A load of Bull

At the Centre for the International Business of Sport (CIBS), we continuing to analyse Red Bull, and what the company/brand has brought to sport:

http://www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/external/content/1/c4/53/26/v1247730484/user/CIBS%20WP11.pdf

There is a whole series of issues related to the role that Red Bull has played/is playing in sport; some commentators are critical of what the company has done e.g. changing the name of SV Austria Salzburg to Red Bull Salzberg; others see the company as a major financial contributor to sport through its various sponsorship deals; while the company's entrepreneurial approach to sport has attracted the attention of many people (and is the focus of CIB's work). Of particular interest is the company's strategy of developing new sports, changing the format of existing sports, and the way it repackages and then re-brands existing sports

Further insight into Red Bull's activities can be found here:

http://www.redbull.co.uk/#page=HomePage.1232021262108-1071851984

This leads one to ask: is this form of entrepreneurialism in sport a good thing or a bad thing? Surely Red Bull is to be applauded for its commitment to sport, and is an object lesson in how sport can be used to simultaneously promote specific sports while at the same time promoting the company? A classic form of strategic collaboration, and great relationship marketing? Moreover, hasn't the fresh perspective that Red Bull has brought enlivened sport, creating a fresh perspective of what sport is and what it does? Indeed, isn't the company's creation of 'new sports' simply a replication of what happened across Europe in the 19th century and the US in the 20th century i.e. corporate backing for activities in which people were already engaged in order to strengthen and develop them? Or do we need to take a different view of Red Bull? Is the ubiquity of the company and its branding too much? Isn't it commercial exploitation? When companies start changing the nature of sports and sporting contests, hasn't their involvement become too intrusive, possibly even exploitative? Should sports fans be worried by Red Bull's activities?

A final question, in the light of Red Bull's involvement in sport, what does this tell us about the role that entrepreneurship in sport could/should and couldn't/shouldn't play in sport?