. The request comes during the preliminary stages of the legal battle between AT&T and NASCAR, with AT&T fighting to be allowed by the sanctioning body to run an AT&T scheme on Jeff Burton's car.
NASCAR is holding out because of their Nextel sponsorship that forbids any new wireless carriers or from the current ones changing names or teams. It's in the contract.
So what's AT&Ts deal then? Do they really think that they are going to win this battle?
I just don't see it happening. This is like Coca-Cola trying to sell its product at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Do they really think they can get away with it?
Nextel is paying for the rights, not AT&T. Is there a discrepancy that I'm missing?
and tallglassofmilk adds ...
AT&T concedes that their contract with Childress' team contains provisions the Cingular can't increase the size or placement of its logo on the car. But AT&T insists that the contract does not contain language preventing a logo change if Cingular's ownership structure changes.
NASCAR, the Official Hypocrite of NASCAR, better be learning a valuable lesson about Offiicial sponsors of NASCAR. For starters, how about leaving exclusivity out of the deal? That seems only logical for a sport reliant upon sponsors.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
yeah they are the fact the nextel is wanting to change the name of t he cup next year becasue sprint bought them out last year so is it fair to say no to one and yes to the other no it isnt i dont think that nascar wants to go thru this battle over a name change because companyies buys other cpompanies every day and nascar made a msitake in putting that int the contract because they can not control pvt comapnies so what did they tell nextel when they made th bid to become the cup sponsor that they can do what they want mike and bill you cant have your cake and eat it too
*This is like Coca-Cola trying to sell its product at the Pepsi Center*
Um, no, this is a whole sport, not one venue...
But what if the deal with NEXTEL for 10 years hinged on Nascar guaranteeing exclusive wireless rights in the series? Is losing a few sponsors worth the big deal with Nextel?
I think so.
OK I work for Cingular, and I saw this coming way before it was announced to the public that we are "Now the New AT&T". I raise question in a meeting and everyone laughed saying Nascar wouldn't turn down the money. Well hardy har har, looks like they are.
Nextel actually provisioned it in their Cup sponsorship contract that they could change their name. But no one else can. I don't think the powers that be at SBC, Now the new AT&T, (yeah try saying it everytime you answer a phone) thought about their contracts. Sure we are keeping our NCAA contract, it allows us to change our name but stay a sponsor. It was made clear when Nextel took over the Cup Series that Verizon Wireless and the defunct AT&T Wireless - not to be confused with AT&T, that's an entirely different story - could not enter the Cup Series as sponsors. This was made clear.
But I also see the "free market" side. Why so many "Official" this/that of Nascar? Why single out one? Because they took the chance to spend more money. Everything has a marketing edge on it. "All State Good Hands Driver", "Home Depot Virtual Garage", "Cingular/Now the New AT&T Virtual Crew Chief/Poll/etc", I could go on forever. In the end it's the wonders that are the Brian France Era of Nascar. He only sees dollar signs. Hence why Sadler loses his crew chief for 4 weeks while another driver just gets moved the back of the starting field.