Giving What Exactly?
So, iPath has launched it’s inaugural BMX team (under the leadership of Mike Aderlean, who’s had luck with skate shoe companies in the past). All I know about iPath is that they now sponsor Bob Burnquist and Doug Wimbush endorsed them for a while. What I’m saying is, I don’t really have a dog in this fight except that I’m always amused and confused when a non-BMX company starts marketing to BMXers. You know what happens. First it’s “they’ll leave when the money’s gone,” yes, because they’re for profit businesses, that’s what they do, they make money. Even if they were rider owned they’d leave when the money’s gone, nobody’s trying to give you shit for free. (It should be pointed out that this argument is selective. When Haro announced Allen Cooke as their new brand manager kids younger than Haro stormed the internet to talk about how they’re horrible.)
Which is why in this round of “you suck, leave us alone!!!!” The “they just take and don’t give back,” cries stuck out to me. Give back what, exactly? No, seriously, can someone answer me this? They make a product, that if you like, you buy. So they’ve given you a consumer good. They have a team which, I’m assuming, is getting paid either a salary or in free/reduced priced goods. So, they’re giving riders a way to move out of they mamas’ houses. They’re probably going to sponsor contests/events, maybe put out a video or two (web or otherwise) so that’s helping out promotors and giving entertainment.
So, what else does any company need to “give” to BMX? I guess the argument can be made that they take business away from BMX owned brands. Both of them (oh, let’s be honest, have you ever seen a pair of SCG shoes in real life? Put your hands down if you actually know Steve Caro). It’s a valid argument, I guess. It’s horrible from a consumer choice standpoint, but I can see the argument. But this “give,” thing. What is it? No, seriously, I’m confused and intrigued by what level of giving does a company need to be legit? Someone enlighten me.
Lots of small, rider owned companies these days use the term “giving back” as a marketing term to make people think that whatever it is they’re doing is better than whatever it is that everyone else is doing just because they are a small company run by guys who ride or used to ride. Kinda like “rider owned”, it’s a term that’s kinda lost it’s meaning.
Hoffman was “giving back” when he put up his own money to put on a series of contests for pros and ams. But make no mistake, it wasn’t a charity. I don’t think Mat ever made money on the 90′s BS comps, but the comps were an investment that directly led to his involvement in the X-Games, which has presumably made Mat more money than anything he’d been involved with before combined. Mat invested in BMX through his companies, which benefited the riders, but at the same time it was an investment in his company and his future (which is to be expected and totally okay). Not to say that Mat was motivated by money, but he WAS promoting and investing in BMX as a whole (and his own talent) to make it into a viable way to make a living and a legitimate sport.
Now I can see why some people don’t want the tiny BMX market to be challenged by any more well heeled outsiders who have the resources to beat tiny rider owned companies at there own game. In that sense this isn’t any different than people telling you to shop at local owned businesses and not at Wal-Mart. But as long as both companies are doing all things equally, I don’t see how the pleas of “they don’t give anything back” are much more than the small companies begging for the consumers to keep their company’s head above the water.
But unless they are giving me a free stuff, or involved in some kind of BMX related charity or something, I don’t see how the people leveling this criticism towards the company are really giving back anything. Sponsoring events? That’s really just marketing, just like a TV commercial, only probably cheaper. Sponsoring riders? Giving Joe ProBarspin a free frame once every 6 months brings companies more sales than advertising – it’s why Nike sponsored Jordan, Haro sponsored Mirra, and GT sponsored Fiola. I suppose it’s nice that riders can make a living riding, but make no mistake, those companies are not doing those guys any favors. If they didn’t get at least as much from them as they give, those pros would be back to mama’s house and working at the car wash. Making quality, innovative parts? Well duh. They have to if they want to stay in business. Ask CW, Skyway, or Hutch what happens when you make outdated bikes from substandard materials that don’t work well. You go out of business. None of that stuff is doing anyone any favors.