For the life of me I can't figure out why the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) would want to sponsor Tour De france. This is actually the first time I've seen a Norwegian institution of higher learning sponsor a sporting event, but then again I don't catch much in the way of sports, so that could be my mistake. But why in the blue hell would NTNU sponsor Tour De france? First of all, couldn't NTNU find some sport which wasn't QUITE that drug-ridden? I mean; last year they were seriously talking about shutting down TDf and ending the entire thing because they had so many doping scandals they had a hard time finding a scrawny bicycle rider without a syringe sticking out of his butt. Sponsoring this is an image a university is happy with? Couldn't they find a sport with less drug use, like bodybuilding, shot put or ice hockey? Or find a Chinese women's swim team to sponsor? Unless the medical faculty at NTNU is looking at this sponsor deal as keeping close tabs on their research subjects, that is.
The other thing is that I can't see the upside for NTNU. None of the Norwegian universities have premium financial situations at the moment, so what was the underlying thought process for sponsoring these walking pharmacies? Surely they can't be naive enough to think that this will boost recruitment? That this will be a good way to scoop the most talented students? Because the correlation between strong athleticism and scholastic achievements is typically not positive. Bjørn Dæhlie may be the best cross country skier in the history, but it's also quite obvious that Dæhlie ain't the sharpest tool in the shed. Not sure about the correlation between avid sports fans and IQ or scholastic potential either. Somehow I can't imagine the following conversation to ever take place:
The other thing is that I can't see the upside for NTNU. None of the Norwegian universities have premium financial situations at the moment, so what was the underlying thought process for sponsoring these walking pharmacies? Surely they can't be naive enough to think that this will boost recruitment? That this will be a good way to scoop the most talented students? Because the correlation between strong athleticism and scholastic achievements is typically not positive. Bjørn Dæhlie may be the best cross country skier in the history, but it's also quite obvious that Dæhlie ain't the sharpest tool in the shed. Not sure about the correlation between avid sports fans and IQ or scholastic potential either. Somehow I can't imagine the following conversation to ever take place:
- Dude; so - have you like made up your mind with respect to what university you're gonna be goin' to, man?
- Brah; I'm SO on the fence, dude. It's like; I just got my admission letters to the entire Ivy League, MIT is howlin' at my door, ditto Stanford and Duke. Oxford and Cambridge were basically beggin' me to join up, and I've got Max Planck on their knees. I just don't know which school to pick there, broham. This kinda' bums me out.
- Duuude...that's like so many choices, broski. But peep this in; I was like just checkin' out the Tour on television - you know; checkin' out their wheels to compare with the ride I'm gonna get for my next race, and I totally spied in that NTNU is sponsoring the Tour, dude. How kewl is that.
- Brah; so NTNU is sponsoring the Tour, huh? Awright; that must mean it's a much better school than Harvard and Yale combined. Let's take our 4.0 GPA's and 170+ IQ's and skidaddle over there, right budday?
- Duuuude; I'm SO there. Education rocks, man. Now let's go crush some beer cans on our foreheads, inject some deca and rub our groins against our mountain bikes for a couple of hours.
- Brah; Right on.
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8 comments:
Why wouldn't they sponsor the tour? It's a great, world-wide event, across the beautiful country-side of the worlds greatest nation and a proud and great people?
Correct me if I'm wrong (I usually am), but isn't NTNU involved in developing some sports equipement? Maybe even for cycling? If so, I could sorta understand the sponsorship. Anyway, they aren't sponsoring the tour, just the program from the tour on TV2.
It's a great, world-wide event, across the beautiful country-side of the worlds greatest nation and a proud and great people?
Since when did mexico Europe become the greatest nation on Earth?
ut isn't NTNU involved in developing some sports equipement? Maybe even for cycling?
The may be - quite possibly. Still; in my mind, this makes it harder still to understand, because in that case; surely the bicycle bois should be sponsoring NTNU and not vice versa?
surely the bicycle bois should be sponsoring NTNU and not vice versa?
NTNU sponsors the Tour so that the biker bois would become aware of them and take their bidniss to NTNU? I dunno, I have a hard time understanding why sponsoring a program is a good advertizing. Do you eat more at McD's after watching the Olympics?
I'm thinkin' that people actually eat more at Mickey Dee after they watch the Olympics ads; yes. Don't ask me why, though.
Well, since students are just about now deciding waht university to go to, or not go to, it was wise of NTNU to sponsor the tour. Maybe som TdF-lover was watching and went, like, "Yeah, NTNU it is!" And maybe his grades were so unbelieveably good that he made NTNUs popular studies look even more elitist than they already do.
I want McD's now.
Maybe som TdF-lover was watching and went, like, "Yeah, NTNU it is!" And maybe his grades were so unbelieveably good that he made NTNUs popular studies look even more elitist than they already do.
Maria: That's impossible; nothing could make NTNU's studies appear more elitist than what they already do :-)
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