"Sponsors seek permission slips from schools" by Brent Baird

Everybody knows that when you enter a college or professional sports venue you will see sponsor signage ever where you look, and in some cases every flat or printable surface in the venue. It has become expected and in some cases enjoyed because ofthe entertainment it can provide, or the flashy look the it can create. Some fan just might endure the endless ad campaigns or the comerical breaks that can make events last longer than intended. This is all expected and accepted in college and professional sports.

Now it is growing into the world of high school sports. When I went to school the few signs that were around the football field were from the local ice cream stand or the local market, some other companies might come and go from year to year in the program depending on if they had a child playing on that particular team. But now it seem s that the big national marketing firms , or a few up starts are noticing the huge, mostly untaped market of high school sports.

I can see positives and negatives in it for school districts and the sponsors. First for the sponsors; they are going to be able to get into every town, from small to big, and get to an audience that can not be riveled in sport. For companies that can not compete in the big leagues of sports sponsorships this new market will provide great opportunity. Wendy's could not compete McDonadl's in the sponsorship of the olympics. However, Wendy's might just be making out if you compare the audience that is sitting at an olympic game venue and the audiences that are in every high school stadium every friday night through the fall. School districts will get funding that can and will go far beyond what the were ever able to do on restricted budgets. Many programs can not surive on funds raised by the boosters bake sales and concession stands. The funds from these marking programs will go far to add sporting opportunties, and increase the quality of the program for the athletes.

However I believe school district will have make sure they do not end up makeing their high school athletes walking bill boards, playing on giant ads. For all the good that this type of program could offer to the high school programs it could very well become an advertising arms race and over shadow what it was mean to support.


Let's not see goverening bodies from high school sports have to implement rules and policies that cover how big manfacture and sponsor labels can be on uniforms.

I hope that going to a high school sporting event can be about the sport and the athletes playing and not the multi media, flashy ads posted all around.