Runners in this year's Boston Marathon who complete the 26.2-mile course will receive medals carrying the name of the lead sponsor Bank of America.
About 30,000 runners are expected to line up at the starting line of the April 15 Boston Marathon — each with the hope of finishing 26.2 miles later with a finisher medal around their necks.
Retailers and brands are vying for runners’ and their supporters’ spending power. As in years past, the 128th running of the Boston Marathon is expected to give the city an economic boost. With thousands of tourists and runners booking hotels, shopping and dining in restaurants, the weekend has generated a $200 million boost in years past, according to statistics from the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The medals are being made locally for the first time in years by Ashworth Awards, a North Attleborough, Mass., company. Chief people officer Morgan Ashworth declined to comment about the decision to feature a corporate name on the finishers’ medals.Four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers, who also has signature running stores in the area, said that he found the decision to be “shocking.” Select sporting events like the Boston Marathon stand by name alone.
Emphasizing how soccer and athletics — which includes marathoning, track and field, cross-country running and road racing — are gaining participants and fans, Rodgers said, “The shoe companies are still the driving force in our sport. I think the sport is going to keep growing and growing because it’s people’s health and fitness.”
“In this case, it feels like a breach not only in tradition, but also the sanctity of the accomplishment. Perception is everything in marketing, and taking such a hallowed treasure as a finishers’ medal and tweaking it for corporate marketing purposes diminishes both the physical stature of the medal and of B.A.A.’s marketing message,” said Carr, who is also an adjunct sports business professor at the University of Southern California.
Dick’s will mark what will be its second urban location for a House of Sport with a grand opening April 19 to 21. The outpost will be the brand’s 14th House of Sport in the U.S. A rock climbing wall is on the ground floor and shoppers will also find golf bays with TrackMan simulators and a multi-sport cage for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer.Executives at Puma, which has a corporate office in Boston, declined to comment about the medals controversy.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Appeals court orders judge to probe claims of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber's caseA jury imposed a death sentence for his role in the bombing that killed three people near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013.
Read more »
Appeals court orders judge to probe claims of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber's caseA jury imposed a death sentence for his role in the bombing that killed three people near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013.
Read more »
Appeals court orders judge to probe claims of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber's caseA jury imposed a death sentence for his role in the bombing that killed three people near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013.
Read more »
Appeals court orders judge to probe claims of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber's caseA jury imposed a death sentence for his role in the bombing that killed three people near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013.
Read more »
Judge ordered to probe claims of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber’s caseThe Associated Press
Read more »
Boston Marathon bomber’s case thrown back to lower court for probe of ‘juror bias’A federal appeals court has ordered the case of the Boston Marathon bomber to be returned to a lower court to probe for juror bias.
Read more »