Word: crowley
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...World Cup competitions before the Olympics. Right now, the long-track team is preparing for a competition in Berlin, while the short trackers are in Montreal for a meet. "We are scrambling like crazy to get the logos on the uniforms this weekend," says U.S. Speedskating executive director Bob Crowley. (See a video of U.S. athletes training for the Winter Olympics...
This isn't some kind of prank, right? "We're not viewing this as a joke at all," says Crowley. Colbert really is throwing U.S. Speedskating a lifeline. The Dutch bank had been the U.S. team's most generous benefactor (speedskating is huge in the Netherlands), but a run on the bank caused DSB to go under in mid-October, leaving U.S. Speedskating with a $300,000 budget shortfall. "The Olympics are our Super Bowl, Masters and Tour de France combined," says Derek Parra, a 2002 speedskating gold medalist who is now one of the coaches for the U.S. team...
...show's producers called the U.S. Speedskating office in Salt Lake City and the parties quickly hammered out a deal. "My gut reaction was, 'Great,' " says Crowley. "It's a unique sponsorship opportunity, and you know what? It's going to be fun." The market price for sponsorship logos on speedskating suits is $100,000. Colbert will get a logo on the leg and hood of the long-track skaters; on the short-track athletes, the Colbert Nation mark will be stitched on the leg and chest. "A bit embarrassing that our leadership couldn't secure other sponsors three months...
...next few weeks, the show will plug the sport regularly and feature speedskating in a few bits. The team is counting on the generosity of Colbert's audience, in both a down economy and around the holidays, when spare change goes to stocking stuffers. "It's a gamble," Crowley concedes. U.S. Speedskating was in preliminary discussions with a few sponsors, but none were willing to pay $100,000 for the suit space. And with the Olympics just 100 days away, Crowley was left with little choice. "We need to make up lost revenue, and we don't have the comfort...
When the duo chatted with President Obama at the White House in July over peanuts and pretzels—the so-called "Beer Summit"—Gates reportedly had a mug of Sam Adams Light while Crowley had a Blue Moon with slice of orange. (Obama had a Bud Light while Vice President Biden stuck with a nonalcoholic Buckler...