25 février 2006

Chandra Crawford should smile. Charismatic + bilingual = $$$

Brian Milner

Add Chandra Crawford's name to the list of rising young Canadian Olympians who are attracting interest from sports agents, marketers and corporate sponsors in the wake of their fine performances at the Turin Games.

Crawford, a fearless 22-year-old from Canmore, Alta., won the gold medal in the women's cross-country sprint, defeating polished veterans with considerably more Olympic experience. But even earlier, the cross-country women's team had come into the crosshairs of the sports marketing industry, which is looking for fresh faces with strong medal prospects heading into the Vancouver Games in 2010.

By reaching the podium, Crawford and her more experienced teammates, Sara Renner and Beckie Scott (both of whom won silver medals at Turin), have raised their own profiles and that of their sport.

"They will do well," Elliott Kerr, the president of Landmark Sport Group, said of their marketing prospects.

Kerr, who represents such Olympic stars as Cindy Klassen and Brad Gushue, has had his eye on "quite a few" up-and-coming athletes at the Turin Games. They include budding young alpine aces Kelly VanderBeek, 23, François Bourque, 21, Erik Guay, 24, and Manuel Osborne-Paradis, 22. Their strong performances did not result in medals (although the first three recorded fourth-place finishes), but they created considerable buzz.

"These are young kids in a very sexy sport," Kerr said. "Will they be the next wave of the Crazy Canucks? I'd say yes."

Kerr sees the prospect of corporate sponsorship and endorsement deals in excess of six figures annually for the most charismatic, articulate and bilingual of the young competitors. And there should be more than one such lucrative contract for each athlete because so many companies will be looking for ways to connect their brands, even indirectly, to the next Winter Games.

Corporate deals for individual athletes could run between $75,000 and $150,000 each, agrees Keith McIntyre, the president of K.Mac & Associates Marketing Inc. Others, though, are less optimistic, noting that Canada is a relatively small market bombarded by media coverage of U.S. professional sports and their stars.

"Six figures would be surprising," Brad Pelletier, IMG Canada's managing director, said of potential endorsement contracts for the young Olympians. "In Europe, it's kind of a one-sport marketplace, so their amateur sports get a lot more recognition. In Canada, with every new season comes another [professional] sport and with it their whole slew of athletes."

Indeed, no Canadian skier, skater or slider could hope to match the rich paydays enjoyed by many of the European stars or some of their counterparts in the United States. And no one does better than the glamorous alpine racers, who traditionally rake in the most money of any winter athletes, thanks to lucrative equipment deals and other endorsements worth $200,000 (U.S.) and more a contract.

Take Hermann Maier, the 33-year-old Austrian ace who recovered from a devastating motorcycle crash to reclaim his spot among the world's elite racers.

Maier has complained bitterly about the limitations on his outside income set by the Austrian Ski Federation. Like Alpine Canada, the Austrian ski bosses forbid deals with companies in direct competition with team sponsors. That cost Maier a seven-figure deal with Audi. Also, the federation keeps half of whatever the athlete gets. Poor Maier says he took home only $700,000 in the 2004-05 ski season. But industry estimates place his annual income at close to $4-million, not counting a $600,000 bonus from his ski supplier for winning a medal.

Bode Miller, 32, the outspoken American showman who bombed at Turin, makes about $3-million a year from corporate deals. Finland's top female skier, Tanja Poutiainen, 24, is also that country's top-earning female athlete, at about $1.2-million annually. Janica Kostelic of Croatia is another big earner, with about a dozen national sponsors.

But if Canadians ever feel that they get short shrift from the corporate community, they need only look at Sweden to feel better about their lot. Not a single member of Sweden's silver-medal women's hockey team has any endorsements. Anja Paerson, the 24-year-old skiing sensation, doesn't even bother with an agent or manager. It's a market where athletes and other celebrities are not top of mind when corporations look for ways to promote their brands.

Luckily for the new crop of winter stars, that is definitely not the case in Canada.

Thars gold in them hills
Five of the wealthiest Winter Olympians and some of their corporate scores :

Janica Kostelic, alpine skiing, Croatia. Endorsement deals with Renault, T-Mobile phones, Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank, Jamnica bottled water, Croatia Osiguranje (insurance), Snickers candy bars, a major gasoline retailer, home appliances, tissues, construction and a sports nutrition company.

Anni Friesinger, speed skating, Germany. Canadian Cindy Klassen's rival, known as the queen of sponsorships. Has parlayed sex appeal into multimillion-dollar deals with likes of Fiat's Lancia sports cars and E.ON, Germany's largest supplier of power and natural gas.

Hermann Maier, above, alpine skiing, Austria. Raiffeisen Bank, Atomic (skis and bindings), Carrera (ski goggles) and Intersport Group (sporting goods). Merchandise includes "Herminator" granola bar, video game.

Claudia Pechstein, speed skating, Germany. Sponsors include Wella shampoo, Sekt sparkling wine. Like bitter rival Friesinger, she rakes in about $3.5-million (U.S.) a year.

Bode Miller, alpine skiing, United States. Nike, Visa, Barilla pasta, Atomic. Hosts weekly show on Sirius satellite radio.

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