

Some time back the financial channel CNBC said that there were mutterings about 90% of the advertising budget of US Postal going to 12% of their market so it´s not a suprise to me that they are not going to join the super expensive pro tour .

bac

You either heard wrong, or the report was wrong - in a BIG way. The portion of USPS's advertising budget for the cycling team stands @ 3.3% - a far cry from 90%.