Red Bull Denied Drink Exclusivity on the Podium and Hot Seat in Maribor

 I've got no Energy for this kind of story

 Its a pretty rockstar attitude

 Lets see if their Bullish marketing strategy pays off

 lets hope the team managers and riders grab this situation by the horns

 Pour sportsmanship, Redbull.

 Redbull clips your wings!

 Will Dean Lucas aid discussions?

 Kind of leaves a bitter taste with all bullsh#t
Maybe other companies, should throw their hats in to the ring.

 Drink water bois

 @WAKIdesigns: /s is missing

 @WAKIdesigns: I can and will deny it.This 1990’s/old school monopoly business strategy might hurt a lot of athletes in an industry that’s already so cheap towards them.Guess how many sponsors could decide to pull out their sponsorship deals for next year if they get even less exposure?The world isnt just one flavour and forcing people to buy YOUR flavour is such an outdated way to do things.When you make the best product out there you dont worry so much about your competition , you embrace It cause it helps making your stuff look that much better..If your product sucks, you revert to dumb crap like this.

Btw , dont be a fool, I guarantee you that right our of the gate, RedBull never intended to support or help promoting our sport.You make it sounds like they’re practically heroes for sponsoring athletes.They saw a business opportunity to make money and this shows exactly this.To them, its always been, and will always be about making MORE money.

 @tuumbaq: it's business.if the other brands dump money into the event, then they too can get some eyeballs on the podium and elsewhere. This is effectively what the last sentence of Simon Burney's statement is conveying.

I doubt the other brands will dump their supported riders because of this. There are many other ways of pushing a brand.

 @tuumbaq: Exactly This.

 @tuumbaq: I agree with statement 100%.
However; ironically despite redbulls intentions, this sport owes alot of its growth and development to the Money redbull has thrown in. This kind of thing isnt really new. Especially with redbull and mountainbiking. Take a look at Rampage 2016. There was a big pushback from the riders, hence the restructure to the event in 2017.
Reality is that ironically I think by doing this bold move, they will actually hinder what they are in turn trying to do. Redbull NOT trying to pull this stunt gives off the concept of how big redbull is. Personally, if I were to purchase an energy drink (once or twice a year) i would reach for a redbull. Why? Because i prefer the serving size, and the flavors. Not to mention I guarentee every single up and coming athlete would die to wear the redbull logo. It's a status symbol among athletes today.
@Redbull, if you are reading this... I emplore you; bold move... But this has spoiled little brat Instagram model written all over it. You literally already have the market by the... errrm... bulls.
This move.... it's just sad, and to be quite frank... your embarrassing yourselves, and in turn the UCI and its affiliates.

 That piss is poison at the same time they've really bumped up the coverage this year

 @jomacba: Wearing a Redbull helmet is synonymous with winning an Olympic medal. Redbull has 2 Formula 1 teams, they sent a man to the edge of space in some of the most expensive ways possible. This is what I relate to when I think of RB. What do I see when I think of Monster Energy? A porn star in moto boots, moto helmet and strings, getting out of a giant truck driven by some fat, white trash dude. What do I expect when drinking redbull? An effect of two coffees lasting double as long. What do I expect from drinking Monster? A fricking heart attack?

 @won-sean-animal-chin: and beer isn´t a poison?

 @tuumbaq: spot on

 @WAKIdesigns: you forgot shitting your pants!!!

 I have always thought Alpa Cinos Booty Sweat would be the better beverage by far. A booty always does have a stronger relation to bikes than a Bull...

 @WAKIdesigns: in moderate amounts beer has health benefits. Red bull has none in any amount

 @won-sean-animal-chin: link to research paper please hahahha. Moderate amounts. That’s even less likely!

 @WAKIdesigns: haa busted

 Imagine the weather is so hot and all you got is Red Bull.

 @won-sean-animal-chin: let’s take wine for example. They say it has health benefits in moderate amounts. All of them are found in grapes before they become a wine... so if I were to follow such logic I could say Redbull has certain health benefits because it contains caffeine which (according to dumb sources like Men’s health) has health benefits in moderate amounts spread over the course of the day.

The only thing I am saying is... these racers engage in activities with dire consequences in case of a crash - broken bones, ripped joints, concussions, if not death. Many of them get drunk for reals quite often. The potential health risks of drinking 2 Red Bulls on a race day in total, are rather slim compared to everything else they are doing. All this with rather shitty career choice in case of majority of them. Only the best racers with best negotiation and entrepreneurial skills will make good living. The rest will have a hard time starting a job career at 35-40 where regular folks start at 20-25. All with a baggage on injuries, brain injuries being possibly the worst.

And I would not write a poem in defense of a stimulating soda (which has more benefits than 99% of sodas like Fanta or Dr.Pepper) since they dont need any support. The issue here has nothing to do with harm that highly sugared soda does (scientists claim it is the sugar that is the no1 risk component in Redbull, while one with the dietary sweeteners, ironically is the worst) the issue is that there is no good replacement as the main sponsor stepping forward. MTB, particularly gravity discplines, is nothing more to sponsors than content for commercials. You can’t earn much money on it. Participation rate among general public is extremely low, viewer numbers are virtual zero, compares to other sports.

What MTB is to Redbull is what rain forest is to Starbucks. A message to general public rather than reaching for the pockets of participants: “we support cool sports”.

Perspective...

 @WAKIdesigns: you're like a ween album. you take the satire & caricature of your subject so close to the edge that it becomes to circle back around as authentic.

 @WAKIdesigns: tldr

 Red bull-y

 @FeralMarmot: underrated comment

 Sobe it.

 @WAKIdesigns: your mom drinks red bull bro.

 @chyu: They put water in redbull, monster, rockstar etc. cans for athletes at events.

 @everythingsucks: I am pretty sure there is water in Redbull soda.

 @WAKIdesigns: I think he meant only water.

 @WAKIdesigns: I'll take the porn star in moto boots brah! I buy what's on sale.

 @WAKIdesigns: coolmaterial.com/feature/8-scientific-studies-that-prove-beer-is-good-for-you

Good enough for me!

 @WAKIdesigns: nonsense.. I became full time Fire fighter on the cusp of the big 40...Its all in one's motivation, drive and discipline... Present yourself well and one can quite easily (with a bit of work) make a career change in the ladder stages of working life.

 @tuumbaq: most energy drinks are the same or close to the same so stuff like sponsoring people for interesting sports is a good way of getting your name out there. How are they supposed to stay in business selling anything other than their Flavor. If they are paying for everything I don’t see why they can’t have some rules on the podium. You can hate corporate sponsors all you want but you can’t deny what red bull has done for extreme sports. If I’m going to buy an energy drink I prefer it supports cool stuff.

 @won-sean-animal-chin: beer does not have health benefits over a healthy diet and not drinking. Study’s have found beer to have more health benefits over other alcoholic beverages but all alcoholic beverages are a poison and have negative impacts on your body.

 @bohns1: hah, present yourself well, exactly. Go around pits on a world cup or talk to some pro roadies. You’ll see that exactly this lies at the base of the issue. I know true stories of athletes getting depressed as fuk as the contract ends and nobody wants them, and having a hard time digging themselves out of the hole. Some have never done anything else than the sport they have been doing, have barely finished high school. The only people they have contact with are family, team, former team members and a few people on organized group rides. Some are genuinely socially handicapped.

As to Monster girls, I take it as an offense to my own intellect and ability to control my own balls. Then I can talk about what it does to women collectively

 @WAKIdesigns: Waki, you always have an interesting perspective.

 @fattyheadshok: I’ll put it like this. If my daughter dated a pro DHiller it would keep me up at night. I’d tell her to see a doctor. My cynical, functioning psychopath friend was asked by a kid once: can you do a backflip? And he answered: “no, I have a life”

 @WAKIdesigns: But what if it was pro Dher Gwin ...Would that still keep u up ? The man does rather well , and, pretty sure, he has a life.

 @WAKIdesigns: This thread is getting heavily off topic, and needs to die now. Let it be.

 Don't give them ideas!

 Waits for monster to do the same in the supercross

 @chrismac70: Bullshit.

 @chrismac70: Do you even watch the broadcasts?!

 Doubtful, someone has to pay the bills for racing.

 I agree; h20 2 go! On the other hand, RB doesn't give a shit, this is highlighting their company and giving attention. AND, who's gonna stop watching RB. But for an awesome additive try therightstuff-usa.com

 @TW80: you drink H202 then you no feel good.

 who buys all these energy drinks? Sad really.

 Yeah, why is this even on the table for discussion? It's insane that in a HUMAN-powered sport, there's not a decent look at the health and nutrition of riders first. They already have their logos all over the rider's gear.

 @WAKIdesigns: if they wouldn't pay someone else would step up but feel free to continue embarrassing yourself

Cheers

 @wildedge586: Yes off course! You are off for a Rocky Road though

 Very true, which is my guess why they did this, It's harder to sell sugary drinks, the money's not coming in like it use too, they spend a ton on these events and they don't want competition riding on their coverage. Now if the coverage was terrible, and they had a monopoly, that would be bad, but I think it's safe to say the coverage is better then it's ever been before... so I'm all for it. Let them kick out the competition as long they keep doing a good job. Consider the alternative, where Redbull is tired of losing money on events, and pulls out entirely.

 @mark4444: I seriously doubt Redbull is hurting for cash. They run a Formula 1 team and a MotoGP team. Redbull is more of a marketing company, they don't really make anything in the traditional sense. If anything, I'd say the audience and the exposure is growing for mtb, and they dont want to be promoting their competition. For example, Mercedes coming on board is a big sign that other companies want to put money in this sport.

 @TW80: h2O rampage

 @WAKIdesigns: YOU HAVE NO IDEA!
"I love Redbull for not being misogynists like Monster or racists like Rockstar."
Mateschitz, the Austrian multi-billionaire behind the Company is much worse! The athlete he most likely invested most money in, Felix Baumgartner, is openly supporting the far-right FPÖ Party with the head of the party being tied with neo-nacists. Denying global warming, questioning Democracy, fighting "fake news" Media the Was Trump does, etc. All of this is on his agenda and it's really worrysome how he is deliberately influencing the peoples believes in Austria in a very concerning way towards intolerance, conspiracy theories, etc.

 @MatthewCarpenter: except Red Bull isn’t openly supporting such attitudes, leading people to believe that it is cool.
When I see Monster Energy commercial vibe I have an impression that their target group are white trash wankers. Likely racists, homophobes, owners of huge trucks, polluting the planet etc. this is the appeal I get when seeing monster. I also see awesome athletes riding for them, but the general vibe smells of macho BS.

Back to Red Bull, heh, with people with such power there is literally nothing that you could say about CEO that could surprise me. Nazis, pedophilia, rape, in these circles anything is possible.

I can however separate God from Religion. Nobody can be responsible for what boss or the fans do. Otherwise you get into idiotic situations like people advocating boycotting Taylor Swift, calling her the Icon of American Alt-Right because they officially expressed huge admiration for her on several
Occasions.

Same happens now with J Peterson. Morons calling him a poster boi of alt right, or climate change deniers. People actually tell him to stop giving convenient ideas to “evil circles” as he criticizes the left.

Boycotting Michael Jackson songs? Movies with Kevin Spacey? Hah! my daughter is singing ”I believe I can fly” - should I shut her up saying it’s a song by a man who raped teenagers and peed on them?

 You drink water?!? How gross... I mean... Fish f*ck in it!

 I don't know about anybody else, but I only use RedBull logo'd prophylactics.

 I drink a lot of Red Bull. Like way too much Red Bull. But after this shit, I'm full team Monster. Riders already don't get paid enough. Now you're going to try and shut down their sponsors? Not what this sport needs a*sholes.

 @Waldon83: You can't beat them when you get the horn.

 No other energy drinks on the podium or hot seat? No problem. Watch me enjoy a sandwich from my Monster Energy lunch box! Delicious!

 +1 to this. I’ve always liked them because they usually avoid this childish behaviour.

 @chriskneeland: you’re full team diabetes

 @jamesdunford: Taking a leaf out of the Specialized playbook!

 Redbull: ITs My BaLl yOu CaNt PlAy

 @pargolf8: Haha props for that one.

 @chriskneeland: why? its garbage for your body.

 @jaydawg69: In all seriousness, it's just sugar. "Quit being a pussy and carb the f*ck up" -Durianrider

 @HugoHarrison
I understand your pov but I dont think you get it fully.
You are not making RedBull a favour by watching their channel for free. They are making you a favor (and a lot of non energy drink fans line me) by putting the coverage together and broadcasting for free. Without RedBull, no Rampage, no UCI DH to watch.
I am not saying they are perfect, but they brought a lot to the sport and the fans, so we should at least respect that.

 Freecaster used to do it. If redbull stops doing it, someone else will.

 I didn't realize stuff from my phone wouldn't go through. Thumbs way down.

 Real shit. Whatever happened to water? I'm legitimately shocked that Rachel actually claims to drink that garbage, no athlete should be putting energy drinks in their system.

 @mnorris122: Most energy drink brands make branded cans with plain water in them.

 @brodoyouevenbike: is that true? Source? (No pun intended)

 @alexhyland: I know having watched a tour bus tour with the band every time I die, they clearly state that monster gives them cans of water. Not directly quoted, but the guitar player Andy makes a comment about how that way they are okay, but monster can kill all the kids or something.

 @VwHarman: interesting! Someone else mentioned it further down, sounds legit, I always wondered how Andreu Lacondeguy crushes a can into himself at the end of a Rampage run without vomiting, now I know!

 @mnorris122: Maybe she just likes it..... Hardly a ridiculous proposition is it.

 @alexhyland: yes its true! Do you think these world class athletes drink this shit? They dont. Its 100% marketing bros. Yeah let me finish my world cup run after training literally my whole life for this moment, and slam a redbull at the bottom. Said no one ever. Brainwashed

 @mnorris122: Yup, total crapP (with extra Pee). Just a cup of coffee in the AM, camelback of water and a piece of gum, G2G.

 As if a trained WC athlete needs to get 'energy' from that sugar water! That sloshing sound is the eyeballs of all the dieticians/trainers eyes rolling at this greedy distraction.

 @alexhyland: I've heard the same thing happens in F1, where if they drank that stuff it would have negative outcomes due to the duration of the race and the effectiveness of the caffeine for only short periods, with a sugar crash to finish. Oh and it works as a diuretic too so any sustained period of competition would need breaks. At the end of a comp it's different and down to preference. Doe's anyone know if RB were trying to get rid of podium champagne too?

 @pargolf8: yes they drink it. Off the camera too. I personally saw Jesus Bryce drink it 2h after the comp was over and everyone was getting drunk in the pits.

So Redbull is terrible for their health, but beer isn't? What about all sorts of pro cyclists using energy gels which contain double the sugar that Redbull has? What would MTB be without beer? Peaty and his Stella donkey piss. WHO DOESN'T MISS DRUNK WARNER.

Hypocrites

 @WAKIdesigns: cool specific situation you were able to personally take part in. Congrats WAK

 @alexhyland: one can Google "monster tour water" and click images

 @pargolf8: it was Monster off course. Why wouldn’t pros drink energy drinks recreationally? What is wrong with it?

 @WAKIdesigns: They taste like crap, they make your teeth sticky and they are a rip off. That's why I don't drink them anyway.

 @jaame: I drink 10-15 a year. The only caffeine soda I tolerate. I drink more redbull than coke, which means it is pretty much the only soda I drink.

 @WAKIdesigns: That's nice waki. Remind me why anybody cares what you drink?

 NK, had they not said that there would have been no blowback and they could have continued selling their stuff. Everyone can see greed in cases like that. Same reason the Olympics now are just a big corporate spectacle

 Right! Race organizers will lose big in the end cause other sponsors will just move along. Then racers lose out next.

Nobody who’s sponsored by an energy drink does it out of choice. They do it to fund their riding/racing.

Redbull execs must be feeling a tightening or theres a new person in an exec position trying to overplay his hand. Either way its a panic move from Redbull to blind us from other brands.

 Great point! Does Redbull really think that exclusivity on an MTB podium is worth the pissing match? I would have thought the potential to lose exposure on the MX/SX scene to Monster would be a bigger market share to worry about than MTB...

 The UCI is a lot bigger than just dh mtb, right? They work in partnership with huge numbers of broadcasters, communities etc. without those partnerships we wouldn’t be watching any races on tv for “free.”

At the same time, I won’t be shedding any tears for monster either.

I

 sure no problem, in a red bull bottle ;-)

 DRINK WATER

 Like from the toilet?

 Free water sponsor riders?

 Yea great idea. Get rid of redbull, because there are so many other outlets lining up to broadcast these races right? Like what they are doing or not, they are the reason right now that you get to watch these races.

 @sino428: I'd rather have broadcast as spotty and limited as EWS and proper sponsors than this circus game. But free, cheap and moral highground don't go along

 @wildedge586: moral high ground? Let’s not go overboard here. All we are talking about is some exclusive advertising rights, which are commonplace in all sports broadcasts.

 @sino428:
Advertising rights are one thing. This directly impacts the riders sponsors though. They can advertise on stream all they want,but this has direct impact on an athletes business relations and it is nothing but a power move in order to strongarm the competition away from athletes and therefore limit their access to the sport as a whole,resulting in a RB monopoly in dh. What's next? You can't wear non RB sanctioned clothing sponsors on the podium anymore? Mandatory RB caps for all riders even if they're sponsored by a competitor?
I get it,i don't like the tinfoil hats either, but given RBs track record with questionable ideas which solely benefited themselves and not the sport,i think the UCI should think before simply granting such rights to a sponsor.
For comparison,this is kinda like the Reebok deal the UFC made a couple years ago,which f*cked fighters out of their (valuable) contracts in order to give Reebok a monopoly and more money to the UFC (UCI in this case). Of course that was magnitudes bigger,but the principle still applies.

 @Loki87: you said it yourself, your comment is tinfoil hat stuff. You should have realized that and stopped there. And again, this isn’t some total ban on advertising another brands products. It is one spot, on the hot seat and poduim. A place where quite frankly most riders are never going to be anyway. I get that other companies might be pissed but Redbull is the ones paying the rights fees and getting these other company’s riders in front of the massive audience in the first place. If another company changes its contract with a rider simply because they can’t have the can on the podium the f*ck that company, not Redbull.

 I reckon they don't, i think they fill up red bull cans with gatorade or something.

 @freeriderayward: or you know... water

 Pretty well known that they supply water in red bull cans to events for the competitors/musicians etc. You can but the monster version on eBay (www.ebay.com/itm/monster-tour-water-/253447438969)

 @Roobar: yea through a friend of a friend who works there, I got to visit the headquarters of a well known race team sponsored by Monster. They have pallets of monster ‘races waters’ as they call them. Just monster cans filled with water.

 Redbull isnt bad for you. Its Carbonated Water, Sucrose, Glucose, Citric Acid, Taurine, Sodium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Carbonate, Caffeine, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine HCI, Vitamin B12, Pretty sure thats sugar, vitamins, minerals and about as much caffiene as a 1.5 cup of coffee

 @Grosey: Don’t listen to this guy, he is clearly the executive from Red Bull trying to get only their drinks on the hot seat and podium!!

 @Grosey: Are you saying that it is good for you?

 @aljoburr: good for you? No probably not. But in normal doses it’s also not bad for you either. No worse than most other soft drinks really. There are a lot worse things people eat and drink daily. Junk food, fast food, even just meat and dairy in general, etc are all probably just as harmful to your overall health as any energy drink is as long as your not overdoing it.

 @Grosey: hmn what? Are you actually drink coffee or is that some Starbucks shit?

 @sino428: no soft drinks are good for you

 @Mntneer: You have not tried Purdeys that is gooooooood!
www.google.com/search?q=purdeys+drink&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB826GB826&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPnoPPs_DhAhXORhUIHbUYCOMQ_AUIDygC&biw=1366&bih=657#imgrc=NbfpzG6u0ith_M:

 @Mntneer: I agree, just pointing out that Redbull really is no worse than all the other shit people don’t think twice about drinking.

 @Grosey: People have died from drinking multiple cans in one sitting, I could feel my heart wanting to quit after drinking 3 small cans. They're horrible for you

 @src248: I was going to ask why anyone would want to drink several small cans, but then I realized there’s a reason they sell the tall boys.

Man just one of the small cans is enough to give me the shaky hands and sweats. I’m a fairly decent sized human too, at 6’3 and 225ish pounds. Maybe it’s just me on this but I’m pretty sure you should be good on just one can lol

 @Hardtailhooligan: If you must know I was pouring them into a cup to mix flavors. A lot of the deaths have been underage people drinking them as an alternative to alcohol to get a kind of buzz

 @src248: That’s fair enough lol. I’m not a doctor so my opinion is pretty moot anyhow. Jeez kids these days are really doing that? I miss the old days when kids just smoked some pot haha

 @Hardtailhooligan: It's just the world most popular drug. Like other drugs if you build a tolerance to it you need more to have the same effect.

 @djm35: That’s on me, I never look at caffeine like it’s a drug so I didn’t even consider that. If you can’t tell I don’t drink coffee or energy drinks that often lol. Gooooood ol H2O is the way to go!

 Dont give them good ideas, if you have to make it a bad idea?

 @aljoburr: Never half ass two things.....whole ass one thing.

 I appreciate and understand all of that. Don't Care! Stupid is stupid, and this is most assuredly stupid!

 Do they sponsor it? Sure. Do they own it? No! I appreciate all the money and whatnot that RB puts into it, with the live stream and such, but this is fascist crap. At the Yeti/Fox Presented by Shimano enduro race series, racers can ride something other than a Yeti, or use an Eagle drivetrain, say.

 Did they pay for exclusivity. See the other contracts normally include that. Bose is the official headphones of NFL. They paid for that right, same with all the other examples. That would be more like ESPN saying you can only show ESPN drink when they paid for rights to broadcast. If red bull wants to become the official drink of World Cup pay more money sure they can pull that.

 Well considering the statement from the UCI that says...

“It has been part of the agreement between Red Bull Media House and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced publicly back in October”

I would think think that yes, they did pay for the exclusivity.

 @mtbikeaddict: fascist? Please stop. It’s a basic sports sponsorship/advertising agreement. And do they own it? Yes they own the broadcast which gives them control over things like product placement. Just like riders in the enduro series can ride whatever hikes they want, riders in the WC can rep and drink whatever drink they want. They just can’t do it on the podium. I’m sure yeti/fox has some exclusivity too, in terms of main signage, etc. Those race organizers would certainly not SRAM or some other company start having up huge banners and ads all over the place. I’m sure yeti/fox get preferential treatment there.

 You're right. The NFL is the real devil.

 I was thinking the same. Be good if non redbull riders boycott the podium and hot seat to see if the uci like that.

 That was never really a thing. Cathro misunderstood that rule. Wyn’s original track walk video was 11 minutes long and there was no issue.

 watch the newest cathro edit. this thing with 3min was a "miscommunication"...

 First step is to study mountain bike safety equipment at University.

 Just be a dick

 Can you sell crap ideas to people more stupid than yourself for inflated prices?

 Get a degree in marketing.

 @JoeRSB: Got the university bit down, just need to work on the studying

 I would start by saying mountain bike consultant instead of consultant mountain bike.

 not politics, the MONEY, and more MONEY....

 Tell that too the people that buy the Shit that makes them millions, but the riders that get payed not to drink the stuff is not much better, However if they would pay me to wear a stupid helmet I would probably take the money, but that is not going to happen!

 The riders are just as bad... youth idols like Macaskill and Wibmer even that pretend they drink it all the time, so that kids around the world would think it’s cool to drink Red Bull, maybe even think it will help them become mtb hero themselves one day...

 @PaperbackRider: yeah it’s pretty nasty when you think about it. Sugar is probably as big of a cancer causer as cigarettes, but you wouldn’t see pro riders puffin darts after a race run in this day and age. I avoid pop and energy drinks, that shit is a plague

 This matches my thoughts.

Let them have plain bottles, but don’t force athletes to have drinks/bottles from their sponsors competitor.

 @lewiscraik: in trying to force athletes, RB are probably forcing them into breaching contract with their own energy sponsors. Unless they plan to buy out every athlete from Monster etc, that's a f*cking immoral thing to do as it's messing with people's livelihoods.

Interestingly, when Nitro Circus got their big investment to grow the brand, budget was built into the deal so the athletes could all get OUT of their RB contracts.....

Maybe some people RB are scared of competition? But rather that upping their game, they're trying to at bully boy.

 Sorry - they're

 The company with tens of billions of dollars in annual profit is a charity?

 You don't have to watch the broadcast if you don't want to.

 I can watch whatever I like and also can comment on the health risks of redbull (and other energy drinks).

 The thirst mutilator! It's got what plants crave, it's got electrolytes?

 @matt5311: "I can't believe you like money too.....we should hang out."

 @watchmen: so you like money and sex? You're tripping me out!

 The UCI World Cup DH. Brought to you by Carl’s Jr.

 The problem is that Redbull is here in the role of a TV station. It shouldn't have the right to influence the event itself. Like the order of the starting list, or which athlete gets to show his energy drink. Perhaps UCI is the real bad guy here, as at some point they must have given up control to some degree.

 Perhaps a compromise would be to limit the size of the competitors logo ls displayed on the riders shirts, caps etc, and no “product placement” etc. “Business” should be about compromise not domination.

 Except its no sponsorship for a good number of the athletes, or directly conflicting with the sponsorship they already have and is actually paying them

 First, UCI would have agreed to this months before hand, it's hella cynicial dropping it on the riders now. Second, if they want to do something like this, they need to make it clear in advance so individuals can work it into their respective contracts with their sponsors, seasons in advance. Third, Redbull should be paying the talent, they have an audience of 10s of millions, they should be paying those doing the work.

 @mbikes1: Redbull should not be payingbriders. They are the broadcaster (rights for which they have paid) but it’s not their event. What your suggesting would be like saying NBC should be paying football players because they broadcast the game. That’s silly. It’s not the broadcasters role to pay them. If you want to say the UCI should take more of the money Redbull gives them and pay the rides or increase prize money that’s a valid argument. But they have no direct contract or agreement with the riders.

 @sino428: so to clarify you are OK with riders being paid for making the broadcast, but you want to nitpick about exactly how the transaction would be structured?

I'll go looking for your comment on how it's not Redbull forcing them not to display other drinks, but their own team (as that is who they have the contractual relationship with)

 @mbikes1: I have no idea what you are even talking about. So again no, it’s not the role of the broadcaster to pay athletes in any sport. Broadcasters pay the league or event organizer for the rights to air the event. It’s then up to that organizer to pay the athletes. For example, take any major sports league. The tv networks pay the league or individual team a set fee for the rights to air their games. The teams or leagues then negotiate contracts and pay with the players or athletes. It’s no different here. Redbull pays the UCI. What the UCI does with the money is up to them. Wether they pay riders, raise prize money, or just keep it is a negotionatin between the UCI and the riders. Broadcasting companies want no part of directly compensating players and athletes. That’s not how any sports broadcasting deal works.

 @sino428: so you are just nitpicking about how the transaction should be structured, good for you.

 They dont pay, it is a tax deductible expense?

 .... IN A RED BULL BOTTLE ;-)

 H TWO OH

 *livestream

 For sure! Bring a pitcher to the podium with your favorit beverage and drink from a glas!

 Coffee...?

 Yeah! And before...and during...

 Super Strength

 only at fort william when its race day and that's the only drink on offer.

 Yeah, why is nobody mentioning the podium champagne? Hot seat sponsorship flouting is one thing but they all get champagne on the steps, Redbull would have a very hard time changing that.