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The Montgomery Journal
Mobil might pull out of GMU meet
Originally Published in The Montgomery Journal on Wednesday, February 19, 1997
By: George Banker
Photographer: None


Republished with permission granted by The Washington Newspaper Publishing Co. LLC d/b/a MediaDC. Back to Montgomery Journal articles

Mobil might pull out of GMU meet

GEORGE BANKER
On the Run

It's the dream that began more than 13 years ago for John Cook, race director for the Mobil Invitational indoor track meet at George Mason University (Va.). There will be excitement inside the GMU Fieldhouse on Saturday for the athletes and fans.

There will be several local male and female runners who will be showcased in a mile competition. Cook might awaken from his dream after the weekend. At a press conference last week, the major sponsor, Mobil Oil Corp., with its headquarters in Fairfax, Va., announced its decision to remove itself from the track and field business and not to renew the sponsorship with USA Track & Field, the governing body of the sport. Mobil has been the sponsor of this event the past 10 years.

The potential impact is far-reaching to those up and coming athletes who have not yet had their day on the track. Cook spearheaded the showcase for the athletes to provide the proving ground so America could see its talent more often than once every four years. Will the American athlete have to take up residence in another country in order to make a living and continue in the sport?

Said Cook at Friday's press conference, "This has been a championship meet and if I can't have that, we won't have the meet. I can walk away from it. If I can't go forward, I'm not going backward, either."

The doors are ajar for ongoing talks with Mobil and Cook and others in the sport. The final result could be a shifting of the burden of the track and field series to include more financial support from within the sport.

This concern lies within the sport of both track and field and road races. What happens when the primary sponsor decreases their financial participation? The signal is clear that within the sport, events must structure the sponsorship to shield themselves from closing events entirely. Canceling events impacts the athletes and their future earnings potential. The athletes in the sports are not like those of football and basketball where they sign multiyear, multimillion-dollar contracts.

What is Cook facing? Let's move to the road race, for exampe. An average 1,000-person race with no prize money or invited elite runners could have a break-even point of $20 per runner. What costs are there?

The large-ticket items are police for traffic control, which depending on the location within the Washington area, could range from $4,000 to $10,000. Short-sleeved shirts cost about $3.50 each (a total of $3,500). Depending on the service requested to score the event for results could be $1, so add another $1,000. You can see how quickly the costs mount and the postage and advertising has not been factored in here. Each item added has a cost someone must bear. The sponsor is key and they share the cost.

Mobil has a difficult decision to make, but they should be applauded for their contributions over the years. Bob O'Leary, general manager of public relations for the Mobil Oil Corp., set a tone that Mobil did not want to walk away completely and talks with Cook will continute. Keeping Cook's dream alive does America good. There is not enough space in the column to explore the possibilities. If Cook can't move forward, then we as a community, sports lovers, need to determine how we can get involved.




Banker, George. "Mobil might pull out of GMU meet." Montgomery Journal, 19 Feb. 1997, p. B1.
Transcribed by: Kevin Milsted 02/11/2020


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