While T-Mobile and Adidas rethink their involvement in the scandal-plagued Tour de France, Computer Sciences Corp. is sticking with the race because the team it sponsors established a rigorous anti-doping program.
Last year, a Team CSC racer was banned from the Tour after he was entangled in one of the many instances of alleged doping that have roiled the cycling world's most important competition. Just two months ago, the team's owner and manager, Bjarne Riis, admitted to taking unsanctioned drugs during the 1996 Tour de France, which he won.
This year, El Segundo-based Computer Sciences and Team CSC are trying to make sure the riders can't get into any trouble.
"All these doping allegations and rumors are not positive, but it's how we and the other teams treat them that's going to move the sport in the right direction," Theresa McDermit, Computer Sciences' brand manager, said Thursday.
A few companies are eschewing sports sponsorships as more and more athletes are caught in embarrassing situations or charged with crimes. Others are becoming more vigilant about which athletes they choose to endorse and monitoring the behavior of anyone who represents the brand.
After last year's incident, Team CSC implemented its anti-doping program. Each member has been tested 15 times in the last six months by the team and has submitted to regular Tour tests.
Team CSC riders were tested more in the first four months of the program than any professional football or basketball player will be tested in their entire career, according to the company. Said McDermit, "We stick with our partners, as long as we have a level of trust and confidence in their programs."
Computer Sciences has a clause in its contracts allowing it to terminate its sponsorship if there is evidence of systematic doping. In fact, in the last few years, more and more sponsors have insisted on contracts that allow them an out if athletes do something that damages a sponsor's reputation. And companies affiliated with leagues or events instead of individuals are pressuring their partners to implement more stringent rules.
All the measures mean that there probably won't be a dent in the $9.9 billion expected to be spent on sports sponsorships in 2007.
"We're going to see a greater interest and involvement in preventing these incidents," said Don Hinchey, vice president of communications at Bonham Group, a Denver-based sports marketing firm. "If you can be part of the rehabilitative process, you're able to transmute the potential negative into a positive."
