As many expected, a city-wide ban on free sampling of tobacco has led U.S. Smokeless Tobacco to withdraw its placement of a $200,000 scoreboard at the Greeley Stampede.
A major sponsor of the annual Stampede, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco decided this week not to provide the scoreboard this year as they have in the past.
Stampede officials will now need to rent a $25,000 scoreboard for the two-week event and hope sponsors step forward to defray the cost.
“We’ve made some offers to different companies,” said Greeley Stampede CEO Lynn Settje. “At this point we’ve not gotten any nibbles.”
U.S. Smokeless Tobacco spokesman Andrew Lee said Greeley’s vote in December to stop free sampling of tobacco in the city played a role in the company’s decision.
“The scoreboard is in great demand at events across the country and the folks who run that program have a difficult choice to make as to when and where it will be used,” Lee said. “Where we have the ability to responsibly distribute our samples is one factor they have to consider.”
U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is the world’s leading producer and marketer of smokeless tobacco, including Copenhagen and Skoal. The company has traditionally been allowed to give out free samples at the Stampede as it does at the Colorado State Fair.
But when the ban was implemented by the City Council by a 4-3 margin late last year, Stampede officials knew the scoreboard could go, Settje said. “We weren’t aware of any rodeo that has the scoreboard and also doesn’t have the sampling,” he said.
Still, the company will continue as a sponsor at the Stampede, Lee said. “We are working to determine what our sponsorship-level will be.”
Greeley mayor Ed Clark – who voted against the ban – said the city wants to work with other government groups and businesses to come up with a sponsorship plan to help the Stampede.
The event attracts nearly 450,000 people annually and pumps over $52 million into the local economy, according to Stampede estimates.
“I think the Stampede is something we all value and if it succeeds, we all succeed,” Clark said.
