Tour de france prize money vs french open

[Polyglot]

The Tour draws far more unique views than any other sporting event in France. Tennis does not even come close to the number of cycling, whether live or on TV. The problem largely lies in the fact that cycling events, in much the same way as marathons, have long been considered to be a "free" sporting events, unlike virtually any other sporting event. Organizers cannot readily monetize bicycle events and are therefore not able to pay out the same prize money. Add to this the fact that pro cyclists have never been overly well-organized and you have a situation where it is highly unlikely that things will change any time soon.

I was formerly sales Director of the then third largest manufacturer of tennis racquets in the world, and we were the sole (racquets, apparel, gear and footwear) or principal sponsor of a number of Grand Slam title winners and the cost of sponsorship was not that outrageous when compared to individual sponsorship of a top cyclist, mainly due to the fact that individual sponsorship in cycling is virtually impossible: you sponsor a team, you can't sponsor a single cyclist. When I was subsequently involved in supply contracts for team clothing for pro cycling teams, where at best you could get a small little logo with little exposure, the costs were very expensive for the return in notoriety.