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High Desert, CA
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Edited Date/Time
4/18/2014 10:29am
I have always wondered how the podium works.
We hear all the time about how boring the interviews are, "I'd like to thank blah blah blah. And then there is the scripted drink of said energy drink (full of water) which often results in the rider looking at the can and making sure they turn the label towards the camera.
So my questions are...
1). Who tells the rider to do these things? Is it the team manager? Is it a team mate to the new guy?
2). And what are they told?
3). And do they get paid to take that sip?
4). If they don't do they hear about it?
I guess I am just curious how "formal" the instructions are and are there rewards to do so or discipline if you don't do it?
We hear all the time about how boring the interviews are, "I'd like to thank blah blah blah. And then there is the scripted drink of said energy drink (full of water) which often results in the rider looking at the can and making sure they turn the label towards the camera.
So my questions are...
1). Who tells the rider to do these things? Is it the team manager? Is it a team mate to the new guy?
2). And what are they told?
3). And do they get paid to take that sip?
4). If they don't do they hear about it?
I guess I am just curious how "formal" the instructions are and are there rewards to do so or discipline if you don't do it?
Besides, what if they're not sponsored by an energy drink? "I don't know what to do with my hands..."
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So just curious as to how it all comes about.
I'm sure they all want to make sure that they mention their sponsors and just repeat what has been said on there (protocol) before.
On another note, I was listening to Dean Wilson's speech the other day and said to myself, "He left out T-yo of Escandido for his sweet truck", but then he remembered it at the end. So, the shout outs are getting implanted into brains. Kinda like " Call Goldberg, 800-600-6014". You hear it enough, it will stick. I thought it was kinda funny that I I've heard the same speech so many times, I can point out which one he missed.
Next time you see Joey Logano being interviewed watch how many times he takes a sip, It's written in their contract that if they are drinking the sponsors beverage (Coke) the sponsor pays the drivers charity. The amount is specified in negotiations. I have to think that in SX Monster has the same for their riders.
2. Stickers, bla bla, etc
3. It is part of the contract
4. Financial penalties
Common sense
If I'm the guy at Monster who signs the approval to pay Pro Circuit, I'm a lot happier when I see Blake Baggett take a sip of my product and say something about it when he wins. If he doesn't, I get sad. When I get sad, I feel like breaking things, screaming at fellow Monster employees, and not paying Mitch Payton.
So, Mitch Payton probably "suggests" to his riders that they do the robot sponsor list thing, in much the same way he "suggests" they go find a ride somewhere else if they lose too much.
If a rider gets to that level they've been in the public light enough to know who pays the bills and without them their cushy Ford Raptor goes the way of the .... well ... ummm ..... the Velociraptor.
So the "training" has indeed been going on for quite some time. Some polishing to get it into the 10 sec they give 2nd and the 6 sec they give 3rd sure but they are professionals after all.
Pit Row
In all seriousness, a good thread, I've often wondered the same thing.
However, there is a uniformity in how each series' racers perform during interviews. Is that simply osmosis, or do the series promoters ask teams to follow a designated script?
Some of these guys sound like robots. I keep trying to figure out Dean Wilson's pattern for mentioning sponsors. It's not alphabetical. Maybe it's by their postion on his jersey.
I like it better when a rider/racer inserts a sponsor into the conversation rather than rattling off a list. One of the best at it was Michael Waltrip. When he was sponsored by NAPA, he got hit by Rusty Wallace and crashed, ending his day. During the post-crash interview he said "Rusty wouldn't have hit me if he was using NAPA brakes". Now that is a sponsor plug.
The KTM guys seem content with just answering the questions and making the sponsor logos clearly labeled on the jersey, hat and drink.
Anymore these days, I don't think the rider saying the name of the sponsors really does any more than having the logo somewhere in the picture.
Lastly, when you're racing dirt bikes for a living, you probably want to sincerely thank those who sponsor you because they're the ones who make it happen. It would be nice to give the sponsors an alternative to getting their name mentioned rather than having the rider monotonously rattle names off. Maybe allow them to place their logo on the screen? That would probably cross the lines from rider sponsorship to broadcast sponsors.
As far as the 'sip' goes - again, its promotion, they know who pays their bills. No different in any other sport, just that MX seems to be a little less subtle.
I've lost count of the times i've photographed a rider (or his GF) filling up those RB, Monster, Rockstar bottles with water!
Usually the top 3 finishers get to stand on it.
" I can't thank Troy Lee Designs, Red Bull....."
You mean can't you thank them ENOUGH !
Home edumacation strikes again?
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