“They (sponsors) are trying to walk a fine line between trying to get the best exposure, but also not trying to be perceived as too close to the actions of the Chinese government,” Mark Conrad, who teaches sports law and ethics at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, said in an email.
IOC major sponsors mostly muted in runup to Beijing Olympics
→
“People there are just simply not happy,” Mr. Conrad said, “and it doesn’t look good for brands that sell well in Japan — obviously, Japanese companies — to associate themselves with this event that they paid good money to sponsor.”
Olympics arrive to Tokyo with uncertainty, intrigue
→
