U.S. Speedskating Finds Savior In Stephen Colbert
Katherine Reutter, member of the US speed skating team, is sporting a 'Colbert Nation' patch. - U.S. speedskater Katherine Reutter wears a Colbert Nation patch on her "billboard thighs." (David Boily / AFP/Getty Images)
The funniest and least likely sponsorship in Olympic sports has U.S. Speedskating paired with comic Stephen Colbert. And the resulting mix of comedy and competition have raised eyebrows — and money.
The host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report stepped in as a U.S. Speedskating sponsor in November after the speedskaters lost a major corporate backer — a bank that went bankrupt.
Colbert To The Rescue
Dutch Bank DSB had a four-year sponsorship arrangement worth $300,000 a year. Speedskating is a national sport in the Netherlands, so even the speedskaters in other countries are valued. But DSB went bankrupt in October — just as the big push for next month's Olympics began.
"Our budget would have had to been cut in a number of key areas," says U.S. Speedskating CEO Bob Crowley.
Then came a surprise phone call from New York, a sprint to the airport, and the Nov. 2 taping of The Colbert Report. Crowley presented Colbert with sponsorship agreement papers and the Comedy Central star signed them on the spot, as the audience cheered "USA! USA! USA!"
(Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
"This has been a lifesaver, literally," Crowley says.
Colbert was not available for an interview for this story so it's unclear why he joined the U.S. Speedskating cause. And he didn't put up any of his own money. Instead, he asked his viewers to go to his Web site and pledge support to U.S. Speedskating.
"We've got to step up and make sure it is America's 38-inch thighs on that medal platform!" Colbert shouted to his audience.
Speedskating is also now part of Colbert's blustering comic sendups of real bloviating talk show hosts.
"Let's trash talk the Summer Games for just a second," Colbert said to short track medal prospect Katherine Reutter, during a show in December.
Reutter was game: "Let's do it."
Colbert ripped into Summer Olympics swimming sensation Michael Phelps. "How easy is it to swim through water?" Colbert asked. Turning to Reutter, he added. "You run on top of water with samurai swords strapped to your feet."
Serious Skaters, Silly Show
Reutter is a serious, hard-training skater, who can describe in exquisite detail the technical, physical and psychological challenges of her sport.
"I always want to present myself as a poised athlete," she says. "Someone who is intelligent and hard-working, and I want for people to relate to me in that way."
Colbert did ask Reutter about her training regimen, and then she asked him to sign his name on her "billboard thighs," as she freely calls them. Stunts like that make some wonder whether skaters lose their dignity with the Colbert connection. Long track star Shani Davis called Colbert a jerk.
"You gotta be wary of people who might make these sports shticky," says Tripp Mickle, the Olympic writer for the Sports Business Journal. "And make them too much about a joke and not about what they really are."
In fact, when Sports Illustrated put a speedskater on its cover, it wasn't Team USA's Katherine Reutter. It was Stephen Colbert, head-to-toe in a skintight Team USA racing suit. But Mickle believes Colbert has not crossed the line, so far, and Reutter agrees.
"At the very beginning, we were all a little worried that maybe he'd poke fun at us," Reutter says. "We didn't want our life dream to be something that got poked fun at on Comedy Central. But that has never happened. I feel that I have more support and more people believe in me because of this show."
Sponsorship Snags
The sponsorship has had its challenges. At first, Colbert wanted his face on those billboard thighs — but given their varied dimensions and the flexed material, he'd have cheeks stretched wide like Silly Putty. So he went for the Colbert Nation logo instead.
Then there was the nasty dis from Davis.
"I challenge you [Davis] to a speedskating race," Colbert announced on the show the night Reutter was a guest. "If I win, I get your spot on the U.S. Olympic team. But if you win, you get an autographed copy of my Sports Illustrated cover."
Colbert and Davis did race, and the results are shown on two shows this week.
As for the giving nature of the Colbert Nation: 9,760 Colbert viewers have contributed more than $300,000 so far, according to U.S. Speedskating. That more than makes up for the sponsorship of the bankrupt bank.
But the Colbert sponsorship is a one-time-only deal. U.S. Speedskating now has to find a "real" sponsor offering a long-term commitment. The exposure provided by The Colbert Report, however, could make that task easier.
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And now to the least likely sponsorship in Olympic sports: Tonight, the comedian Stephen Colbert plans to again feature the U.S. speedskating team on his TV show. Colbert decided to sponsor the team after it lost a major corporate backer to bankruptcy.
NPR's Howard Berkes reports on this mix of comedy and competition.
HOWARD BERKES: The bankrupt bank left a $300,000 hole in U.S. Speedskating's ice just as the big push to next month's Olympics began. Then came the phone call from New York and the November 2nd cablecast of "The Colbert Report."
(Soundbite of TV show, "The Colbert Report")
Mr. STEPHEN COLBERT (Host, "The Colbert Report"): OK, Bob. Bob, is this possible, can the Colbert Nation sponsor U.S. Speedskating?
Mr. BOB CROWLEY (CEO, U.S. Speedskating): Yes, absolutely.
Mr. COLBERT: Where do I sign?
Mr. CROWLEY: Right here.
BERKES: That was U.S. Speedskating CEO Bob Crowley getting Stephen Colbert's signature on the sponsorship papers.
Mr. CROWLEY: Our budget would've had to have been cut in a number of key areas. For U.S. Speedskating, this has been a lifesaver - literally. BERKES: Now, Stephen Colbert didn't put up any of his own money. Instead, he begged his viewers to send in checks.
Mr. COLBERT: We have got to step up and make sure that it is America's 38-inch thighs on that metal platform.
BERKES: Speedskating is now part of Colbert's blustering comic send-ups of real, bloviating talk show hosts. Here he is with short track medal prospect Katherine Reutter.
(Soundbite of TV show, "The Colbert Report")
Mr. COLBERT: Let's trash talk the Summer Games for just a second.
(Soundbite of laughter)
Ms. KATHERINE REUTTER (U.S. Speedskater): Let's do it. OK.
Mr. COLBERT: OK? Guys like Michael Phelps, how easy is it to swim through water? You run on top of water with samurai swords strapped to your feet.
Ms. REUTTER: I thank you. Thank you for saying that.
Mr. COLBERT: Doesn't that seem harder?
Ms. REUTTER: Definitely.
BERKES: Reutter is a very serious, hard-training skater who can describe in exquisite detail the technical, physical and psychological challenges of her sport.
Ms. REUTTER: I always want to present myself as a poised athlete, someone who is intelligent and hard-working. And I want for people to be able to relate to me in that way.
BERKES: Colbert did ask Reutter about her training regimen. And then she asked him to sign his name on her billboard thighs, as she freely calls them. Stunts like that make some wonder whether skaters lose their dignity with the Colbert connection.
Long-track star Shani Davis called Colbert a jerk.
Tripp Mickle is the Olympic beat writer for Sports Business Journal.
Mr. TRIPP MICKLE (Writer, Sports Business Journal): You've got to be wary of partnering with people who might make these sports sticky almost, you know, just something that they aren't, and make them too much about a joke and not about what they really are.
BERKES: And when Sports Illustrated put a speedskater on its cover, it wasn't Katherine Reutter. It was Stephen Colbert, head to toe in a skintight, Team USA racing suit. But Mickle believes Colbert has not crossed the line so far, and Reutter agrees.
Ms. REUTTER: At the very beginning, we were all a little worried that like, maybe he'd poke fun at us. We didn't want our life dream to be turned into something that got poked fun at on Comedy Central. But that has never happened. Like, I feel like I have more support and more people believe in me because of this show.
BERKES: The sponsorship has had its challenges. At first, Colbert wanted his face on those billboard thighs. But given their varied dimensions and the flexed material, well, he'd have cheeks stretched wide like silly putty. So he went for the Colbert Nation logo instead.
And then there's the nasty diss from Shani David.
(Soundbite of TV show, "The Colbert Report")
Mr. COLBERT: I challenge you to a speedskating race any rink, any time, any distance - as long as I get a thousand-meter head start.
(Soundbite of laughter)
Mr. COLBERT: If I win, I get your spot on the U.S. Olympic team. But if you win, you get an autographed copy of my Sports Illustrated cover.
BERKES: Colbert and Davis did race, and the results are shown on tonight's show. Close to 10,000 Colbert viewers sent in more than $300,000, making up for the bankrupt bank. But this is a one-time-only deal. U.S. Speedskating still has to find a real sponsor with a long-term commitment. There's hope that the "Colbert Report's" exposure will make that easier.
Howard Berkes, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
