Air National Guard Sponsorship Astern, But What’s Off the Bow?

UnlimitedHydroplaneRacing.com gets many questions about the sport.  Some relate to the race schedule, while others are about where to find certain information or race resources.  Sometimes they are just so straightforward, simple and to the point, they warrant a response – and a much closer inspection.

Damn Smart Fans Ask Damn Smart Questions

I’ve tagged posts in the past with “Damn Smart Fans” in the past when thoughtful and insightful conversation has taken place.  Our friend Jack posed the following question:

“Who is going to sponsor the Unlimiteds for 2013 now that the Air National Guard is out?”

While this may seem like a simple question, it really does make me think a lot deeper about not only the sport’s sponsorship model, but also what might be on tap for the future.  Thank you, Jack, for this opportunity.

Not A Rumor Mill

First and foremost, this is a great opportunity to remind UnlimitedHydroplaneRacing.com readers this site does not traffic in rumors – not intentionally, anyway.  As a relatively new fan of the sport, I simply look at issues, ask and (try to) answer questions and occasionally speculate as to what might be an eventual outcome.

That last “speculation” part may seem like rumor mongering, but it is merely meant to learn more about this great sport through open and creative discourse, and sometimes question what I see.  This excellent question allows me to do just that.

Assumption

Any substantial and successful organization did not get to where they are without paying attention to business affairs in an intelligent and responsible manner.  The sport of Unlimited Hydroplane Racing is no different.  My initial reaction to Jack’s question is the H1 management team is very likely searching for another title sponsor.

H1 seems to have a history of not making a formal announcement until a deal is “inked.”  (See more on this below!)  There’s nothing wrong with that, as the kimono shouldn’t be opened on any negotiation process until the deal is done.  If we extend that thought further, they could actually be negotiating with a new sponsor right now.

But let’s be clear.  This is H1’s responsibility to announce what they will be doing, when they want to announce it, if they want to announce it.  For me personally, I really hope we hear something soon so that this “distraction” can be put to our rudder.

H1 on Auto-Pilot?

Jack’s question begs another: “Can (or should) H1 go it alone – without a title sponsor?”

(See?  We really do have Damn Smart Fans!)

Let’s take a look at recent history.  The Air National Guard relationship is only about three years old.  Overall, we’re looking at the ninth or tenth season coming up.  Being somewhat new to the sport, all I’ve known is ANG.  However, this timeline assumes continuing operations are possible without a title sponsor.

Possible But Not Optimal

When a race site pays their fees to have a sanctioned or exhibition race take place in their backyard, I would assume a certain percentage is held back for administrative support.  Funds that allow the sanctioning body to, well, “exist.”  Plain and simple: is takes time and money to feed an organization in place to benefit its members.

One might be able to argue this “held back” percentage may be enough to feed the operational, growth and expansion engine.  However, my perspective is it could become a larger burden on the race sites through increased fees over time.  We all want the sport to grow, and again, that takes resources.  Without another source of funding, there’s not many options.

This says operations could continue without an ANG-type sponsor, but to continue the growth and race site expansion in an orderly manner, a headliner sponsor (and the infusion of capital that comes with that) is really the best route.

Say it Aint So!

A child stepped up to Shoeless Joe Jackson as he was being led out of court in 1920 to ask him to deny the accusation that he and some of his teammates threw the 1919 World Series.  Although the actual question is reported to be “It ain’t true, is it, Joe?” the “Say it aint so” tag line is what has been cemented in history.

At the risk of looking like a rumor monger, there is an observation I really want to make.

I’ve already mentioned that H1 doesn’t seem to make public announcements until they are final.  To the best of my knowledge, H1 has not made a definitive announcement that Air National Guard is out.  I went back through their News postings – all the way to the 2012 Season Awards story, and found no such announcement.

Secondly, the H1 site still shows references to Air National Guard.  Yes, I know the ANG logo has been removed and I’m sure much of the collateral material has been updated.  And yes, I recognize these are web site programming changes that need to be made.

So, what is it?

If ANG is out.  Tell us and clean things up.  If they’re in, tell us and take this distraction away from the fans.  A sport that has so much future potential, but that is struggling to get into the “mainstream” fan base, doesn’t need distractions.

Jack, thank you for a great question that allowed all of us to dig a bit deeper into a key element of our sport.

For everyone else (well, and Jack, too) what are your thoughts?  Is this a big deal?  Can the sport carry on without a title sponsor?  Should it be “all hands on deck” to get a new partner?  As fans, do we really care?

Great questions just seem to create more questions.

Damn Smart Fans.

Dave