Badminton Popularity - The Role of Yonex

**llpjlau** · 06-27-2008, 10:55 PM

put more money into it. i heard on the news that if a certain player were to get knocked out of wimbledon (3rd round or so), they would still be guaranteed $60,000. now even the winner of the world championships in badminton wont get as much.

**CHOcobo** · 06-28-2008, 11:55 PM

Wilson in the US have a lot of opens too in america. i just checked Wilson website. not popular in the US but they still take place. why don't you guys talk much about american players? there are some. lol

**cooler** · 02-06-2009, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by cooler

no one knows for sure anymore but being 2nd most popular sport had been continue loosely stated by many organization, clubs, and website.

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=...G=Search&meta=

badminton is johnny come lately and required massive effort to displace or stealing fan base from other well established sports. However, I surely dont want to convert some goon-like fans from basketball/hockey/WWF to badminton supporters. A safer and lower cost route is to wait for it to grow from grassroot. This take time but the foundation would be stronger. . I see the later is happening although maybe not as quick as we hardcore badminton fans like it to be but it is happening.

just want to add something to this thread.
With the recent events, victor sponsoring korea, LN gonna sponsor china badminton (partly or fully), i can say that badminton is on the verge of making into the mainstream and big companies jumping in now is a pretty good proof. Yonex has done their part of nurturing badminton in asia (ie china, taiwan, korea), and come the time yonex should move on, onto new market that needed yonex to grow badminton.

**jchan04** · 02-07-2009, 02:28 PM

other than corporations sponsoring and creating awareness of badminton. I think locally, individuals and small organizations can create awareness of the sport by having more programs and events related to badminton. we need to teach people about badminton and get them interested. i notice in Europe they create leagues and operate badminton leagues like they do for European soccer (football) leagues. like Peter Gade plays for a club and that club is part of a circuit that has clubs compete against each other. also, with these leagues and competition, it generates better players and soon better players will be demanding for equipment. where i am residing, the only circuits i am aware about are OBA, university, college and high school. which is not enough.
yeah then we move on to the financial aspect... we need money in sponsoring and advertising.

another way to look at it is...
well look at demark, the population of that country is about 5.5 million however is able to produce top players in the international scene. that is amazing... whatever they do there, they should implement it here and the United States. i think they have competitive leagues there and able to generate great players. hmmmm

i ran out of ranting...

**dubber** · 02-09-2009, 03:24 PM

Sorry didnt have the energy to read all pages so if this has been asked and answered just point me to that post

Why doesnt more pros do this? I can understand if western pros dont do this since the sport isnt that big over here but in the asian countries its rather big right? Wouldnt companies down there be willing to sponsor players ther since its pretty good promotion thus more cash into the hopefully making the sport growing?

**badadum** · 02-09-2009, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by dubber

Sorry didnt have the energy to read all pages so if this has been asked and answered just point me to that post

Why doesnt more pros do this? I can understand if western pros dont do this since the sport isnt that big over here but in the asian countries its rather big right? Wouldnt companies down there be willing to sponsor players ther since its pretty good promotion thus more cash into the hopefully making the sport growing?

Lets put it this way, why would the company spend the effort to negotiate deal with individual players, when they can negotiate with the associations and covered all the players?

***Oldhand*** · 02-09-2009, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by badadum

Lets put it this way, why would the company spend the effort to negotiate deal with individual players, when they can negotiate with the associations and covered all the players?

Ah, this is all the more reason to cut out the Shylockian middlemen.
For what they are doing, such deals should more benefit the players.

**badadum** · 02-09-2009, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by Oldhand

Ah, this is all the more reason to cut out the Shylockian middlemen.
For what they are doing, such deals should more benefit the players.

Yes for the big name such as TH, LD, LCW,etc. For the middle tier players, they will just starve.

Hopefully badminton will rivals tennis one of these days, but until that point, we can only hope.

**chris-ccc** · 02-09-2009, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by badadum

Yes for the big name such as TH, LD, LCW,etc. For the middle tier players, they will just starve.

Hopefully badminton will rivals tennis one of these days, but until that point, we can only hope.

.
IMHO, only when more television coverage is available, then more companies will be willing to sponsor more players.

Companies love to see their logos on TV.

.

**taneepak** · 02-09-2009, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by Oldhand

Ah, this is all the more reason to cut out the Shylockian middlemen.
For what they are doing, such deals should more benefit the players.

Some readers may take offence at the word "S.........".
The existence of independent players and clubs will weaken the roles of both the national association and the sponsor. Just imagine how Yonex is going to negotiate with so many independent Indonesian players and PBSI. As far as Yonex is concerned, it will allocate a fixed amount of funds, say $xxx, to Indonesia. This amount $xxx used to go to PBSI alone, but now with independent players it is going to be diluted. How is Yonex going to monitor that it is getting its money's worth?

**cooler** · 02-09-2009, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by taneepak

Some readers may take offence at the word "S.........".
The existence of independent players and clubs will weaken the roles of both the national association and the sponsor. Just imagine how Yonex is going to negotiate with so many independent Indonesian players and PBSI. As far as Yonex is concerned, it will allocate a fixed amount of funds, say $xxx, to Indonesia. This amount $xxx used to go to PBSI alone, but now with independent players it is going to be diluted. How is Yonex going to monitor that it is getting its money's worth?

i dont think so. Ur mind seem to be stuck with yonex. More players and clubs mean more flexibility for more sponsors to come in. Ex, a cig and/or liquor company can now target TH for sponsorship without paying ransom to pbsi. Now, a non cig company can sponsor pbsi since TH, the party boy, smoker, is out.

**chris-ccc** · 02-09-2009, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by taneepak

The existence of independent players and clubs will weaken the roles of both the national association and the sponsor. Just imagine how Yonex is going to negotiate with so many independent Indonesian players and PBSI. As far as Yonex is concerned, it will allocate a fixed amount of funds, say $xxx, to Indonesia. This amount $xxx used to go to PBSI alone, but now with independent players it is going to be diluted. How is Yonex going to monitor that it is getting its money's worth?

.
Isn't it that's the way Yonex and/or any other companies make contracts with professional Tennis players?

I don't think that now with independent players, sponsorship monies are going to be diluted .
.

***Oldhand*** · 02-09-2009, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by taneepak

Some readers may take offence at the word "S.........".
The existence of independent players and clubs will weaken the roles of both the national association and the sponsor. Just imagine how Yonex is going to negotiate with so many independent Indonesian players and PBSI. As far as Yonex is concerned, it will allocate a fixed amount of funds, say $xxx, to Indonesia. This amount $xxx used to go to PBSI alone, but now with independent players it is going to be diluted. How is Yonex going to monitor that it is getting its money's worth?

You seem to be worried more for Yonex than for the players

A sponsorship deal is no act of charity or altruism.
It's a commercial transaction where benefit is everyone's goal.

Companies like Yonex prefer lumping of players (under National Associations, Clubs, et al) as that means fewer negotiators and smaller payouts

However, if sponsorship processes in badminton were as they are today in football, tennis, cricket and basketball, it would certainly benefit the players. One also cannot discount the possibility that such a route could take the level of competition up to positive heights never reached yet in badminton.

---------------------
Well, Shylock has been known to the world for over 400 years now.
I'd say it's a bit late in the day to suddenly sit up and be offended

**taneepak** · 02-09-2009, 11:57 PM

Time will tell if independents will be good for the game. So far it doesn't seem to be doing well in Malaysia. Also we have a real financial crisis now and sponsors, especially sponsors with high-end and expensive product range, will be badly hurt. I only hope the so-called independents do not end up in "retirement home" for players who are reaching their sunset years.

**Krisna** · 02-10-2009, 05:42 AM

Originally Posted by taneepak

Some readers may take offence at the word "S.........".
The existence of independent players and clubs will weaken the roles of both the national association and the sponsor. Just imagine how Yonex is going to negotiate with so many independent Indonesian players and PBSI. As far as Yonex is concerned, it will allocate a fixed amount of funds, say $xxx, to Indonesia. This amount $xxx used to go to PBSI alone, but now with independent players it is going to be diluted. How is Yonex going to monitor that it is getting its money's worth?

Well... yes, welcome to the real world, Yonex...

The practice is quite normal in the football [soccer] world etc...

Note:
Yonex seems to be loosing out in many negotiations with Associations...
Team China will use Li Ning products
Team Korea will use Victor products
Team Indonesia already said the contract with Yonex will only be extended to the end of 2009... In 2010... maybe going individual?
Team Malaysia... maybe negotiating for this year [2009]...

going individual maybe?

**badMania** · 02-10-2009, 06:26 AM

Originally Posted by taneepak

The existence of independent players and clubs will weaken the roles of both the national association and the sponsor. Just imagine how Yonex is going to negotiate with so many independent Indonesian players and PBSI. As far as Yonex is concerned, it will allocate a fixed amount of funds, say $xxx, to Indonesia. This amount $xxx used to go to PBSI alone, but now with independent players it is going to be diluted. How is Yonex going to monitor that it is getting its money's worth?

Err....Yonex is not the only company producing badminton rackets and equipments

There are so many other individual sponsors like Victor, Li Ning, Head, Sotex, Wilson, and even Astec and Pertamina (of Indonesia) who are willing to dish out sponsorship deals to individual players. Not to mention those who have shown their support throughout the years like Proton, Fed-Ex, Djarum, Aviva, and so on.

No doubt, the current financial crisis will make them less inclined, but, as history showed us, crisis will come and go.

So, once this crisis is over in 1-2 years time, the era of professionalism in badminton will hopefully take off!

**taneepak** · 02-10-2009, 07:10 AM

Badminton is very different from say tennis or basketball. The ATP and NBA have a huge locked-in revenue stream from television. These revenues are so large that they can afford to pay top prize money. Badminton as we know it today gets money from mainly Yonex, and most of it goes to the national associations. Even then this money is peanuts. We now have badminton independents that want to take a bite of the cherry of this peanuts pool of money.
Indonesia has been very strong in badminton for a long time. But it was somewhat weakened by the Asian financial crisis a decade ago. We now have another even worse financial crisis which I am afraid will be detrimental to Indonesia. I hope I am wrong but I have an uneasy feeling that the independents and the PBSI in Indonesia are fighting for a dwindling pool of reduced funds.
Malaysia is luckier as they now have a government who can provide more funds to the BAM.
Even China, probably the only country whose players can command higher income from individual sponsoring, will not allow their national stars to be independent.