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November 03, 2009

Comedian Colbert Aims to Give Edge to U.S. Speedskaters

The satirical TV show The Colbert Report will be the primary sponsor of the U.S. Speedskating team, raising money from the program’s ardent fans as the squad prepares for next year’s Vancouver Olympics, reports the Associated Press.

Host Stephen Colbert announced the deal on his show Monday. The name “Colbert Nation,” as Mr. Colbert styles his audience, will appear on U.S. skaters’ uniforms during the games.

The squad’s biggest sponsor in previous years, DSB Bank NV, declared bankruptcy last month. The Colbert Report will not make any direct donations but is calling on viewers to give, a strategy that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which benefits injured service members and their families.

The pop star Sting is also mixing charity and sports, co-founding a nonprofit organization to send indestructible soccer balls to kids in poor and strife-torn areas, The Washington Post reports.

(Free registration is required to read the Associated Press article on the New York Times site and to read the Post article.)

Tuesday November 3, 2009 | Permalink

Comments

1. If Colbert isn’t making any direct donations, he’s not a donor, sponsor, or supporter, no matter how worthy the ultimate donee. But he certainly has a pair of balls for using Other People’s Money to get publicity and goodwill by having his name on the team uniforms. What a guy!

   — Jeff Steele    Nov 3, 05:39 PM    #

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