Dissecting Discovery & T-Mobile
So here are some recent headlines you should already be familiar with:
Discovery team to cease operations at season's end
Discovery gives up sponsor hunt
Discovery disbands
Chris Horner sums those headlines up nicely.....
An interview with Chris Horner - from Cyclingnews
Tailwind Sports general manager Bill Stapleton says they were in talks with several potential sponsors, but chose to end those discussions and cease operations. Stapleton claims that the Discovery Channel management changes prompted their leaving the sport, which probably has a lot of truth to it. However, I would argue it was more due to the team doing nothing to assure their title sponsor the team was taking an active approach to fight doping in the sport.
No, the team's line of defense has been, "we never failed a doping test." Well, great job guys, neither has hundreds of other doping cyclists! Moreover, the team signs Ivan Basso amidst a tremendously dark cloud of suspicion of doping as Basso's name was front-and-center in Operation Puerto. Bruyneel's thumbing of the ProTour team ethics code bit him in the rear as Basso finally came clean and was nailed for his involvement with Puerto. Nice sucker punch that the team knew was coming!
Don't you think the upper management of Discover Channel was paying a close eye to how the team was approaching this issue? Or should I say, how they were not addressing the issue? The team can say what they want, but their sponsor was watching closely and saw a management team that was doing absolutely nothing to prove to everybody they were instituting an anti-doping plan on the front-end. No, instead of taking action the team sat back and hired the doper Basso, and to top it all off Alberto Contador wins the Tour amidst even more suspicion. Why, because of course his name was within the Operation Puerto documents. The Contador story hasn't run out of legs yet either.
At the end of the day the team brought this on themselves. This was not a sponsorship issue. This was a team culture issue. A culture that is bearing no fruit and dying on the vine, but before it can come back it must first whither away.
On the other hand you've got the T-Mobile.....
T-Mobile to stay in cycling
T-Mobile's continued survival assured
Bob Stapleton of T-Mobile said it best at the beginning of the Cyclingnews' report. Bill Stapleton of Discovery should call up Bob Stapleton for some pointers on culture building and PR for cycling dummies in 2007 and beyond.
T-Mobile has been the one team leading the charge against doping and instituting a team culture that fights against it. Because of the team's commitment and action taken the giant cellular phone service provider stuck with the team, and will not pull out of its agreement already in place through 2010. That's not to say they wouldn't back out if more doping offenses take place, but T-Mobile is going the distance.
I believe this paragraph from the Cyclingnews article is worth posting here:
----- In announcing the company's decision, Christian Frommert, vice president of Sponsoring Communications, said that Deutsche Telekom, the parent firm of T-Mobile, had held serious discussions over the last two weeks before reaching its decision to remain with the sport. "The team led by Bob Stapleton is on the right track in the battle for clean and fair sport. Pulling the plug on the sponsorship now would only undo the good work of the team to date, and send out a false signal that the fight against doping could not be won."
This quote from Frommert sounds like teamwork in action between the sponsors and team management. Both have a lot at stake and have at least made efforts to affect positive change. I know what you're going to say, "but they've failed some tests!" Yep, and despite those positive tests and past admissions the cellular giant stayed. What does that tell you about Bob Stapleton and his management team? It tells me they are better than most at what they do, and with the largest budget out of all the ProTour teams they had better be.
Let's not forget that T-Mobile is probably the biggest global brand in all of professional cycling. They have the most to lose from an image standpoint than all the other sponsors combined. Others would argue they have so much positive brand awareness that not even doping in cycling could undermine the company's mission, but there's not a CEO on the planet who will continue a relationship where they are continually screwed without rewards.
T-Mobile continuing their confidence in the team and manager Bob Stapleton speaks volumes to the leadership taking hold within their culture. Let's hope Stapleton stays focused and continues to round out the rough edges, and that other teams take a "how to" course from him on pleasing their sponsors.
Discovery team to cease operations at season's end
Discovery gives up sponsor hunt
Discovery disbands
Chris Horner sums those headlines up nicely.....
An interview with Chris Horner - from Cyclingnews
Tailwind Sports general manager Bill Stapleton says they were in talks with several potential sponsors, but chose to end those discussions and cease operations. Stapleton claims that the Discovery Channel management changes prompted their leaving the sport, which probably has a lot of truth to it. However, I would argue it was more due to the team doing nothing to assure their title sponsor the team was taking an active approach to fight doping in the sport.
No, the team's line of defense has been, "we never failed a doping test." Well, great job guys, neither has hundreds of other doping cyclists! Moreover, the team signs Ivan Basso amidst a tremendously dark cloud of suspicion of doping as Basso's name was front-and-center in Operation Puerto. Bruyneel's thumbing of the ProTour team ethics code bit him in the rear as Basso finally came clean and was nailed for his involvement with Puerto. Nice sucker punch that the team knew was coming!
Don't you think the upper management of Discover Channel was paying a close eye to how the team was approaching this issue? Or should I say, how they were not addressing the issue? The team can say what they want, but their sponsor was watching closely and saw a management team that was doing absolutely nothing to prove to everybody they were instituting an anti-doping plan on the front-end. No, instead of taking action the team sat back and hired the doper Basso, and to top it all off Alberto Contador wins the Tour amidst even more suspicion. Why, because of course his name was within the Operation Puerto documents. The Contador story hasn't run out of legs yet either.
At the end of the day the team brought this on themselves. This was not a sponsorship issue. This was a team culture issue. A culture that is bearing no fruit and dying on the vine, but before it can come back it must first whither away.
On the other hand you've got the T-Mobile.....
T-Mobile to stay in cycling
T-Mobile's continued survival assured
Bob Stapleton of T-Mobile said it best at the beginning of the Cyclingnews' report. Bill Stapleton of Discovery should call up Bob Stapleton for some pointers on culture building and PR for cycling dummies in 2007 and beyond.
T-Mobile has been the one team leading the charge against doping and instituting a team culture that fights against it. Because of the team's commitment and action taken the giant cellular phone service provider stuck with the team, and will not pull out of its agreement already in place through 2010. That's not to say they wouldn't back out if more doping offenses take place, but T-Mobile is going the distance.
I believe this paragraph from the Cyclingnews article is worth posting here:
----- In announcing the company's decision, Christian Frommert, vice president of Sponsoring Communications, said that Deutsche Telekom, the parent firm of T-Mobile, had held serious discussions over the last two weeks before reaching its decision to remain with the sport. "The team led by Bob Stapleton is on the right track in the battle for clean and fair sport. Pulling the plug on the sponsorship now would only undo the good work of the team to date, and send out a false signal that the fight against doping could not be won."
This quote from Frommert sounds like teamwork in action between the sponsors and team management. Both have a lot at stake and have at least made efforts to affect positive change. I know what you're going to say, "but they've failed some tests!" Yep, and despite those positive tests and past admissions the cellular giant stayed. What does that tell you about Bob Stapleton and his management team? It tells me they are better than most at what they do, and with the largest budget out of all the ProTour teams they had better be.
Let's not forget that T-Mobile is probably the biggest global brand in all of professional cycling. They have the most to lose from an image standpoint than all the other sponsors combined. Others would argue they have so much positive brand awareness that not even doping in cycling could undermine the company's mission, but there's not a CEO on the planet who will continue a relationship where they are continually screwed without rewards.
T-Mobile continuing their confidence in the team and manager Bob Stapleton speaks volumes to the leadership taking hold within their culture. Let's hope Stapleton stays focused and continues to round out the rough edges, and that other teams take a "how to" course from him on pleasing their sponsors.
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 8/21/2007 09:12:00 AM
3 Comments:
Interesting read but you might want to look at who Bob Stapleton is and his background to understand what is probably the real reason that T-Mobile is still in. Stapleton is a very rich man and he got that way by selling his company to T-Mobile for probably a lot of T-Mobile stock and that is more likely why he has kept them in the sport.
Update to my comment above. Stapleton sold his company, VoiceStream Wireless, to T-Mobile for 50 Billion(Yes, Billion). VoiceStream was then re-named T-Mobile USA. He also has served on the board of T-Mobile for many years.
Chris Horner is right on! Discovery was a victim of its own lack of action on the doping issue.
Bill Stapleton and his team take a stance on doping. Trying to make a difference and turn our sport around for the good (as sited by Chris Horner.) In return, instead of a,'thank you' we get conspiracy theories and negative comments; by indiviudals on this blog.
Perhaps certain folks have not paid attention or just accept drug use within our sport. No matter the consequence or deteriotation of our fair sport.
Very Sad!
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