Trifecta of "Hate": Specialized to faciliate Sagan's move to Etixx

[MattTuck]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sagan-linked-to-etixx-quickstep-for-2017/

There is little doubt that Etixx boss Patrick Lefevere would be happy to have him on board as he looks to find a leader to replace Tom Boonen.

And so continue's EQS's descent into madness.

[sandyrs]

What does that even mean? "Facilitate"? Are Specialized going to pay his contract?

[chiasticon]

What does that even mean? "Facilitate"? Are Specialized going to pay his contract?at least part of it. it's happened before.

[MattTuck]

At this point, it seems like speculation. But, still kind of interesting.

I don't think that Etixx is losing because of a lack of talent. And this kind of thing strikes me as something the Yankee's would have done in the 2000's.

Still, I suppose if Specialized is keen on it, they can up their sponsorship to make the incentives aligned. And probably they have contacts with Sagan and his agent, and Etixx's managers, so they may be able to apply some encouragement and sweeteners for both.

Lots of classics guys coming off contract. Should be an interesting period.

[FlashUNC]

Not all that dissimilar to the LeBron and Nike. LeBron has a billion-dollar, lifetime deal with Nike. The Cavs pay him less than $100 mln over the life of his latest contract.

Who does he work for?

I could easily see Special Ed helping steer Sagan to a team and writing the check if they can't cover his salary.

[simple]

At this point, it seems like speculation. But, still kind of interesting.

I don't think that Etixx is losing because of a lack of talent. And this kind of thing strikes me as something the Yankee's would have done in the 2000's.

Still, I suppose if Specialized is keen on it, they can up their sponsorship to make the incentives aligned. And probably they have contacts with Sagan and his agent, and Etixx's managers, so they may be able to apply some encouragement and sweeteners for both.

Lots of classics guys coming off contract. Should be an interesting period.

Would be interesting; consider though that based on Lefevere's comments on dealing with Sagan in his earlier years, he (Sagan) is all about the $$. Who isn't really? Anyway, also consider that there is another billionaire-backed team who has a history of paying $$$$ for riders who are 'hot' at the moment (BMC).

Can't see Sagan going to Trek assuming he wants support from his future team, unlike what he gets now.

Also doubt anyone will step in to save Tinkoff with Contador on his way out and Sagan heading into end of contract in 2017.

[jpw]

i hear that Sagan and Armitstead are to have a baby. if it's a boy it will be adopted by Specialized. If a girl they get to keep it.

[jpw]

Would be interesting; consider though that based on Lefevere's comments on dealing with Sagan in his earlier years, he (Sagan) is all about the $$. Who isn't really? Anyway, also consider that there is another billionaire-backed team who has a history of paying $$$$ for riders who are 'hot' at the moment (BMC).

Can't see Sagan going to Trek assuming he wants support from his future team, unlike what he gets now.

Also doubt anyone will step in to save Tinkoff with Contador on his way out and Sagan heading into end of contract in 2017.

Patrick 'i pay my taxes' Lefevere.

[benb]

Why shouldn't Sagan be all about the money?

What's going to happen if next week he gets taken out by a camera moto or one of the cars in the caravan and ends up with a career ending injury? Does cycling do anything to take care of guys like that? I get the impression the big American sports don't really even take care of their guys and cycling seems to treat riders a lot worse than them.

He's married, he's not going to be WC forever, gotta put the money in the bank.

[MattTuck]

Why shouldn't Sagan be all about the money?

What's going to happen if next week he gets taken out by a camera moto or one of the cars in the caravan and ends up with a career ending injury? Does cycling do anything to take care of guys like that? I get the impression the big American sports don't really even take care of their guys and cycling seems to treat riders a lot worse than them.

He's married, he's not going to be WC forever, gotta put the money in the bank.

There's a difference between "I'll take offer that pays me the most" and "I'll take the offer that balances paying me a market value and giving the team enough dry powder to build a team around me." I have no idea if Sagan is really all about the money, but the general belief in many team sports is that giving one super-star an extra sweet deal can make it difficult to recruit the supporting talent needed to win.

Maybe Sagan doesn't need the rest of the team, maybe he is strong enough to win on his own and thus (rightly) deserves more compensation.

[efaust_o]

If this truly does happen, I'm not a fan any more. I could appreciate his cycling but I will route for someone else. Something about that type of negotiation turns me against it. It maybe silly, but I still don't like it. I guess that's professional sports though....

[kingpin75s]

There's a difference between "I'll take offer that pays me the most" and "I'll take the offer that balances paying me a market value and giving the team enough dry powder to build a team around me." I have no idea if Sagan is really all about the money, but the general belief in many team sports is that giving one super-star an extra sweet deal can make it difficult to recruit the supporting talent needed to win.

Maybe Sagan doesn't need the rest of the team, maybe he is strong enough to win on his own and thus (rightly) deserves more compensation.

Kevin Garnett never won a championship in Minnesota.

[MattTuck]

... Anyway, also consider that there is another billionaire-backed team who has a history of paying $$$$ for riders who are 'hot' at the moment (BMC).

Can't see Sagan going to Trek assuming he wants support from his future team, unlike what he gets now.

...


It would be nice if cycling had a league structure with event revenue sharing, so that teams didn't have to rely on 'billionaires'... as I think 3 (maybe 4?) currently are. It seems unsustainable for the sport from a financial perspective, and noncompetitive from a sporting fairness perspective.

[chiasticon]

I get the impression the big American sports don't really even take care of their guys and cycling seems to treat riders a lot worse than them.fwiw, big four American sports all have players unions/associations to help them out in this regard. also it's not uncommon for them to get massive insurance policies on themselves.

I mean, I think KK has her *ss insured; Sagan should have his legs insured, right? :D

[jpw]

the economics of the ecosystem are peculiar.
in what other sport does the media organisation own the events?
ditto...own a team?

[MattTuck]

fwiw, big four American sports all have players unions/associations to help them out in this regard. also it's not uncommon for them to get massive insurance policies on themselves.

I mean, I think KK has her *ss insured; Sagan should have his legs insured, right? :D

Taylor Phinney had an insurance policy that he could have cashed in after his crash. I imagine a lot of them do, atleast the guys at the WorldTour level.

[FlashUNC]

There's a difference between "I'll take offer that pays me the most" and "I'll take the offer that balances paying me a market value and giving the team enough dry powder to build a team around me." I have no idea if Sagan is really all about the money, but the general belief in many team sports is that giving one super-star an extra sweet deal can make it difficult to recruit the supporting talent needed to win.

Maybe Sagan doesn't need the rest of the team, maybe he is strong enough to win on his own and thus (rightly) deserves more compensation.

Mark this down. This is one area I'm a Sagan fan. Given how the sport treats riders, he's under no obligation to take anything less than the biggest, fattest paycheck someone will pay him. And part of that should be, you need ot have the dollars on top of that to build the team he wants around him.

To quote that sage Rasheed Wallace: CTC, Cut the Check.

[Raffy]

Mark this down. This is one area I'm a Sagan fan. Given how the sport treats riders, he's under no obligation to take anything less than the biggest, fattest paycheck someone will pay him. And part of that should be, you need ot have the dollars on top of that to build the team he wants around him.

To quote that sage Rasheed Wallace: CTC, Cut the Check.

Amen. We may not agree on the Sagan haterism but fully agree with above :beer:

In the words of Jay-Z - "I'm not a businessman - I'm a business, man"

[Lovetoclimb]

What does that even mean? "Facilitate"? Are Specialized going to pay his contract?

assuming they do to some degree, that will probably make the large percent of people they recently laid off even more unhappy!

[ptourkin]

Mark this down. This is one area I'm a Sagan fan. Given how the sport treats riders, he's under no obligation to take anything less than the biggest, fattest paycheck someone will pay him. And part of that should be, you need ot have the dollars on top of that to build the team he wants around him.

To quote that sage Rasheed Wallace: CTC, Cut the Check.

http://i.imgur.com/ZtWJ9Fs.gif

[summilux]

the economics of the ecosystem are peculiar.
in what other sport does the media organisation own the events?
ditto...own a team?

MLB and NHL. Rogers Media owns the Toronto Blue Jays and has a chunk of the Maple Leafs. They own some curling events too.

[jpw]

MLB and NHL. Rogers Media owns the Toronto Blue Jays and has a chunk of the Maple Leafs. They own some curling events too.

Europe is my orbit. anything seems possible in North America.