It's Just Not Cricket!

Forbes Magazine recently published a list of the top 100 athletes world-wide, based on compensation. It says "world-wide," so you would think that would include cyclists, right? Well, I looked, and there wasn’t one bike racer! Not one! The bottom of the list came in at a mere $16.6 million. Chump change! You might as well get a desk job, if that’s all you make. The most embarrassing part was that two cricket players from India made the list, but no cyclists! Cricket! Curling, or darts, maybe. But cricket? The top football player got $26 million just in salary, without playing for a whole season. A golfer, chased up a tree by a wedge-wielding wife, could lose more, just in endorsements, than the $16 million minimum. The top 100 athletes combined made $2.6 billion last year! There are about 30 of the world’s poorest countries with GDP lower than that! But no cyclists in the top 100.

So, how much do cyclists make? CyclingTips, A website out of Australia, pegs the minimum salary for riders on the top pro teams at about $44,000. That goes up as the riders achieve good results, especially in the most prestigious races. For the top riders, the salaries are listed in the range of $1-3 million. With endorsements, appearance fees and other earnings, maybe they double that? Still, a long ways from making the Forbes Top 100!

This has caused me to noodle on how to better monetize the sport. Let’s assume that they already maximize the amount they can make from sponsorhips and endorsements.  Basically that is advertising revenue. And I’m sure that the Tour de France and a few other big races already get as much as they can from broadcast revenue. Again, that is advertising-based.

Why can’t they create a gate revenue model? In what other sport do the spectators get to watch for free? (Well, besides your kid’s Saturday soccer games, of course.) I realize it would be hard to charge admission for spectators all along the full length of a 200-mile stage of the Tour de France. But it would be feasible to block off large sections at the start and near the finish line, or at the summits of the big climbs, and to charge admission for those areas. People spend thousands of dollars in air fare, car rentals, hotels, meals, etc. to come to France for the Tour. An extra $20 or so for a prime spot to watch the race would be nothing to them. In fact, it could make the experience BETTER! They could reserve the spot in advance, and not have to camp-out to hold the space. Crowd control would be more civilized. Racer safety would be improved. The barriers marking the reserved space could carry advertising (more revenue!) The organizers could sell concession licenses for beer, food and souvenirs. They could rent nearby farm pastures for paid parking, with a shuttle to take the spectators to their reserved spots. This would reduce congestion and improve the experience. The possibilities just keep expanding! I should get a royalty for these ideas!

Remember, you heard it first right here.

Park City Criterium, Tour of Utah 2010.  Notice the crowd barrier with advertising for Bingham Cyclery.  It would not be that hard to charge admission for such a prime viewing spot.