Athletic Sponsorships Lost In 2014

Since his latest DUI arrest, Olympian Michael Phelps is at the center of a heated debate, and many are wondering whether his actions will hurt his relationships with sponsors. The swimmer and multiple gold medal winner isn't likely to take too hard of a lashing, but sometimes sports stars and national celebrities behave in a way that can hurt their image, and the repercussions can be detrimental. Here is a short list of athletes and sports teams that managed to lose millions of dollars in sponsorships in 2014.

4) Eugenie Bouchard

The Star reports that Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard recently took a major hit when she lost to the Czech Republic's Petra Kyitová in the Wimbledon Women's Final on Saturday. Experts agree that the loss may have cost the Westmount, Quebec native millions of dollars in sponsorship income, saying that a win would have more than likely landed her several seven-figure deals. While Bouchard is young and still possesses a promising career, she'll need a major win to launch her back into the champions' circle. 

3) Donald Sterling And The Clippers

Clippers owner Donald Sterling created quite a stir earlier this year when racist comments spewed by the billionaire were recorded and broadcast for all to hear. According to Complex.com, his angry rants have so far cost his team millions of dollars in sponsorship deals with companies such as CarMax, Inc KMX, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, Red Bull GmbH, KIA MOTORS CORP ORD KIMTF and Virgin America Inc. to name a few.

2) Jeb Burton 

Racer Jeb Burton lost his ride and was forced to drop out of the Camping World Truck Series when Arrowhead fell through as a sponsor, as stated by Sporting News. The son of former racing icon and Dayton 500 winner Ward Burton currently does not have any remaining plans for 2014, but has commented that he will “win a race soon.” 

1) Minnesota Vikings

ESPN is reporting that the Radisson Hotels & Resorts has ended its sponsorship deal with the Minnesota Vikings football team in protest of its decision to keep running back Adrian Peterson in action despite his pending charges of child abuse. While the team has since deactivated Peterson for an indefinite period of time, Radisson Hotels & Resorts is making it clear that their decision is not to be taken lightly.