Sponsor changes are a funny thing. Most of the time a sponsorship starts as a result of a friendship. But most of the time when a pro changes sponsors, it’s a business decision. Sponsor changes can have huge effects on how the brands as well as the rider involved are percieved by the public… for better or for worse. Usually at the time of the sponsor change it’s hard to predict who wins and who loses (although these things usually aren’t a zero-sum situation and sometimes both parties can win or lose at the same time). With that, I decided to pick a few major sponsor changes of the past few years and offer my analysis. These certainly aren’t the craziest sponsor changes of all time (I lack the history,the perspective and the desire to write such an all-encompassing article) but it’s a start, and it made for a great blog title, haha. If you’ve got some good examples of great/awful/interesting/controversial sponsor changes from the past, let me know about them in the comments!
The Rider: Taj Mihelich
The Sponsor: Giant
What Happened: After riding for and owning Terrible One for over 8 years along with Joe Rich, it was announced that Taj would be stepping away from the day to day operations of Terrible One. A year or two went by and then it was announced that Taj would no longer be riding a Terrible One and would instead be riding for the world’s biggest bicycle manufacturer, Giant.
The Fallout: This was controversial for a many reasons. Firstly, Taj was outspoken in favor of rider owned BMX companies in the 90′s, and obviously Giant is the total opposite of that. As he got older his perspective had obviously changed but his words from past interviews still came back to haunt him and calls of “hypocrite” were deafening on messageboards and in the comments. But is that true? Personally I think it was more of a situation where Taj’s thoughts and feelings on bike companies changed over time. Had he not been so opinionated in his youth, the move to Giant wouldn’t have been so controversial.
Who won? Taj’s image might have endured some attacks around the time the news broke but he still certainly commands a great deal of respect. Some people probably still think less of him for the sponsor change but overall I think he made it out relatively unscathed. As for Giant, it was a confusing move in the first place. Will Taj help Giant sell complete bikes? I doubt it since most complete bike customers don’t have much perspective on who Taj is and how important his legacy is in BMX. Will Taj help Giant sell frames? Let’s be honest, no kid who has been into BMX for more than a year or two is going to want to buy a Giant frame regardless of how nice they are. I’m sure Taj’s salary doesn’t make a dent in Giant’s finances, but if I had to choose a winner, Taj would be it.
The Rider: Chris Doyle
The Sponsor: DK
What Happened: In October of 2006, after 9 years of service, Chris Doyle was unceremoniously ousted from his position as DK’s top rider. It was speculated that Doyle’s involvement with Duo may have been the reason for the split, although the two companies products barely overlap sans a few pairs of grips. Doyle stated in an interview that he thought DK might have just been looking for an excuse to get rid of him.
The Fallout: Chris Doyle is one of the most beloved pro’s BMX has ever seen, so it certainly didn’t go over well. There were a lot of “Fuck DK” posts on the messageboards, but ultimately I assume the bulk of DK’s profits are derived from complete bikes consumers… the kind of customers with short attention spans. The consensus online seemed to echo the sentiment Chris expressed in a subsequent Ride BMX interview : “DK without Doyle is like Disney Land without Mickey Mouse”.
Who Won? Doyle. He quickly got picked up by Kink and released arguably the best video part of his career. He has secured more sponsors since he left DK (Demolition, Famous) and his riding certainly hasn’t slacked. DK has laid relatively low promotion-wise since Doyle’s departure which might be for the best… DK’s team, while solid, lacks the superstar appeal that it once had with Doyle on the payroll.
The Riders: Chase Dehart, Eddie Cleveland, Ian Schwartz, Mike Ardelean.
The Sponsor: Mosh
What Happened: Soon after taking a job at Giant riding and managing both Giant and Mosh, Ardelean quit to pursue to work full time at Quiksilver. He thought he would still be riding for both Giant and Mosh and probably managing Mosh’s team too. Instead Giant fired him from his position. As a sign of loyalty, Chase, Eddie, Ian, Jesse Whaley and Jackson Ratima all quit Mosh.
The Fallout: I think Mosh is a good example of how unlikely it is for a corporate company to ever have any success in the BMX parts market. Mosh had everything going for them: An incredibly team of riders, a large advertising budget, Ardelean’s excellent creative direction… but they still were never able to establish any serious popularity in BMX. Mosh struggled to put together some sort of coherent team and direction after the mass exodus but it didn’t work and Mosh folded a few months ago, leaving all who were left on their team sponsor-less.
Who Won? When the company in question goes out of business soon after their team leaves, it’s hard to make the case that the team didn’t win. Although not all of the team have found new sponsors, most of them seem to be doing well (Chase hooked up with Shadow, Eddie and Rich Hirsch teamed up on their new parts company, Coast, etc) and Mosh’s subsequent death speaks loudly on the importance of a team in relation to a brand’s success.
The Rider: Corey Martinez.
The Sponsor: Primo
What Happened: Corey casually mentioned on his United blog that he had been kicked off the Primo team for not riding enough stickers. Nate Moroshan responded on the Ride site by saying the lack of stickers wasn’t the issue, but that United were planning on starting a parts company who would compete with Primo and that Corey was planning on riding for them, along with a few other discrepancies that questioned Corey’s loyalty to his long time parts sponsor.
The Fallout: Similar to the DK/Doyle split, you don’t just kick Corey Martinez off your team without some backlash. Primo were torn apart on the internet and even more devastating, Nathan Williams and Dakota Roche quickly quit Primo as well as a sign of loyalty to Corey.
Who Won? Corey and co, but just by a little bit. Corey quickly got picked up by Duo but Nathan and Dakota have remained parts sponsor-less since (which doesn’t say much about their popularity but says a lot about how few sponsorship opportunities there are in BMX). It was certainly a big blow to Primo (especially since they were and still are in the process of putting out a video) who have been a troubled brand for many years now. United’s phantom parts company has yet to emerge.
The Rider: Aaron Ross
The Sponsor: Sunday
What Happened: After months of rumors that Aaron was leaving FBM to ride for everyone from Giant to Mutiny, it was finally announced that he was joining the Sunday team.
The Fallout: For some, it was hard to imagine Aaron riding for anyone besides FBM but I think that passed quickly. Aaron is a pretty logical member of the Sunday team given his ridiculous street skills, his penchant for neon frames and his prior affiliation with Odyssey.
Who Won? Aaron seems to be doing just fine and he will no doubt have an impressive part in the Sunday video so all seems well on that front. FBM lost nearly all of their former pro team around the time that Aaron left so it was definitely a blow to their brand at least temporarily. FBM seem to have taken a different approach, enlisting a large team of lesser known riders instead of their previous approach, a smaller team of more well known (and paid) pro’s.
The Rider: Brian Wizmerski
The Sponsor: Eastern
What Happened: After getting the boot from the S&M team, Wiz got an offer from Eastern and went for it.
The Fallout: Although going from a legendary company like S&M to a brand like Eastern who have have had some legendary quality control issues over the years could be a bad look, I think this went over pretty well. At first it was a huge shock. But if anything I think the new sponsor might have invigorated Wiz a little bit and he’s gotten more press recently than he has in years. Any would-be haters probably figured the sponsor switch was worth it as long as they got to see more Wiz footage.
Who Won? Wiz kept making that BMX cash and Eastern got to add one of the best street riders of all time to their team. Not too interesting, but I just wanted to show that sometimes everyone wins!
Previously: Sunday New England Shop Tour| Sunday: Sun-Dazed at Woodward West| Red Bull Most Wanted/9th Street Jam Edit