Alcohol a forbidden sponsor ?

[elapid]

Ya, thats' the problem Unibet.com cycling team had as well. They couldn't get invites to alot of races because it was illegal to advertise online gambling sites in france. Or at least sites that compete with the french national lottery.

Silence Lotto?

 

[Jonathan]

Interesting! American's are led to believe Europeans are much more open about things like alcohol, and abuse them less as a result.

Americans are led to believe a lot of stupid things about 'Europe'. Take, for example, their ideas about my wonderful and safe home town: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTPsFIsxM3w.

 

[The_Z_man]

Silence Lotto?

That's why I saw it as a ****ing match between the UCI and ASO. The ASO wanted a reason to keep a ProTour team out, so they said, since Unibet.com was accessible from France, they were competing with the French national lottery. Teams like ONCE and Lotto were/are allowed because they were from other countries and therefore the interpretation of the law allowed them to compete. It's all semantics.

Pretty much, the ASO was looking for a reason to keep a ProTour team out of the TdF. They wanted to show the UCI that they could invite, or not, any team they damn well wanted.

 

[Stani Kléber]

Americans are led to believe a lot of stupid things about 'Europe'. Take, for example, their ideas about my wonderful and safe home town: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTPsFIsxM3w.

Fox News, I keep thinking it's just a very long comedy show but, no, it's real. It's odd how they view the world at times

Back to cycling, in more recent times we've had the Vini Caldirola cycling team, the Cantina Rosso one too. Both are Italian wine companies.

 

[the truth.]

no one remember Buckler!

Edwin van Hoyadonkorsomething.

Beer and biking is like coffee and racing. if the money pays riders wages bring it on.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

For a long time the season rankings were the Super Prestige Pernod rankings, and during their day the season-long competition mattered to riders and fans.

Dang - you beat me to it!

I remember Sean Kellys KAS team - which was a soft drink maker - sharing sponsorship with Guinness when he raced in Ireland in the 80's!

 

[scribe]

Americans are led to believe a lot of stupid things about 'Europe'. Take, for example, their ideas about my wonderful and safe home town: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTPsFIsxM3w.

Bill O'Reilly and that publican strategist were probably doing speedballs and making all sorts of freaky secks together later on that evening after that was shot. Hypocrites will always find a voice.

 

[poupou]

That's why I saw it as a ****ing match between the UCI and ASO. The ASO wanted a reason to keep a ProTour team out, so they said, since Unibet.com was accessible from France, they were competing with the French national lottery. Teams like ONCE and Lotto were/are allowed because they were from other countries and therefore the interpretation of the law allowed them to compete. It's all semantics.

Pretty much, the ASO was looking for a reason to keep a ProTour team out of the TdF. They wanted to show the UCI that they could invite, or not, any team they damn well wanted.

All french races are not held under ASO. Have you seen unibet team at Dauphine Libere or other races in France?

 

[davidw]

Interesting! American's are led to believe Europeans are much more open about things like alcohol, and abuse them less as a result.

That's generally true, although there's a huge difference between countries like France and Italy, and more northerly ones like England where binge drinking is apparently something of a national sport. Even in Austria, you'd see puke here and there on Sunday mornings, something that is (or was, at least) very rare in Italy.

 

[davidw]

Anyone remember reading about the Coors team being kicked out of some dry town in Texas? This was a long time ago... early '90ies. I guess the sheriff actually escorted them to the town (or was it county?) line.

 

[al_pacino]

That's generally true, although there's a huge difference between countries like France and Italy, and more northerly ones like England where binge drinking is apparently something of a national sport. Even in Austria, you'd see puke here and there on Sunday mornings, something that is (or was, at least) very rare in Italy.

I would like to defend my home country but I can't, some city centres are best avoided at weekends.

 

[Crunchy Frog]

I would like to defend my home country but I can't, some city centres are best avoided at weekends.

Sadly true, though I'd replace "some" with "all" and "weekends" with "any time after dark".

Nearest to me, Maidstone at night is like downtown Mogadishu without the exotic charm.

Ashford ditto.

Chatham ("Cha 'um") double ditto.

 

[Kingsley A]

Gitane, a cig manufacturer, used to be a team sponsor. But the rules may have changed over the years.

And Galouises, another cig manufacturer, sponsored one of the first big multi-sport adventure races in the Chamonix area.

This must have been a few years ago. Since 1997 all tobacco advertising and sponsorship has been banned within the EU. This caused entertaining problems for Tony Blair when he tried to delay introducing the ban for Formula One and as a result his Labour Party was forced to repay a million pound donation from Bernie Ecclestone!

Re: National Lotteries. They are what they say on the tin - national. One has to be physically in the specific nation in order to buy a ticket. Thus the Belgian Lotto that sponsors Silence-Lotto is not in direct competition with the French Lottery unless their odds are so much better than the French Lotto that thousands of French are crossing the border every week to buy Belgian Lotto tickets.

 

[Anonymous]

Ya, thats' the problem Unibet.com cycling team had as well. They couldn't get invites to alot of races because it was illegal to advertise online gambling sites in france. Or at least sites that compete with the french national lottery.

yup.. depends on the country.. some dont allow alcohol advertising, some dont allow tobacco advertising.. but as said, with no alcohol advertising on tv in certain contries it kinda ruins things

was always fun to see jordan f1 with "bitten and hisses" as their sponsor in places where tobacco advertising was banned

 

[Kingsley A]

yup.. depends on the country.. some dont allow alcohol advertising, some dont allow tobacco advertising.. but as said, with no alcohol advertising on tv in certain contries it kinda ruins things

was always fun to see jordan f1 with "bitten and hisses" as their sponsor in places where tobacco advertising was banned

Just remembered the Welsh rugby team, sponsored by Brains Bitter, running out in Paris with "Brawn" on their shirts!

 

[gregod]

Ya, thats' the problem Unibet.com cycling team had as well. They couldn't get invites to alot of races because it was illegal to advertise online gambling sites in france. Or at least sites that compete with the french national lottery.

I think what happened to Unibet was they wandered into the middle of a turf war between ASO and UCI.

The wikipedia page for unibet is interesting.

Also, Unibet became Collstrop and I found this interesting table comparing F1, cycling and football sponsorship.

...

And Galouises, another cig manufacturer, sponsored one of the first big multi-sport adventure races in the Chamonix area.

An Indonesian company Wismilak that makes clove cigarettes sponsor(ed)s a team and some events in Asia. And Bintang beer also sponsors a team.

Anyone remember reading about the Coors team being kicked out of some dry town in Texas? This was a long time ago... early '90ies. I guess the sheriff actually escorted them to the town (or was it county?) line.

This happened in the 80s while out on a training ride. The cop thought bicycles belonged on the sidewalk (of which there were none) and followed everybody out of town the long way even though it would have been faster to go in the same direction. When somebody snarked "I guess he doesn't like coors" or something like that, the cops got P.O.ed and it got reported on as "coors kicked out of a dry town". I tried in vain to find a link.

 

[Fus087]

Nobody mentioned Farnese Vini so far.
They even went to the Tour (and several other French races) last year, and there was no change of the sponsor's name.

 

[Eric8-A]

There was a Mexican team at last years Vuelta Mexico Telmex that had the team name: Tequila Afamado

 

[El Pistolero]

Interesting observation on the alcohol or tobacco sponsorship. But then neither are big soft drink manufacturers hopping on the bandwagon.

What about companies like Coca-Cola or Pepsi - riders are seen taking cans of Coke on the ride (while others take a different kind recreationally) - ;-)

Was just wondering -

Coca-Cola sponsors this small race called the Tour de France.

 

[L'arriviste]

Nobody mentioned Farnese Vini so far.
They even went to the Tour (and several other French races) last year, and there was no change of the sponsor's name.

True. As did Vini Caldirola, though a number of their riders were on much stronger stuff of course.

 

[Anonymous]

Advertising the sauce is illegal in France. No advertising at the TdF, no point getting involved at least at Pro Tour level.

So what to the french press etc call the Amstel Gold Race?

 

[L'arriviste]

So what to the french press etc call the Amstel Gold Race?

I don't think there's a problem talking about races in other countries.

 

[hrotha]

About Farnese Vini and Vini Caldirola... wine barely counts as an alcoholic beverage. Culturally, it's a different thing altogether. Here in Spain wine and beer are in a different legal category than spirits.

 

[El Pistolero]

About Farnese Vini and Vini Caldirola... wine barely counts as an alcoholic beverage. Culturally, it's a different thing altogether. Here in Spain wine and beer are in a different legal category than spirits.

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, always has been. Culturally it isn't that different.

Wine and beer have always been consumed by both the poor and rich. Both used to be watered down like hell. Both were consumed by the masses because normal water was unhealthy.

 

[theyoungest]

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, always has been. Culturally it isn't that different.

Wine and beer have always been consumed by both the poor and rich. Both used to be watered down like hell. Both were consumed by the masses because normal water was unhealthy.

Your point being?