The Tour de France is coming off arguably its worst year ever. Still staggering from doping allegations against 2006 winner Floyd Landis, in 2007 the race saw several leading contenders booted over doping, sponsors threatening to pull out, and TV stations in Germany banning race coverage. The doping scandal threatened to consume the sport, which may be why this year the Tour’s sponsors are taking a new tack. Doping is no longer hanging over the race; instead, it’s being brought to the forefront as the race acknowledges its past problems and pledges to win back fans’ trust. U.S. race carrier Versus’ theme for this year’s three-week event, coverage of which begins Saturday, is “Take Back the Tour.” It rips the “dopers, politics and critics” who have sabotaged the past few years and pledges to address the scandals while also promising that this year’s Tour belongs to the fans. New sponsors of two U.S.-based teams, including Columbia, the sportswear maker, have sworn to police their squads for any hint of rule-breaking. Irving Rein, professor of communication studies at Northwestern University and co-author of “The Elusive Fan: Reinventing Sports in a Crowded Marketplace,” talks to Media Life about the Landis legacy, what the Tour must do to make amends, and why cycling could end up like roller derby.


How much has the Tour suffered in casual fans' eyes because of the doping scandals?

The Tour de France has declined as an attraction because of the doping scandals. Over the last few years, there's been evidence that television and local interest has not been as strong as in previous years.

There's also the star factor that is a variable. Certainly the drama of Lance Armstrong's long streak of wins built interest not only in Europe but in North America.

But even then Armstrong's streak was marred by accusations of doping, and long-term this certainly did not help the sport.

 

It seems as though the Tour is taking the doping allegations head-on this year, with a new campaign from Versus and several sponsors pledging stricter oversight. Is this too little, too late, or will people be swayed by the new honesty?

The Versus campaign is a fairly bold attempt to restart the Tour anew.

Moments in the event are rewound, implying that the Tour is attempting a fresh start. The viewer is asked to go along with this proposition and view the Tour de France with fresh eyes and suspend all judgments over doping.

While it's impossible for most human beings to overlook the overwhelming storyline of the doping scandal, it's not unlikely that core cycling fans will suspend their judgment for one more year because of their love of the sport.

This is particularly true in countries like France, Germany, and Spain where the cycling culture is so much stronger than in North America.

 

There will be two U.S.-based Tour teams for the first time in history. How much attention will they draw to the Tour?

It was really fortunate that the two teams were able to attain sponsors for this event. I doubt that there will be much interest in their sponsorship in the U.S., but that's obviously not where these sponsors are targeting.

Sponsors such as Columbia are clearly interested in building the European market and see the risk/reward ratio as worth it. It may take several years before the sponsorship pays off.

 

How have Tour sponsors moved to protect their brands during the thick of the doping scandals?

In the cases of Discovery Channel and the U.S. Postal Service, they dropped their sponsorships.

 

It's easy to understand why the USPS did so, as it represents government money and the public might find this particularly distasteful.

Discovery seems a more complicated case, as they obviously felt there wasn't enough reward for the money being spent and there was some downside.

 

Do you think ultimately that the doping allegations surrounding Floyd Landis will hurt the sport, coming so soon after Lance Armstrong's triumphs?

I don't think that “ultimately” is the right word in this context. The Floyd Landis doping allegations hurt the Tour de France in ways that few sports have ever been damaged.

 

I can think back to the late 1940s and early 1950s when the college basketball scandals almost wrecked interest in the sport. In that case, schools like CCNY and Long Island University never recovered from the scandal.

In many ways, the Tour de France as a major sporting event is on life support.

In this competitive marketplace, with so many blue-chip major sports dominating the market and many new sports such as action sports and mixed martial arts gaining momentum, it would not be hard to see the Tour de France slip into the orbit of rodeos and roller derby.

 

Do you think cycling will need another Armstrong in order to grow in the U.S., or do you see growth potential simply in the upcoming Olympic Games and this year's U.S. teams in the Tour?

This is a complex question.

Cycling has experienced a series of doping allegations that are unprecedented in sports history. Along with track and field, they occupy an unprecedented low point in the trustworthiness of sports fans.

However, there is a silver lining, and that's the fuel shortage.

Cycling is booming all over the world as citizens are looking for ways to beat the high prices of oil. Their purchase of bikes is likely to create a new casual market for cycling.

 

In the case of cycling, it might rest less on star power and more on a broad-based consumer interest in the sport itself.

 

What kind of dollars go into a Tour sponsorship?

It's expensive.

A sponsor could easily spend $20 million a year supporting a world-class Tour operation. This sponsorship, of course, is all about building the brand of the sponsor, and whatever emotional heat, credibility, and attention that comes off the performance of the team itself.

These types of sponsorships have grown immensely over the last decade as sponsors find it more difficult to use conventional advertising and other crowded channels to reach their buyers.

 

This is another trend that works in the favor of the Tour de France and cycling teams.