Fallout

Maybe we'll see the first sponsor from China.

Bro Deal said:

The Tour has turned into a doping debacle. What will be the financial consquences for the sport?

T-Mobile is supposed to make a decision about sponsorship renewal in the next two weeks. Disco has evidently already given up finding an American sponsor. Now what chance do they have of finding one in Europe?

Will we see several teams fold at the end of the season?

Teams, I don't think will fold, they'll just scale back. Cycling has grown a lot in the past ten years and this is just a hiccup along the way. Fans will continue to watch. These doping stories will lure new viewers to the sport. Short term, you'll see D2-3 teams becoming more competitive as their salaries won't look so bad anymore. The general public will become more accepting of doping, new doping methods and products will come out that defeat the current tests. UCI and WADA will purposely not adjust. Riders will stop being busted. People will think the sport has cleaned up it's act. Big corporate dollars will roll back in again. Nike will sponsor athletes who sell $300 shoes and Doctor.House will finally throw in the towel.

Maybe a couple of the big name sponsors will disappear, and cycling will become more similar to the way it was a few years ago in team/sponsorship terms. Sponsors like Liquigas will remain in the picture, making for good country based teams interested in their national tours.

I wonder who will replace Disco, as there is little interest for a predominantly American team in Europe (from a European sponsor's point of view, who cares?). Also, I wonder what would happen to the remains of T-Mobile as they are another big spender that would be difficult to replace.

In other words, scaling back of sponsorships, as Helmut suggests. The sport will not die. Go to an Italian Gran Fondo for confirmation of the grassroots popularity of the sport, or check out the spectators at a Giro mountain finish, the Lombardia, or a muur in RVV. Don't worry.

If T-Mobile and Disco pull out then that's about 35 million euros. That is a huge amount of money when you consider that some ProTour teams are eeking by with six or seven mil. Unless they are replaced, the end result will be an eventual lowering of salaries.

How solid is CSC's support? It's seemed a little iffy in the past.

Bro Deal said:

How solid is CSC's support? It's seemed a little iffy in the past.

I read shortly before the tour start that CSC has renewed or extended their contract through 2009.

Personally... i'd like to see a system of stiff fines and point penalties for entire teams should one of their riders test positive. By that I mean everyone on the team gets fined. From Managers and DS's to every rider on the roster and right on down to the bike mechanic. Is it fair??? Of course not. But the main problem is not the actual doping per say... but the code of silence that is protecting it. This will put pressure on those involved in doping to come clean because now they know that testing positive will be affecting others.

Furthermore... if you are a clean rider and know of someone who is involved with doping, he/she poses a threat to your future and your employment. I guarantee, you will not be silent.

I would like to see a full published audit of the books of the UCI and Mr.Hein Verbruggein in particular.

That's the financial fall out which I would like to see.

Tubbs said:

Personally... i'd like to see a system of stiff fines and point penalties for entire teams should one of their riders test positive. By that I mean everyone on the team gets fined. From Managers and DS's to every rider on the roster and right on down to the bike mechanic. Is it fair??? Of course not.

Could you subpoena the medical records on Vino from the team doctors? If they show any irregularities, then it wouldn't be unfair at all IMHO.

helmutRoole2 said:

Teams, I don't think will fold, they'll just scale back. Cycling has grown a lot in the past ten years and this is just a hiccup along the way. Fans will continue to watch. These doping stories will lure new viewers to the sport. Short term, you'll see D2-3 teams becoming more competitive as their salaries won't look so bad anymore. The general public will become more accepting of doping, new doping methods and products will come out that defeat the current tests. UCI and WADA will purposely not adjust. Riders will stop being busted. People will think the sport has cleaned up it's act. Big corporate dollars will roll back in again. Nike will sponsor athletes who sell $300 shoes and Doctor.House will finally throw in the towel.

Wanna bet?

limerickman said:

I would like to see a full published audit of the books of the UCI and Mr.Hein Verbruggein in particular.

That's the financial fall out which I would like to see.

Fat chance of that ever happening.

Those Grand Cayman records are quite safe. Jealously protected by off-shore tax haven laws.

Bro Deal said:

Will we see several teams fold at the end of the season?

Hope so😄 ...the only way it will clean itself up.

Tubbs said:

I read shortly before the tour start that CSC has renewed or extended their contract through 2009.

They can back out at any time.

Tim Lamkin said:

They can back out at any time.

True. With the current state of cycling I would expect that their CSC's sponsorship contract has a lot of ways out. It seems like it would be incompetence if it didn't.

Doctor.House said:

Fat chance of that ever happening.

Those Grand Cayman records are quite safe. Jealously protected by off-shore tax haven laws.

I wouldn't be too sure of that.

The financial deals concerning the bribe allegations at the IOC were uncovered.

In our country, we uncovered documentation concerning tax evasion/money laundering in Grand Cayman.
Google Guinness Mahon bank : it led to the disclosure of national tax evasion.
look at Riggs bank in your own country.

No records are safe - anywhere.

Quoted post said:

look at Riggs bank in your own country.

I had no idea he had a country.

Tim Lamkin said:

I had no idea he had a country.

It's good to be king.

helmutRoole2 said:

Doctor.House will finally throw in the towel.

He can't. It's his identity.

House:

"I'm smarter than you because I'm more cynical than you".

"I'm holier than thou because I'm more anti-doping than thou".

Whenever I see a post by Doctor.House the idea of a mental pygmy on stilts always pops up.

Doctor.House said:

Fat chance of that ever happening.

Those Grand Cayman records are quite safe. Jealously protected by off-shore tax haven laws.

..

[img]gamepolitics.comtinfoil hat.jpgOpen ↗[/img]

ATM said:

Maybe we'll see the first sponsor from China.

[font=Times New Roman][/font]
[font=Arial]Yea, the paragons of sporting integrity come to the rescue......didn’t they once get caught with a hermaphrodite racing on their swim team..😕 [/font]