The truly disadvantaged

At the core of how I earn my living is the idea that sponsoring cycling teams and events is a worthwhile use of a company’s money. But when I say ‘worthwhile’, I mean that cycling sponsorship is an effective way to allocate advertising dollars to achieve positive financial results for the sponsor.

As a way of creating positive change in the world, it’s pretty inefficient.

Not too long ago, I attended the launch of a U-23 development team, and the event included a presentation encouraging the well-meaning crowd to join the team’s $5,000-a-head “Founders’ Club”. The team holds tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status and its goal is to have a budget in the low six-figures to support five or six athletes.

This kind of program is a worthy cause, but - having literally stepped over people sleeping on the street on my way to the party - it was impossible to ignore the disparity between cycling and the legitimately pressing needs of our society.

I want to stress that the motives of everyone involved in this team and others like it are entirely positive: they love cycling and they want to help young people succeed in the sport and in life.

But let’s face it: competition for the charitable dollars of companies and individuals is fierce. And five grand to help a handful of bike racers is five grand that won’t help mentally-ill homeless veterans, children whose schools are closing due to budget cuts, etc. And those are just two examples from my neighborhood, let alone the world as a whole.

In more concrete terms, a $5,000 donation to World Bicycle Relief would provide almost 100 bicycles to Sri Lankan survivors of the December 2004 Tsunami. In devastated communities, the locally produced bicycles change lives by allowing adults to return to work and children to return to school.

If you love bike racing and you want to help young cyclists, don’t hold back. But when you write that check to a racing non-profit, why not donate the money you just saved on your taxes to an organization that serves the truly disadvantaged?

Note: This column’s headline is also the title of William Julius Wilson’s 1987 book on urban poverty. It’s a fascinating work, if you’re into that sort of thing.