In college athletics, even The Game can be bought.
Renowned as one of college football's most storied and traditional rivalries, the regular-season finale between Ohio State and Michigan was ready to succumb to corporate sponsorship last month when both agreed to allow SBC Communications to shell out $1.06 million to get to title the game.
But after an outcry from boosters, alumni and students at both universities, the SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic just remained Michigan versus Ohio State??-thankfully so to some.
\For us, that's the big game,"" OSU alumnus Rick Davis said. ""By giving in to the money, we lose the integrity, honor and tradition of the rivalry, and that's what none of us really wanted.""
Prior to the chorus of disapproval, it was evident, however, that some people, primarily university officials, were willing to let the corporate bigwig fork over cash in exchange for naming rights to the game.
Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin was one who originally agreed with the importance of sponsorship.
""I believe that corporate support is essential to the financial health of our athletics program and to our ability to offer opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the national level,"" Martin told The Detroit News.
Even though the Michigan-Ohio State deal fell through, the situation is representative of a major trend of corporate sponsorships in college athletics. As Martin said, ""The two universities agreed it was in their best interest not to pursue the arrangement at this time,"" but considering the influence of sponsorships in college sports, does that mean next year at this time SBC will add another game to the list of college football games it sponsors?
UW Assistant Professor of journalism Michelle Nelson suggested corporate sponsorships are likely to happen more often in college sports.
""Increasingly, marketing is taking money out of traditional advertising and putting it into other venues-product placement, sponsorships and other ways where consumers can't ignore advertising,"" Nelson said. ""And in terms of things companies want to sponsor, sports is number one.""
At UW, this interest is already becoming more obvious. Starting this fall, the winner of an 11-sport competition between UW and Minnesota will receive the Border Battle Cup, sponsored by TDS, a telecommunications company from Madison.
As UW Head Coach Barry Alvarez said earlier this semester, ""This competition adds another dimension to the rivalry,"" and what it does not do is take away from the tradition and history between both athletic programs.
""Adidas sponsors the Badgers, so we are accepting of that because we need sneakers to play the game and advertising on billboards is generally accepted as well. But maybe when it becomes the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl or the SBC Ohio State-Michigan classic, people are outraged because they're afraid of the corporate influence on the way the game is played. To some, sponsorships are a way of tainting the purity of the sport,"" Nelson said.
Davis agreed, saying, ""If people gave us enough money, would we start playing in the Ronald McDonald Stadium ... and throw away the tradition of the Horseshoe? So where do you draw the line?""
The line Nelson draws is at the consumer. Until the consumer believes sponsorships are taking over tradition and affecting gameplay, sponsorships will continue to exist in such abundance, even at UW's Camp Randall.
""People are willing to forgive some sponsorships because look at the new Camp Randall,"" Nelson said.
Until a sponsor can provide a better experience for the viewer, sponsorships are going to continue to receive mixed reviews. For now, to the content of fans, alumni and those linked with either Ohio State or Michigan, the game between the two schools can still just be The Game.
