Sport business - Why do pro cycling teams need sponsors ?
Par Cyclism'Actu le 11/03/2023 à 10:19
It may seem pretty obvious because it’s the case with every sport. But pro cycling, like so many other sports, has sponsors and very much relies on them. However, you could argue that these deals are more integral here than they are elsewhere, and we’re going to tell you why this is the case.
Vidéo - Inside with the Team Sky... four years ago !
Cycling, in all its forms, is what you could describe as a niche sport. And by that, we mean it’s not of the scale of more mainstream sports such as football, rugby and golf. However, this doesn’t and hasn’t stopped it from being of significant interest to some, as proven by betting markets being available at most reputable online betting sites, especially for some of the bigger and more prominent tournaments. But you could also argue that this wouldn’t and couldn’t be the case if it wasn’t for sponsors and everything that comes with them.
As seen with other sports, such as football, the idea of bringing sponsors on board is to balance off the spending because of the financial regulations in place. And this is similar to cycling; only the expenditure that sponsorship money covers in this sport is the actual running costs of teams, riders, etc. The expenses rack up, especially at the top of the sport where teams are large; they have high-profile riders, coaches, and everything that goes with that, such as travelling, accommodation and so on. It’s not cheap, and this is especially the case when cycling remains a niche sport.
Two things that go in cycling's favour in a big way are the Tour de France and the fact more races are now being televised or broadcast live in some way, shape or form. Looking at the Tour de France in particular, it’s an iconic sporting event that even people who don’t have a passion for cycling will take a keen interest in, similar to what you see with horse racing and The Grand National. Sponsors naturally take an interest in the Tour de France because it draws in millions of viewers each year, and it proves to be a mutually beneficial relationship.
From there, cycling teams started to become more prominent, and the riders, too, arguably thanks to social media. So, after a while, when Team Sky and others came into play, more cycling events and races found their way onto TV, which you kind of expected with Sky’s involvement. But, because more races were and are on TV or broadcast live, it means sponsors are more likely to get involved because they know they’ll get a ton of exposure in return.
And this has been huge for cycling in general because more and more money is being pumped into the sport via these sponsorship arrangements, which not only allows those teams and riders at the top of the sport to keep improving but the cash filters its way down to those just starting out who could go on to be the next big thing and competing with the elite in years to come.
