Fumie Suguri has a new sponsor: http://www.yoshindo.co.jp/english/index.html
I know! I am glad that she does!
I hope that Nob gets sponsors. He's been stronger than Koz so far. I trust that Koz does not need sponsors coz he's already has one (Toyota) even though Toyota has traditionally been known for being an economic, stingy company that demands cost-benefit analysis of every penny they invest. But I hope that they are generous enough for covering needed expenses. Dai has earned a lot last season for serving as one of the symbol athletes that bring a large sum of money to the Japanese Olympic Committee by appearing in various commercials.
There is no denial that Nob's sponsorship has been affected by the DUI two seasons ago. This past Olympic year was an excellent opportunity for him to redeem his social reputation. He basically comes across as a likable, innocent boy with happy atmosphere. But his lace at Oly never helps sponsorship deals, not to mention Worlds.
I am not sure if his unplanned pregnancy affects sponsorship. As he took the responsibility by getting married with a long-term girlfriend, it's basically a socially desirable outcome. But becoming a father as a student, while having such an extremely unstable, expensive, competitive career as a skater, seems shaky from the commonsensical view. You are expected to live up to the expectation as an adult of mature age. People often tend to delay their marriage in their 30s because of financial and social responsibilities. A wedding costs $30,000 on average, for example.
Nob has earned the reputation as a likable, but careless boy who often makes sloppy mistakes. People in general society do not know much about his history of three-time zayaks, the fence incident, or failure to talk to Dai before contracting with Morosov. But still, people kind of know and remember Nob for DUI, the lace, and unplanned marriage.
What happened happened and I am skeptical how much he will change. But I still hope that he copes with the new situation well and changes his image into something a little more dependable and reliable. Basically, if Suguri can get 10 offers of sponsors, Nob should be able to get a lot more for his youth and better competitive records, although I won't picture him shooting a commercial.
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