I
f you enjoy competing in any sport, at some point you have probably been a member of a team of like-minded people. From the weekly ultimate frisbee team to a world-class organization like Lance Armstrong’s old US Postal team, someone has taken it upon them to be the glue that binds each to another. The many facets of running a team remain hidden to most members, but the duties and motivations of the team founder are usually pretty similar. Besides being motivated and a good organizer, the key of any team is raising capital to help fund team activities and to draw in athletes. Hunting for sponsors is a time consuming and often frustrating procedure. Directors have to deal with rejection and rejecting while standing their ground during negotiating. Directors have to balance their needs with the promises they make their sponsors and their athletes. Each team has different requirements which range from asking for cash to making deals on products. No matter what is negotiated, each party has a responsibility to the other, and keeping a relationship healthy will help keep a team together.
To get an idea of what it takes to start a new team and the motivations behind it, I interviewed Dr. James Wilson about his new team’s freshman year in the world of cycling. Dr. Wilson is a leading gene therapist at the University of Pennsylvania. There he spends a majority of his time researching Cystic Fibrosis, one of the most common genetic diseases, which afflicts 30,000 people in the United States. The defective gene that causes Cystic Fibrosis (CF) produces thick mucus that year to year, increasingly clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas, which stops natural enzymes from breaking down and absorbing foods. Currently the average life expectancy of someone with CF is 37 yrs. Dr. Wilson has been cycling at an elite level for several years and has most recently been tackling 100 mile mountain bike races across the United States. HP: Before we get started, can you tell me what made you decide to start Team CF? JW: I had considered starting a team with a Cystic Fibrosis theme for several years. My early thoughts regarding the value of such a team were to raise awareness of the disease and help raise money for CF research. While these goals are laudable, I did [not] see how a cycling team would be the best way to achieve them. What changed my mind was the realization by the CF community that a routine fitness program is actually therapeutic for those with CF. The primary mission of the Team is to promote fitness and exercise for those with CF. We do this in a number of ways including providing resources to those with CF who propose to use the bike to get into a fitness program. In building the team I wanted to get the attention of the cycling community and thought the best way to do this would be to build an elite team that could compete at a national level and to use this as a platform to get exposure and tap into
others who are passionate about cycling and part of the CF community. The decision to focus the Elite team on mountain bike racing (and some cyclocross) was based on what and who I knew and the fact that this group of incredibly talented and dedicated athletes is woefully under supported. With the elite team in place we are building a national group of Team CF around cyclists who are committed to the Team’s mission including those with CF and their families, friends and caregivers. We have recruited the participation of cyclists from across the country from Oregon and California to New England and Florida. HP: What has been the time frame from your first idea to start a team, to actively beginning the process to now? JW: We launched Team CF December 2009. I started working on this concept summer 2007. HP: You’ve never run an athletic team before, so what have you discovered to be the most difficult part of the process? JW: It really is not that complicated. Like anything else, it helps to have good organization and clearly defined expectations. The challenging part of the whole process was getting the team started. Through 2009 I worked quite hard to recruit some elite cyclists and get commitments from sponsors. I reached a point, however, when I had to decide to proceed full speed ahead and not turn back. The problem was that I had to make this decision before I had landed a single sponsor or had a firm commitment from a cyclist. HP: How did you approach potential sponsors and what information is a company looking for? JW: We started with a plan to land a lead sponsor for financial support and a few bike related sponsors for product. We got very far along in negotiations for both and each fell through at the last minute. My mistake was that I had not developed robust contingency plans and had to scramble when both of these deals fell through. My experience with sponsors regarding Team CF is as follows: Some of them saw the unique opportunity that Team CF provided in terms of marketing and exposure in new venues. However, most could not get their arms around the concept. I suspect this will change after the first year when we have something very tangible to present to sponsors. HP: A lot of people who start an organization that has the goal of bringing awareness to a medical condition become a not-for-profit. On the surface, that would seem to make it easier to get sponsorship money. Why has TeamCF chosen to be an LLC? What are the legal issues involved with starting a team? JW: We began with the goal of establishing or affiliating with a 501c3 (non-profit) and approached sponsors with such a plan. We also sought advice from the national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) with whom we planned to partner. CFF felt that we could be an effective partner either as a 501c3 or an LLC and suggested it would be easier to establish and run the organization as an LLC;
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