suckitupbigboy

As a second amendment support and gun owner, I agree there needs to be honest and thoughtful dialogue minus the political rhetoric. I am curious to know which of our political leaders coming up for midterm re-election are banging their drums about this debat for political gain? And those are the same individuals who have armed security agents assigned to them-interesting. I also find it interesting that Sellwood Cycle Repair- who I’ve never heard of- garnered internet fame by coming out and boycotting a company due to their ownership of certain companies. Fucking hipicritical if you ask me while they use the image of a bike helmet akin to a military style helmet similar to the movie full metal jacket- well played dip shits. #bansellwoodcyclerepair

Buy once, cry once.

TLD is absolutely on the right track. As a marketing director for a pro outdoor athlete, the dollars can come if and when the bike industry steps up and grabs the bull by the balls and drives the sport of MTB across all platforms, which will precipitate the "ripple" effect of advertising conversions that allow others to sink more dollars into the sport. TV revenue is obviously a major driver, and with television viewership moving away from traditional distribution and more towards an app style/on demand platform, Red Bull, NBCSN and ESPN are all well positioned to take advantage of this medium. In my opinion, Red Bull is a brand more associated with extreme sports, followed casually by ESPN. Dietrich Mateschitz's company has done a fantastic job of promoting the sport and can absolutely be a force multiplier to drive this to a mainstream platform; but the dollars for the Red Bull's and ESPN's-have to be there in order for that to happen. With over 1m views and 1.9m on demand views, the numbers do not lie; the sport is growing in viewership, with a 45% increase by RBMH alone. Now let's get ESPN and NBCSN involved. Not only do you need TV, but you need the UCI to become more engaged and married to the sport of MTB collectively across all disciplines to include Enduro and Freeride. More races throughout the year can certainly help drive the attraction and viewership, so says the law of averages. Revenue sharing, something the roadies are having a hard time with, will need to be shared among the athletes and teams. The bike industry will put their money behind what they believe will generate the most bang for their buck- which is necessary for their continuation as a going concern. But it takes money, and the money spent should help to drive and accelerate the sport of MTB to the next level, which will bring title sponsors from major companies outside of the biking cottage industry that have the capacity and war chest for the sport to grow.