Sports

Page 14, January 31, 1979 - North Shore News

2

Had someone lobbed a grenade into the Aspen
Room of the Four Seasons hotel at breakfast time
Monday, he’d-have got half the zillionaires in
town. Also Amateur Sport and Fitness Minister
Iona Campagnolo, at whose behalf they were
there, scawfing ham and eggs on the Canadian

taxpayer.

The taxpayer will survive.

He always does. -And if he’s
lucky, some of those zillion-
aires will be helping him
pay the bill for Canada’s ever
improving participation in
international sports com-
petition.

The breakfast meeting was
a slaes session, the pitch was
built around a slogar - The
usiness of Sport - and the
goal is to get the business
community to invest in
amateur sport to the mutual
benefit of both parties.

It kicked off a national
campaign, in which groups of
businessmen in every large
city from here to Halifax will
have been given the word
before this week is out.

HELP

When the slide presen-
tation and all the tech-
nicalese were done, 4a relat-
ively simple message came

through: amateur sport need
financial help from the
business sector; and in
return it can be the means of
helping business improve
business.

Asa high visibility vehicle,
sport can be a natural as an
advertising and public relat-
ions medium for business
and industry. Because pro
sport has the highest visib-
ility of all, that’s where most
of the = sperts-directed
business bucks flow.

And the biggest segment
of that lolly goes into
purchasing commercial time
during the televising of

‘major sports events.

But, as Canadian amateur
athletes keep improving their
performances at the Olym-
pic, Commonwealth and Pan-
American Games levels,
their public visibility im-
proves as well.

~b y Jim Kearne y

A few national companies
have recognized this, have
adopted certain amateur
sports, looked after much of
their care and feeding and in
return have. used them as
major segments in advertis-
ing campaigns.

OIL AND FOOD

For instance, one major oil!
company is involved in the
national ski program;
another, along with a food
company, in the national
aqualics program. They and
the sports --derive mutual
benefits and, with luck and
understanding of each
other’s goals, the marriages
will last for awhile.

The Business of Sport
campaign, conceived in the

--National Sport and Recreat-

ion Centre at Ottawa, hopes
to broaden this base to the
extent of ‘attracting business
bucks to all the sports in
encompasses. Some _ broad-
ening. There are 88
altogether. 32 of them
Olympic sports.

In the current fiscal year,
ending March 31, 50. per cent
of the needs of amateur sport
nationally ($20 million) will
be satisfied by federal tax
dollars; another 25 per cent

WEGETTHE
WOOD

al

Lumber, plywood, pulp and other forest products are vital to British Columbia’s economy
..-and getting these products to market is a prime concem of the British Columbia Railway.
In fact, of all B.C. Rail carloadings, nearly 70% are comprised of forest products. With rail

service into all major operations throughout our system, and with a wide range of specialized
rail cars, we get the wood out quickly and efficiently.

. between

1e business of sport.

our!

($10 million) by Loto Canada
income andthe remainder by
the private sector, mostly the

athletes and the sports

themselves.

This total of $40 million is
expecied to rise to ;
million in 1980 and to $60
million by 1984. The
Business of Sport’s goal by
this date is a 50-SO split
government
Loto combined and
private sector.

the

SILENCE REIGNS

lf the breakfast pitch on
Monday morning is about to
galvanize local captains of
industry into participating.
they didn't let on. The
question was notably chiefly
for the lack of questions.

National basketball coach
Jack Donahue, whose salary

(and that of several other

national coaches) is paid by a
national brewery, compared
the affair. It’s fortunate that
he’s a standup comedian.
Otherwise there'd have been
much dead air.

One of the ironies of
amateur sports is that while
beer and cigarettes are
inimical to the goals of
fitness and, health through
athletic competition, and
participation, traditionally
they ‘have been the most
generous providers of funds
from the private sector.

In the years leading up to
hte 1976 Olympics,
Donahue’s employer paid the
salaries of half the national
coaches imported from all
over the world to upgrade the
skills of Canadian Olympic
athletes.

Together, Canada's three
big breweries likely provide
more sponsorship money for
amateur teams in all manner
of sports, covering all ages

°

and |

any dozen other Canadian
industries. ,
GOOD BUSINESS " -

They don’t do it because
they are charitable institut-

ions. but because it's good ..

business on two counts. The
investment can be traced on
the sales curves; and in a
business
public and political opinion,
ohne cam never fostér too
much goodwill or over-burn-
ish the image. of the good
corporate citizen.

Only time - the next three
or four years - will judge the
success or failure of The
Business of Sport campaign.
If Canadian business doesn’t
buy the pitch, i1 wont mean
the end of Canadian triving
for more excellence in

and West Vancouver

We have openings tor

aper routes on both
Sundays and Wed-
“Sdago YOu cath check

“' out Classited section
under Job Opportunities
to see tf there s a route in
your afea Hf there is we
want to hear from you ©

am Spm

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