Main feature: Sponsor deals and your career

This is a feature piece about the sportswear company Adidas and their relationship with individual athletes and sponsorship deals they have with them. Within this feature are quotes from a separate interview with Ann*, a national athlete who is competing in this years London 2012 Olympic Games for Team GB.

On speaking with the Press Team of Adidas Corporation they believed this interview “expresses the good nature of our company and how we respect our clients. Our sponsorship deals are freely available if the public request, like most companies we have an exclusivity term within our contract. However we do not feel this deters clients from their role within the sporting field they represent, we are merely assisting and aiding their profile.”

Sponsor deals and your career

Adidas are a worldwide known brand, with over 10 billion dollars in assets and 40,000 global employees. They are pioneers within the sporting industry and were recent sponsors for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

What strikes a cord within in the UK is their commitment to rising athletes, they fund and sponsor young runners, gymnasts, swimmers and many more in this country. Without the likes of these sponsors many amazing and talented sports stars would never of been found.

However, is being sponsored by a worldwide company really all it seems? Perks of the job also come with restrictions and limitations, many of which could ruin the dreams and aspirations these athletes once wished for.

I managed to get an exclusive interview with *Ann, a young up and coming athlete breaking into the world of professional sports people. She is part of the GB Team for this years London 2012 Olympic Games. But as she reveals, wanting those big sponsorship deals, come with a heavy price and an even heavier fall if things don’t go the way your sponsor wants it to.

Ann started off in her sport at a young age, like many athletes she was focused and knew one day she wanted to be a professional, getting paid to do the one thing she loved in front of thousands of people supporting her. “Adidas have sponsored me for a while now, they turned me into the professional athlete I am today, without them I would still be at my local running club.”

In a way, many would think she is one of the fortunate ones, got a big secure sponsor who can provide for her so she can focus on the sport rather than finding enough money to live. In this case, yes Ann is the lucky one; she tells us of a running partner she knew who has had her dreams shattered by not abiding by the terms of her contract. “It was horrible, the company called her in a sued her for thousands, they didn’t drop her as they cant, but the price was so extortionate she could afford to keep running professionally without another income. So she gave it all up, she is still paying back what she owes them to this day.”

On speaking with her it is obvious this story has haunted Ann, many sportsmen are tied into exclusivity deals with big fines potentially able to destroy a future successful career within your sport. “These deals do have their set backs, you have to be careful what you wear, where you eat, what you are seen doing, you are basically a walking billboard for that brand. But they pay your wages, you can’t blame them, you just need to be careful.” Ann reveals her contract is similar to this exclusivity deal, “I do adverts and campaigns for them on a regular basis which gets in the way of training quite a lot. But its mainly just the clothing deal, I have to wear at least one clearly branded item of there’s every day. It is a right pain especially when I’m having my relax days, but I just keep reminding myself who pays my wages.”

Adidas is a company that prides it self on being part of the Olympics and this year they have teamed up with fashion designer Stella McCartney in producing a new clothing range for Team GB. Nick Craggs, Adidas Marketing Director, said how Adidas are “bringing together the best British Athletes performing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and combining that with the best British designer.”

With this recent news Adidas stock shares have increased along with sales for the company. With so many adverts all showing Adidas as the brand to wear, is it any wonder sales have increased? Ann has to always display the Adidas brand when she is competing or training, this just reiterates to spectators that this is a supreme brand even if that may not be the case. “If people recognise me and ask for advise on what running shoes they should start off with, or if I can recommend a comfortable sports bra, I have to say Adidas. Even if I don’t agree, I hate that, I don’t like lying to people but I have no choice. Usually its true, I could recommend some of their kit as exceptional, but honestly, everything in life has flaws and even some Adidas stuff isn’t the best.”

Adidas is one of the few decent companies, many have been known for being much tougher on who they sponsor and the rules and restrictions within that deal. However that is not to say they do not act differently with other clients they sponsor. For best advice when signing any contract deal with any company is to read all small print detail, get a trusted family member to speak through any issues you may feel you have and entrust a lawyer so you have piece of mind that you wont end up like Ann’s friend if it all goes wrong.

For the full interview with Ann please see the “An interview with an Athlete” blog post further down the page. Please note the names have been changed for the confidentiality and anonymity of the interviewee.