Can somebody please explain to me at what point it became commonplace to openly discuss sponsorship deals that were “in the works” or “close” to being done? I’m going to pick on two organizations here, but they certainly aren’t the only offenders. Within the last several weeks we’ve had both Ty Norris and Cal Wells from Michael Waltrip Racing, and Aric Almirola from Dale Earnhardt Inc. appear in media pieces using phrases like “we’ve got quite a few things in the works,” “things are in the funnel,” and “I believe we’re in really good shape.”
What do those phrases even mean? Reading and hearing about these startling revelations from teams reminds me of a saying: “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” I’m sure every race team from Sprint Cup all the way to the bombers at your local short track have deals “in the works.”
With my personal background and knowledge of the sport, I realize that its important for these organizations to appear as though they are moving in a positive direction and for them to put on a “happy” face for the media. But does anyone actually believe them?
Yeah, I don’t.
Besides in the media, another place that phrases like these are used is within the team itself. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from management and team executives that sponsorship deals were nearly done, only to have them fall apart at the last minute. And with named sponsors no less! You’d think that if the brass were going to actually name names to employees, they’d be fairly certain a deal was done. I’d rather not know anything during the negotiations. I prefer to hear about my team’s sponsor announcements for the next year on NASCAR Now. At least then you know its probably fairly certain.
A story that I’ve heard several times during my career, and one that always gives me the shivers involved a major Cup team and their near signing of one of the shipping giants. The deal had been negotiated, agreed upon, and the team had signed the last bits of the contract. When they were finished, management handed the completed contract off to an employee to be overnighted to the sponsor. The deal breaker came when the employee sent the contract to the sponsor using their competitor’s service! Shortly after the package arrived, the sponsor nixed the deal and proceeded in another direction. Talk about a bad day.
An important lesson to be learned from all of this, is that it doesn’t matter how “close” you are. No sponsorship deal is officially done until the press conference happens and that all important check clears the bank.
We know that in the current economic climate times are tough. Sponsorship is hard to come by for some teams, while other teams have to beat sponsors off with a stick (see Richard Childress Racing). But for those that are struggling, you don’t have to lie to us. We aren’t stupid. And we aren’t going to hold you personally responsible if it doesn’t work out. Trying to convince a company to spend $25 million a year on a single sponsorship is a difficult task at best. Please don’t underestimate the intelligence of your employees and fans by trying to convince us otherwise.
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on Oct 1st, 2008 at 4:49 am
Who cares if they talk positive in front of the press. Are they supposed to say, well its looks bad, we are having a hard time getting sponsors etc etc, that PR person would be fired. Give me a break and stop being so picky on what they so or don’t say about sponsors and write about somethng worthwhile. Sheesh, talk about getting down on teams when they are struggling.
on Oct 1st, 2008 at 5:42 am
Dede: I’m not getting down on teams at all. I think if they really do have stuff in the works, great for them. What I don’t understand is coming out in the media and talking about “what might be.” I don’t expect them to come out and be negative though either. Just wait until something is certain.
You don’t see Hendrick or Gibbs people coming out and talking about potential deals. And you don’t hear GM’s from major sports teams coming out and talking about potential trades. And the reason you don’t, is because its pointless. None of it means anything until the deal is actually done.
And as an employee, I’d rather they were just honest with us. Don’t blow smoke up my a**.
on Oct 1st, 2008 at 6:09 am
AMEN!!
on Oct 1st, 2008 at 6:43 am
Which team lost UPS – FEDX and how about the new rumor that Rusty Wallace might come back to drive for DEI(TEI)?
I enjoy reading articles on this site…keep up the good work. This makes the sport alot more interesting.
on Oct 1st, 2008 at 12:37 pm
The reason why these teams say this stuff is because of the 24 hour news cycle. There are so many media outlets trying to get some kind of news to report that even speculation and rumor becomes worthy of “news”. I’d bet if the media outlets would stop asking questions about future deals and future sponsors, that the teams would stop talking about them. Or am I wrong and Ty Norris and Cal Wells went looking for someone to talk to?
on Oct 1st, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Rick, Rusty had officially denied that he is coming back to cup. It’s to bad, he was a great driver but the worst analyst in motorsports. I mean come on, how many times can a guy really say “he’s driving his brains out”?
on Oct 1st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
It’s familiar and not really funny to hear Cal Wells saying we’re close to a deal or we have something in the works. Only because some of us heard that all before at PPI Motorsports right before Cal came back with nothing and shut the place down and sent everyone home. Team owners and managers have to say stuff like that to keep the people in the shop from leaving the first chance they get. If these people came out and said “well we got nothing” they wouldn’t have any employees.
on Oct 1st, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I’ve been real close to a sponsorship deal every year for the last…oh, since about 1991…to run a full season in Late Models at Hickory. But never close enough to go buy a helmet or my Nomex or a car or a trailer or the scales, jack, jack stands. I have everything else including the desire…well you get my drift here, don’t you? I’m real close you hear, real close, and it may happen this winter…so be on the lookout for my PR guy and his press releases. They are at the printer’s office as we speak.
on Oct 2nd, 2008 at 1:21 am
How about the other way around? A sponsor announcing a deal with a team!
“Wired Flyer” and those crooks Jones and Harkness come to mind.
on Oct 2nd, 2008 at 2:12 pm
GMs from MLB teams talk about potential trades or other moves all the time. However, there are restrictions on what they can openly discuss because they could be accused of tampering. Otherwise they’d probably be doing just as much talking as those in Nascar.
I agree with the first poster – what else are these teams supposed to do besides put the best face on things? In addition, JGR, Hendrick and every single team in the garage area engages in just as much “spin” as the teams cited above. JGR spoke about possibilities for the #20 before Logano was announced as the driver, Roush talked about being close to signing a sponsor for Ragan and acknowledged that they might get UPS, Rick Hendrick made the infamous “no room at the inn” comment about Junior (and then later made room at the inn), and there are many other examples. Teams/drivers/sponsors are approached by the media on a regular basis and they answer the questions that are posed to them. Sometimes teams are just “blowing smoke,” sometimes they are speaking about what might happen based on the information they have at the moment but things change, sometimes there are things they can’t talk about openly and sometimes they’re actually saying what really will happen. Like with Cal Wells who you don’t believe – he’s talked about the things they have in the works and said how they might form an alliance with another team and that’s exactly what was announced yesterday.
on Oct 17th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
UGH—I hate the teasing TC LOL
Which shipping company (UPS?) and who blew it?? Is that why TS was ill?
Let me guess the other one—MotorMouth Motorsports had a welcome party for SWH?
Good article BTW