Sport & Scandal: The Evolution of Sports Sponsorship – a new documentary from The Drum
What happened to sprinter Ben Johnson, one the world’s most infamous athletic dopers? It may have taken thirty years, but he’s back in the public eye fronting a campaign for sports brand Skins.
In 1988, Johnson’s revelations were a scandal. But now in a connected world, more and more sports stars are being caught for – and hauled up on – their misdemeanours. It’s a paradox: the amount of cash spent on sports sponsorship continues to rise in time with the risks of betting big on an athlete who is capable of slipping up.
In this new film, The Drum explores the evolution of sports sponsorship with interviews from the likes of footballer and sports lawyer Eniola Aluko and Skins’ chairman Jaimie Fuller, as well as Johnson himself.
The documentary also explores the changing nature of a sports influencer, and asks if high-profile vloggers pose a real alternative to expensive deals with world-famous talent and the likes of fallen stars such as Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and Ryan Lochte.
Read more about sports marketing on The Drum's dedicated hub, and watch more original documentaries on the new wave of marketing and media here.
Other episodes in the series
Episode 1
Behind the scenes of Nickelodeon's 'ridiculous and rude' new web series ‘Tinkershrimp & Dutch’
Nickelodeon is no stranger to original programming, and now the Viacom-owned channel has launched its first UK interactive digital series, ‘Tinkershrimp & Dutch’.
Episode 2
Watch The Drum's Do It Day documentary: 24 hours to change the world
The Drum's short film 'Do It Day - 24 hours to change the world' is now live after being given its premiere at Advertising Week this morning.
Episode 3
David Ogilvy's first interview since he died? Possibly not but this film shows how IBM Watson brought his ideas back to life
The Drum has created a short documentary in which IBM's artificial intelligence technology Watson deciphers insights from the writings of the father of advertising, the late, great David Ogilvy.
Episode 4
Canals, coffee shops, creativity: Is Amsterdam the marketer’s Shangri-La?
As The Drum launches its 2016 supplement all about Amsterdam, we talk to the creatives – both ex-pat and local – that form the city’s marketing scene.
Episode 5
The Automation of Creativity: How man & AI will work together to improve the ad industry
In a quest to understand the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in advertising, The Drum, in partnership with Teads, has unveiled a new documentary, The Automation of Creativity, shot in Tokyo, London and Amsterdam.
Episode 7
Mr President brainstorms the saddest ever festive advert | Christmas in Ad Land
Brands and consumers love an emotional, heart-warming Christmas weepie, but what’s the secret formula to getting those tears rolling? In The Drum’s latest documentary series, Mr President’s team finds out.
Episode 8
J. Walter Thompson London rebrands Christmas Eve as Zip It Day | Christmas in Ad Land
Christmas Eve – a day of excitement for family and friends the world over since circa 336AD, and clearly overdue for a zip-themed rebrand. Follow the team at J. Walter Thompson as they launch Zip It Day on 24 December, as part of The Drum’s documentary series Christmas in Ad Land.
Episode 9
Gravity Road hits the streets to crowdsource a thoroughly millennial Christmas | Christmas in Ad Land
Roaring fires, roast dinners, frankincense and myrrh are out – Santa’s topknot, reindeers on Snapchat and festive cockapoos are in! That’s according to Gravity Road’s comprehensive ‘millennial’ street research, recorded as part of The Drum’s documentary series Christmas in Ad Land.
Episode 10
Behind the beat of The Drum: the story of our drumline, Harlem’s Marching Cobras
You know that band of percussionists you always see making noise at The Drum Awards? The ones we’ve taken to Austin and New York, and soon will be marching down La Croisette in Cannes too?