Why does Wimbledon leave so much money on the table, easily tens of millions a year, when other sporting properties do everything short of look behind bleachers for extra change to boost revenue? When I asked a tournament official, he laughed gently and said, “While there are plenty of offers for sponsorship, if the tournament hung banners behind the baseline or sold naming rights to center court, Wimbledon wouldn’t be Wimbledon, would it?”<\/p>\n
Yes, there’s money to be made from having a business sponsor your mascot or from carving out luxury suites. But there’s also equity in tradition and dignity. Wimbledon “doesn’t do costings” — that is, make its financials available to gauche journalists — but profits from 2008 exceeded $50 million. This suggests that protecting the brand, and keeping “Wimbledon, Wimbledon,” has plenty of value as well. In short, a sporting event’s soul is worth something, too.<\/p>\n
It sure would be nice if more franchises adopted this philosophy. Even if meant that home runs were to brought us by the actual batter that hit them; not by an insurance company.<\/p>\n