Here's a thought-provoking article about sports sponsorship I thought you would like to read - The Editor.

Meltdown in sports sponsorship is not

all bad news

FROM THE GUARDIAN.CO.UK WEBSITE

By LAWRENCE DONEGAN

Despite what others may say, I'll stick with my belief that for every penny of sponsorship cash spent nurturing sporting talent, a pound is spent ruining sport
These words are not brought to you by a car manufacturer, a credit card company, the makers of risible burgers, a bank or indeed any other financial institution whose greed has landed us in the current economic mess. Nor is this situation likely to change any time soon. After all, if Tiger Woods is losing his sponsors what chance do the rest of us have?
Human nature being what it is the news that the world's most famous athlete has been "fired" by the stricken American car manufacturer General Motors inspires a number of emotions, not all of them generous. Misery loves company, apparently, and as we survey the wreckage of our own financial affairs it is difficult not to take at least a tiny bit of comfort from the knowledge that the powerful are suffering a little too.
Yet it would be wise not to waste too much time gloating. For one thing it's not good for the soul and, for another, there are far greater consolations to be found as the global economic meltdown takes its toll on sport.
If Tiger is suffering then rest assured many others will follow. The corporate millions will be missed, no doubt, but as we wave them goodbye we can do so knowing that as sport loses sponsors, so sponsors lose their power to deface the landscape of sport.
In the interests of fairness it should be pointed out that some multi-nationals support grassroots sport. I get a rash of chest-beating emails detailing these efforts but, alas, a lifelong dread of being caught asleep on the job means never getting round to reading them. Maybe I will one day but until then
I'll stick with my belief that for every penny of sponsorship cash spent nurturing sporting talent, a pound is spent ruining sport.
If that sounds harsh here are just a few examples of what I mean - the sale of stadium-naming rights; kit sponsorships going to the highest bidder, even if that means kids running round playgrounds advertising betting companies and extra strong lager; the shortage of big game tickets available to the general public because the corporate partners come first; the recycling of sponsors' tickets into the hands of touts; the empty seats where the sponsors' guests should be but aren't because they prefer to stay in the hospitality suite; and ceaseless pandering to the egos of those who run these corporations.
In the nine years that Tiger Woods was involved with Buick, earning a reported £60m, sales of Buick cars dropped by 58%.
Woods can hardly be blamed for the fact that Buick make bad and deeply unfashionable cars. But one has to wonder about the motivations of those who continued to pay him such extraordinary sums while the company spiralled downwards. Could it be that they thought Buick sales might fall even more precipitously if the company's name was not emblazoned on Tiger's bag? Or could it be they just liked the idea of spending some time in the company of the world's most famous athlete?
That is a question for GM shareholders. The rest of us, meanwhile, can only hope that with less sponsorship money being paid, those who run sport will no longer feel the need to prostitute themselves as much as they have done in recent years.
It would be a bonus too if the harsher economic climate also caused a certain breed of professional sportsmen to re-evaluate their attitude.

No one should begrudge the very best whatever they get, but so much money has been sloshing around sport in recent years that even the mediocre have become wealthy beyond their most extravagant dreams.

Tiger Woods' desire to win is obvious but there is also a generation of golfers whose complacency and sense of entitlement is equally obvious. The same goes for other sports, such as football. Some players have handled their good fortune well, but some have chosen to flaunt it, with little regard for the rules and sensitivities the rest of us live by.
It would surely be a good thing if these people were forced to learn a little humility and appreciate that mediocrity is no longer a passport to great wealth. In other words it is time to return the Baby Bentley to the dealership and get into something a little more in keeping with the new age of austerity. How about a Buick? Apparently Tiger has a second-hand model he's looking to offload.
Wealthy man's whinge is unbecoming of Poulter
God bless Ian Poulter, who is a damn fine golfer and always willing to rush to the aid of any journalist in need of a space filler. Contrary to the flashy public image, he is far more grounded and approachable than most of his peers.
But sometimes he is his own worst enemy. This week the Englishman is in China, where he has been holding court on a number of subjects, including the chancellor's proposals to increase income tax for the wealthiest members of society.

"What is he trying to do, drive us all away? Who wants to spend six months every year earning nothing?" he said, pausing momentarily in his backswing to indulge in the economic debate.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but, frankly, this is not the time for an wealthy sportsman like Poulter to be mouthing off about having to contribute a tiny bit more to the national coffers. He can afford it more than most, after all.