Sponsors and ethics

Being relatively new to the sport and knowing absolutely nothing about sponsorships, I have a legitimate question. And like you, Shari, I'm not in any way arguing. I'm honestly seeking information and opinions.

I agree that if you seek a sponsorship from a company and that causes someone else to lose a sponsorship by that company, then that would be unethical and just plain wrong. But what if that company will sponsor more than one dog? I know I've seen STP, Goodyear, Shell Oil, etc. on way more than one NASCAR car. Couldn't a dog product company sponsor more than one dog?

So.....if someone was pursuing a company for sponsorship and that company already sponsored someone, couldn't that be okay IF....big IF....they were looking to be a second dog sponsored and not take the sponsorship away from the first dog.

Does that make sense? Again, I'm honestly wanting opinions and information. We don't have a sponsor and are not now pursuing a sponsor, but we will in the near future. We want to make sure we have as much info as possible before we do so.

Thanks....

It is absolutely wrong and unethical for a team to go after a sponsor with the intent of getting them to drop who they are sponsoring and sponsor them.
BUT
Some companies do sponsor multiple teams, IE: Canidae, Purina. So the question is, is it wrong to contact a sponsor to see if they will sponsor an additional team?

I think the sponsor thing is getting people way to worked up and possesive. The team does not "own" the sponsor. The sponsor has agreed to let them represent their product.

We are not looking for sponsors.
Chris and I decided a while ago to not pursue sponsorships from manufacturers. We looked back and we have tried 4 different toys and 3 different foods over the last year. Had we gotten a sponsor we would have had to keep using their product even if we didn't like it, or go through dropping and changing.

We do this a sport, and the sponsorship thing feels to much like a business, and professional thing.

If a team is repesenting a sponsor well to the public, other teams, and is using the product their sponsor sells, there is no reason for the sponsor to change teams. So if someone did contact them they would just say we are happy with who we sponsor.

I was in Sodans, the local pet store, and the Natura rep was there. I mentioned that they sponsored a team I knew, Shari, and he responded that they were doing such a good job for EVO that Natura had just taken on another team to sponsor.

So my suggestion to teams who have sponsors is to go out and concentrate on representing their sponsor the best they can to make their sponsor so happy they will want to add teams.

Another thing to consider is that some people may have non sponsorship relationships with a company, IE are a dealer, so you cannot assume that if someone is in contact with a manufacturer, or have their product, they are pursuing them as a sponsor.

I asked about sponsors not long ago and decided not to pursue this avenue however I can tell you, I barely got any help on the subject even because everyone wanted to be so tight lipped about it. I got a very nice PM that helped my out tremendously and if they hadn't done that I probably would have made some mistakes along the way. Also, I am not on this board all the time nor do I follow everyone's teams everywhere so no, I do not know who sponsors who, save a few. Maybe there should be a sticky on the subject?

Here is my take on things, right, wrong or otherwise......

Jeff and I could care less if someone contacted Nutro and asked them for a sponsorship. Go for it. If Nutro can afford to sponsor more teams that is GREAT. We have no fear in loosing them as a sponsor as we consider it our job to work for them at events. Thus the reason we have our Nutro tent, Nutro patches on the vests, Nutro hats and Nutro shirts and the two dogs of ours who are sponsored by them get that announced during jumps.

We have been at events before that there have been 2-3 of us who are sponsored by Nutro. It actualy is nice cause it has opened some doors to get to know other people through a common denominator of our sponsors.

It is a lot of hard work to get a sponsor. Yet at the same time there should be no reason one would loose a sponsor just because someone else asked as well. If you are working for that company and representing them as best you can there should be no fears what soever if someone else gets them as well that you will loose that company. It is just like a job. If you work hard and do the right thing at your job and give 110% you are not going to loose that job.

I have yet to understand why some get so upset if people who do have a retail license want to sell that product. Lets think about this logicly. The more people who buy that product (wholesale or retail) the better for your sponsor company. This is money to your sponsor company. Thus it is helping them financialy and thus possibly aso helping you as one of their sponsor teams in the future. You may get bigger representation etc. So why on earth would one care if another person is selling their sponsors product? When we were trying out the collar company as a sponsor it really would not have made any difference to me if another one of our dock diving friends was selling the collars as well. This just helps the company who is supporting me.

Is it also not possible that one person didn't contact a certian sponsor at the same time or near that same time as another person? If your said company will sponsor you both then great! More representation for the company. Wouldn't it say leaps and bounds for a dog food company if every person at a dock jumping event was sponsored by them? To me this would say WOW that must be a great dog food if they all feed that and look at what great canine athletes these dogs are!

Once again just my point of view. Right, wrong or otherwise. Lets just congratulate one another for jobs well done on obtaining and working for sponsors!

My boys don't have a sponsor. We contacted several companies and either got no reply or were encouraged to give more information and then got no reply.

I think it's depressing that people are so territorial over their sponsors to the point of attacking other members. I figure a really large company that can afford to and offers to sponsor more than one team is terrific - the more the merrier. But, I've realized that not many people view their sponsorships this way so we've pretty much stopped advertising the boys. I don't want to step on any toes of those that are considering a sponsor, or working with someone on getting a sponsor, or tried to be sponsored and didn't get exactly what they wanted but are kind of sponsored. I also don't know who everyone is sponsored by - I have tried to go through numerous threads to read siggy's to find out - and it's time consuming and I just got tired of it.

We would love to get a sponsor as we don't only do dock jumping - we are getting into agility, rally, weight pull and potentially tracking and hunt tests (depending on how Mason does for SAR evaluation). I think it would be neat to be promoted at all of those types of events. Not neat enough that I want to run the gauntlet and battle anyone though. There are a couple other companies that seem to have the qualities that we value in pet products so we may go to them yet and see if they're interested. But, at this point, I've lost a lot of interest in trying to get into the sponsorship ring...

Beth,
I think you said it perfectly.

Jim

Well said Shari, this subject needed to be brought up and addressed. Milt did post this topic subject a year or so back. It's a matter of RESPECT!! My advice is to first contact the individual teams that are sponsored by the companies first and ASK if they know if the company would sponosor another team. OR, ask the company first before hand. I really can't understand WHY this happens when there is thousands of great Pet Companies out there. Shoot, my puppy already has 4 sponsors and he is only 12 weeks old!!

Jim, Purina does not currently sponsor individual dock jumping teams other than Milt/Sparky and his dogs and the Purina Dog Team, for which Milt is part of. As far as Canidae, well there are 3 dock jumping teams sponsored and contracted with Canidae All Natural Pet Foods, and they are not presently taking on anymore dock jumping teams... myself and my 3 dogs, Dan Jacobs and his clan and Jay Harris and his dogs.

As Shari has stated, we do work hard to promote these companies, form special bonds and relationships. With Wubba for which I, Rock and The Rock Classic have been involved with since 2005 when we introduced the Wubba toy at Rock's first event, and they have been forever grateful.

To answer your question Jubilee, with all do respect.... if you are involved enough in the sport of dock jumping to merit a sponsorship you will have a handle on who and which teams are sponsored by which companies (Yes, I do realize that you are quite active in Flyball, which is great). Although, a list might not be a bad idea.

Best of luck to all the teams seeking sponsorships... I think it's a great for the sport as a whole.


Barb, Rock and Ten

Without getting into the nastiness of who said what, or did what, which I don't believe belongs on this forum, it would be my suggestion that if you are looking for a sponsorship, look to a smaller company. Smaller companies who produce great products/services are way more likely to want to work with you. From experience, small companies love the word of mouth and the promo (at events, on the web, etc). They also love to hear the feedback you get from other competitors/users. In my opinon, sponsorships should be mutually beneficial relationships. And as always good sportsmanship, common sense, and respect need to play a role.

I had a really long drawn out awnser and my computer at work crashed when I hit the send button. SO here is the synopsis

I have the same sponsor as someone else..We probably started courting them the same time and I did not know they were until after I was just working out the final bit of the sponsorship.

I use the product I choose to get sponsorship from...because I feel I am endorseing them. Bo has never looked better than since he has been on The Missing link

I believe because team red dog does so many different things Conformation, hunting, dock diving, starting SAR, agility, flyball, ect if I were to limit myself to only products that werent already sponsoring someone in one of those areas than I wouldnt have anyone I feel I would enodrse left to choose from.

You dont own a sponsorship the company owns you.

As far as motive for getting a sponsor....in the end it is money pure and simple.... MONEY...Product = money back in your pocket. The ethics comes in as wether you use and know this product well enough to endorse its use.

Now if I was approaching a smaller company that I know a Friend already used I would approach them to see if we could work together in some way to beneifit both us and the company in question.

Many companies can grow and sponsor many competitors in all parts of the dog world.

I dont know who everyones sponsor is. I had a list of sponsors I though of contacting and am working down that list. These were all ones I didnt think anyone in UAD had. Well this weekend I saw a banner for the first time hanging and low and behold it was one of the companies on my list. So what did I do I went and talked to them and they gave me coupons to use. I dont feed the food but another member of team red dog uses it exclusively....If they hadnt been at this event I would not have known anyone had them as a sponsor.

This isnt as elequent as my first one but I will elaborate more so I dont come off sound harsh and uncaring. I just think some people are to possesive of their sponsors. Be a good representative of their company and they will treat you well. In the same if you are looking at getting a sponsor some one else has talk with that person..see if you cant come up with a way to work together if it is a small company. At the same time I would promote myself and what I do as positivley as I can...I would never down talk another company.

I will be out in the open BARB I feed canidae and had in the past approached them for a sponsorship...they have offered me their breeding program coupons...which I gladly use. They didint offer more than that nor have I persued it more....For me out of respect Now that I know exactly who they sponsor I would talk with you or one of the other teams about putting me in touch with who I should talk to. Besides I am not tring to take a sponsor away I am happy with the coupons It has jumped to over 40 a bag ...But it is one of the few foods bo does well on. Hence why I approached them a long time ago about it.

Right up front, I am going to post a huge thank you to Shari for starting this
for discussion on the fourm. It took some serious guts to open up this can of
worms and I respect your comments and ethics in the way you did it.

From Team Sky's perspective, I am in 100% agreement, if a team has an
existing sponsor, and let's face it, if you are on this board, or compete at the
events, you know or you should know which teams are sponsored. It is kind of
hard to miss. Approaching another teams sponsor would be unethical and in my
way of looking at things completely illogical. I would think that if you are going
to be a sponsor for a company, you would want to be different and not blend in
with you fellow competitors.

Yes there may be companies that are capable of sponsoring multiple teams but
I would ask why would they? THIS IS NOT NASCAR. with multi-million dollar purses
this is Dock Jumping, no monetary prizes, very little fame and glory, and certainly
not a way for us all to make a living.

Yes Team Sky has considered sponsors, yes we have contacted a few small companies,
NO we have not contacted anyone of the companies that already sponsors a Team,
that in mind is disrespectful and unethical at the very least. We have appreciated the
friendship and camaraderie that we have at the events and we would not jeporadize
that for a moment. We have asked questions at events about sponsorships, and getting
information on how to find sponsors, and frankly everyone has been very tight lipped about
how they found their sponsorships. I can be completely honest here and now, saying
that when we have pursued a sponsor it has been becasue we either use the product
or are purchasing that product for our dog to use. Most all of you know that we use
DOKKEN toys for Sky. We did approach Dokken because none of the teams, at any of our events
has ever advertised they were sponsored by Dokken. We received permission to use their
logo on Sky's jersey, but that was it. Later we found out from watching some of the "other"
competition events that they do sponsor other teams so we DO NOT use their logo but DO
use their product.

This is a long post so I will try and end it here, with some sound ethical and moral advice to us
all, Team Sky included. The Golden Rule which so many of us these days seem to have
forgotten says "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you...".
Let us all remember that there is no great monetary gain for us in these events,
and any glory or fame should go to the dog, they are the athlete and the competitor.
If you are seeking a sponsor evaluate for yourself why you are seeking one and by all means
if a Team is already sponsored don't poach on their turf.

For Team Sky, we would like to have a sponsor, but we will NEVER poach on anyone else's turf.
If you are diligent enough to have found a sponsor good for you. I know for us so far it has
been very difficult and we may or may not try anymore, right now our only goal is to get Sky
her UKC Championship for jumping, and to continue working her in the field for her Retriever
status. We have valued the friendship at the events to much to risk that over a sponsorship.

With all of the above said, if any of you out there with sponsors feel that we have contacted
your companies, please feel free to ask us. WE HAVE NOT, NOR WILL WE EVER, KNOWINGLY
POACH ON YOUR TURF OR SPONSORS!!!!!

Again, I'm not arguing, I'm trying to understand....honestly. And I still do not understand if a company can and will and sponsor more than one dog....and if they are more than happy to sponsor more than one dog, what is so unethical about approaching that company about sponsoring your dog in addition to (not instead of) a dog they already sponsor?

Now, if the company will only sponsor one dog, then that's different. But what is wrong with a company sponsoring more than one dog if that's fine with them? It's the company's money, the company's merchandise, the company's name, the company's reputation.....not the dog's/owner's.

And yes, of course I realize this is not the multi-million dollar NASCAR industry. But it was the principle I was talking about....one company having having more than one sponsorship. Sorry if I didn't make that crystal clear.

And what about the people who don't frequent these forums? If they approach a company about a sponsorship, and you are already sponsored by that company, how is that non-forum person supposed to know that? Or are you saying in order to be a good, reputable dock diver, you have to frequent these forums.

It just seems to me that by putting forth your own standards of what's ethical or unethical, right or wrong, you are condeming a lot of innocent people who have no intentions of "poaching" on someone else's territory. They are just trying to make their own territory.


And please note, Team Fire and Ice is not sponsored by anyone except Bill and Nancy's checkbook!

SKY Sr. wrote: right now our only goal is to get Sky
her UKC Championship for jumping, and to continue working her in the field for her Retriever
status. We have valued the friendship at the events to much to risk that over a sponsorship.

I totally agree......However I think there are many companies that can afford to sponsor more than one team. For instance Diamond makes 8 different foods including Solid gold and chicken soup for the soul. If I had diamond as a sponsor I wouldnt have any problem with someone also having them...But hey thats just me and Team Red Dog does more than just dock dive. I am sure someone in one of those areas that I listed before is using a product I would endorse...or worse they are endorsing it and not using it. I would say every situation is different and merrits different approaches

I would say every situation is different and merrits different approaches

BINGO! Sponsorships is not a one-size-fits-all situation in regards to the ethics of it.

Brian Sr., I completely applaud and agree with your whole post! Thank you!

As Brian said, the golden rule is darn good advice. Beyond that, I agree with Sally and Thom and others who said that it's the company's money, if they want to spend it on more than one dog, that's their choice. Sponsorship is a type of advertising and if they want to invest more, they can and will. The only real problem I see is that if someone in UAD approaches a company and says "hey, don't sponsor them, sponsor us, because ... ". That would be sleazy and underhanded. But where sponsors are involved there are going to be misunderstandings and possibly unbecoming behavior. I hope it will mostly just be misunderstandings.

In short, when conducting yourself, remember the golden rule. When on the receiving end, remember that no one is entitled to sponsorship. Ultimately it is the company's decision if and who they should sponsor.

Very well said, Indy.

ROCK wrote:Well said Shari, this subject needed to be brought up and addressed. Milt did post this topic subject a year or so back. It's a matter of RESPECT!! My advice is to first contact the individual teams that are sponsored by the companies first and ASK if they know if the company would sponosor another team. OR, ask the company first before hand. I really can't understand WHY this happens when there is thousands of great Pet Companies out there. Shoot, my puppy already has 4 sponsors and he is only 12 weeks old!!

Jim, Purina does not currently sponsor individual dock jumping teams other than Milt/Sparky and his dogs and the Purina Dog Team, for which Milt is part of. As far as Canidae, well there are 3 dock jumping teams sponsored and contracted with Canidae All Natural Pet Foods, and they are not presently taking on anymore dock jumping teams... myself and my 3 dogs, Dan Jacobs and his clan and Jay Harris and his dogs.

As Shari has stated, we do work hard to promote these companies, form special bonds and relationships. With Wubba for which I, Rock and The Rock Classic have been involved with since 2005 when we introduced the Wubba toy at Rock's first event, and they have been forever grateful.

To answer your question Jubilee, with all do respect.... if you are involved enough in the sport of dock jumping to merit a sponsorship you will have a handle on who and which teams are sponsored by which companies (Yes, I do realize that you are quite active in Flyball, which is great). Although, a list might not be a bad idea.

Best of luck to all the teams seeking sponsorships... I think it's a great for the sport as a whole.


Barb, Rock and Ten

Well I was looking for a flyball sponsorship and in turn it would turn into a dockdiving sponorship as if it would enable me to travel for events. I would be more involved in dock diving if it involved Florida more...but it doesn't. And really I posted more because I got no responses from a group who obviously has an opinion when I was trying to learn what sponsorships were all about. Which had we decided to pursue this, we would have invariably stepped on some toes. I was asking for a sticky on the subject as a whole...not necessarily a list of who sponsors whom but seeing how polarized people are on the topic that might be a good idea as well to get what people are calling their due "respect".

gatorblueyes wrote:I was asking for a sticky on the subject as a whole...not necessarily a list of who sponsors whom but seeing how polarized people are on the topic that might be a good idea as well to get what people are calling their due "respect".

I don't think it would be a bad thing to have a sticky where people can post who their sponsors are. That way, if someone is considering a company, they can check one location to see if there will be a conflict and act accordingly, either by not contacting that company or contacting the team and asking if they mind. This would not only help out current UAD people who just can't remember or don't know who is sponsored by who, it would also help people coming in from other organizations and sports who may have a sponsorship conflict.

See thats where I have a problem....sponsorship conflict?? I agree with the golden rule as was stated....Treat them how you want to be treated. But if I had a sponsor for my hunting side...I dont know lets say remington because they make retrieving dummys and I decided to dock dive using my remington retriever dummy I would Proudly display my sponsorship while diving. If this list is created should we also include the people that sponsor competitors in dock dogs and splash dogs as off limit sponsors?..I know some people dive in both. I would be all for a list because it would give more exposure to the sponsors I have or am currently working on.

I have a question for those that have the same sponsor...I put out how I wound up with the same as team Luvables and what I knew about them being sponsored as well. Which was I didnt know anything until I already had a verbal agreement from OUR sponsor..But how about those of you with Canidae as a sponsor or Wubba's I believe their are multiple teams sponsored by them. Who had them first, how did the others go about getting them, and how does the company feel about having multiple sponsors?

We have multiple sponsors.. None of them reflect each other.
Pawsitively Raw Foods.... Dog food
Mustluvdogs..... Cooling blanket and leshes.

None of them are conflicting each other. If you are oging to have more than one sponsor you have to make sure that they do not conflict. Also our sponsorship is for product and nothing more. I have tried to get monitory sponsorship for Sarah and her dogs but have had no luck.. That's fine though. The money that we would normally spend on purchasing the products, in turn goes to entry costs.
Now I just need to find a sponsor for rubber chickens. We seem to go through way to many of them.

Have chased the sponsorship deal since beginning of 2006. One thing that people need to know is it does take a lot of work. But one must remember in the long run it is the company that decides how many dogs they will sponsor not the competitors. So some people will go direct to the company and ask while others will go to a sponsored competitor and ask them or notify them that they are pursuing a sponsorship from the same company. You will find that most of the time your road to sponsorship will be made much easier if you go thru someone who is sponsored by that company. Personally I use their products and believe in the company or I don't talk to that company. That is where the ethics comes in for me. The multiple dogs per sponsor thing some one asked about. Those folks talked to me than I introduced them to the company reps. Did they have to - no. Was I glad they did - yes. The company then makes the decision not the competitor. Although sometimes they do ask advice or if you know someone etc. etc. Something you need to realize also is the geographic location of the regional sponsor reps and the competitors. With one of our sponsors we have competitors in the North East, South, and Midwest. The competitors are geographically seperated which is good business in my opinion. In the long run I think multiple competitors with the same sponsor helps the competitor if they are seperated. Sales Increase due to increased exposure of their product and 3 competitors can go to a lot more events than one. As far as people getting upset because competitor b going after competitor a's sponsor. To me not worth the worry as your sponsor will probably come to you and ask your opinion anyway. As someone said before the sponsor owns you (sort of) you don't own them. Here is a for instance for you - At one time we threw a Jolly ball for one of our dogs - asked Milt if he cared if I talked to them. Not a problem. When I talked to them they told me they sponsored only one dog and that was Sparky. So I dropped it. Now if I would of kept persuing it or bad mouthed Sparky (notice I did not say Milt ) that would have been different. Lack of respect for my fellow competitor if you will. As a matter of fact I think Milt did the same thing I did and gave me some points of contact for the company. If someone wants to pursue one of Team Missy's sponsors have at it, no hard feelings but if someone tries to undermine Team Missy's relationship with our sponsors by bad mouthing us - well that's another thing all together. In short I like that Golden Rule and have tried to apply it in everything I do. To those folks seeking sponsorships, ask around and keep your eyes & ears open at events and you will find out who sponsors who. Go after the sponsors you want and remember persistance pays off as long as it is done tactfully. If I used a product that someone else had a sponsor ship from and I lived within a state of that person I would not encroach in their area but if say they lived in California I would probably inform them of my intentions then contact the company.

Dan & Missy

Laszlo's Botond wrote:See thats where I have a problem....sponsorship conflict?? I agree with the golden rule as was stated....Treat them how you want to be treated. But if I had a sponsor for my hunting side...I dont know lets say remington because they make retrieving dummys and I decided to dock dive using my remington retriever dummy I would Proudly display my sponsorship while diving. If this list is created should we also include the people that sponsor competitors in dock dogs and splash dogs as off limit sponsors?..I know some people dive in both. I would be all for a list because it would give more exposure to the sponsors I have or am currently working on.

I only meant "sponsorship conflict" to mean that there might be a conflict between people who have the same sponsor, if one or both parties is bothered by it. The list would sort of a be a heads up so that they can resolve any issues privately, before they become a real problem. I'd like to think that everyone will be reasonable. For example, someone who does field trials has the same sponsor as someone who does dock jumping, no problem. The person who does field trials takes up dock jumping (not unheard of). In my opinion, it wouldn't really be fair for either party to take grief over who their sponsor is and hopefully the two could come to an amiable agreement.

I don't know that we can really account for sponsors of teams that jump in other organizations here, but I'm a newbie, so what I don't know, is really quite a lot My feeling is that if you jump with more than one organization then you need to take responsibility for making sure you don't get into trouble with those organizations.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that UAD doesn't have anything to do with sponsorships, it is up to individuals to do the right thing, police themselves and resolve their own problems privately. If that is the case, and this list is created it would be unofficial, simply a helpful tool for people who have or would like to have sponsors, so that they can communicate privately and avoid conflict. It might also have the added benefit of giving sponsors a little more exposure.

"I think it's depressing that people are so territorial over their sponsors to the point of attacking other members." -Falon

I think that statement sums up my opinion as well, for the most part. I have been witness to (and intervened in some situations), along with being informed of other negative encounters where members I consider friends were attacked, cussed out, slandered, etc. both online and off... all because they chose to support a certain product (not even pursue or be sponsored by thus), pursue sponsorship, gain sponsorship, or were approached about sponsorship (company took the initiative and OFFERED sponsorship). So, in regards to any pointed fingers and accussations of "immorality" towards teams with shared sponsors... I think some may want to review self actions and words and realize they may not be behaving all that "ethically" themselves.

No, I am not pointing fingers at any one party... nor do I wish to get into some argument over particulars. However, I do know for a fact that there have been some NASTY things said and done, on both ends of such conversations, and I, for one, find it exceedingly disheartening.

Do I feel it is a good and kind idea to contact companies/already supported teams to request information/gain permission for sponsorship of any additional teams? Yes. I think it is a polite thing to do and shows forethought and respect. Are teams are obligated to do so, however? No. No one is under any requirement to contact another team for permission. Teams do not own their sponsors. They also have no control/authority over other teams the company may choose to sponsor, nor hold rights over where/by whom the company's products are used, sold, or advertised. While that may be an upsetting or frustrating thing to accept, it remains the cold, hard truth.

Is it possible that a company may drop a previous team after gaining a number of new teams? Yes, I suppose it is. Might that worry or upset already sponsored teams? Of course and understandably so. Thus, for that reason, it is a courteous idea to first contact companies and any already sponsored teams (if known), to inform them of your decision to pursue sponsorship with said company, along with perhaps gaining their "well wishes," so to speak. Of course, given the HUGE number of other teams, sports, and work existing, it is not always possible to know if other sponsorships exist without asking the company itself first.

I think another important point is in relation to conflicting individual team's sponsorships. I know some teams (not necessarily within this group/sport) who have multiple sponsorships... some of which highly conflict. For example, I know some teams with multiple food sponsors. Now, if they actually use both foods and both companies are aware of and okay with eachother's sponsorships, that's one thing. Unfortunately, there are some teams out there who may seem to merely desire some extra free product or money... and don't bother informing companies of already existing similar sponsorships... nor do they do much, if any, work for the companies by advertising and the like. I also know some teams who claim sponsorship by certain companies... and yet neglect to even use the products that company makes. Still, while such practices may not be very polite or upstanding, they are still totally legal.

Furthermore, what exactly qualifies as sponsorship? I know a couple other sport teams who have recieved free product from a company on occassion (or a one-time deal). Does this make those companies sponsors for said teams? In my opinion, no. I would personally define a sponsorship as a mutually benefitial and ongoing partnership, in which the team sponsored agrees to promote, sell product, and/or etc. in exchange for free/discounted product, services, monetary assistance, and/or etc. from the company. I don't consider one-time or random deals or donations to qualify as sponsorship. However, do those one-time or random deals/donations entitle teams to advertising/promotion/use of the company's products? Of course. If a company was nice enough to, for example, donate product or funds to an event I was hosting or my dogs on a one-time deal, I would happily advertise and promote the company, simply as a way of showing support and thanks. Now, should those type of actions then be seen as an attack on someone who may already be sponsored by the company? Nope. Promoting, supporting, advertising, selling a product alone is quite different than actively seeking their sponsorship. And, again, teams have no control or authority over who/where a company chooses to allow the promotion or selling of their products.

Lets also look at this from a human competitor perspective. I have friends and family who are professional athletes... all the way to the Elite/Pro and Olympic level. Obviously, said individuals regularly seek out, obtain, and maintain all sorts of sponsorships. Are many of the sponsorships they possess shared with other athletes? You bet. A whole heck of a lot are. Are those companies all big, name brand sponsorships? Some of them are, some are not. More importantly, if those atheletes wish to *keep* their sponsorships, they won't slander or cuss out other athletes just because they happen to share a supporting company, use their products, or show some other sort of support. Is there some stupid stuff that occassionally happens? Sure. That happens with any sport. But should it be considered acceptable behavior? Definitely not.

Basically, to sum it up in a brief, little blurb... Common courtesy to
contact prior? Yes. Restricted and required to do so? No. As others have already noted, the "Golden Rule" tends to apply in these type of situations. Of course, it is important to keep in mind that it is not a one-way street... and both those seeking, as well as those already possessing, sponsorships should work to abide by such common courtesies and logical behavior.

And, for the record... despite the numerous sports and jobs my boys compete and work in, we have not bothered to obtain any sort of sponsorship. However, we have been approached by several companies. Might I decide to follow up with one or several of them in the future? Maybe... but not at this particular point in time.

Dan Jacobs, thanks so much for posting! When I first read this topic I instantly thought of you and how helpful you have always been to me, and to everyone else. It's very refreshing. When I was looking for sponsorship you were SO helpful, kind, and encouraging. It was heart-warming to know that a fellow competitor, one of the best teams in the nation, would be so willing to help out a newbee. Thank you for that and all of your continued great advice.

As Brian Sr., pointed out, I am also confused why people are so tight-lipped about the sponsorship thing. Why not help one another and share our success stories? It sounds like to me that would benefit everyone including the growth of the sport.

It's been my experience that smaller companies are way more likely to work with you interms of product-sponsorship. They see sponsoring a team as not only a marketing function, but a R&D function as well. They love to get the word out about their product/service through your word of mouth, the web, events, etc. They are also equally excited to have your test out their products, have others test them, and to listen to your feedback. It's mutually beneficial for all involved.

Also Brian Sr. is right, it is about the Golden Rule. In obtaining sponsors we need to exhibit good sportsmanship, respect, and common sense.