"There is a difference in being a rebel and doing something socially unacceptable," said Dean Bonham, chairman of the Bonham Group, a sports and entertainment marketing firm.

In August 2004, he joined The Bonham Group, a Denver-based sports marketing company; he was responsible for new business development, business planning and budgeting.

Both companies turned to the Bonham Group, a sports and entertainment marketing firm that evaluates the amount of exposure a sponsor gets.

Yet despite such criticism, the Bonham Group and its counterparts continue to attract business as more corporations come under pressure to justify sponsorships.

Moreover, the Bonham Group and other firms defend their methods, arguing that measuring exposure is still the best way that sponsors can determine whether they are getting their money's worth.

Mike Kelley joined the Bonham Group, Denver, as senior vice president for marketing and business development, a new post.

"This is a sport that is verging on a precipice," said Dean Bonham, the chairman of the Bonham Group, a sports marketing company based in Denver.

"They are looking for synergies, recognizing the importance of owning sports with other things," said Dean Bonham of the Bonham Group in Denver.

Dean Bonham, the chairman and chief executive of the Bonham Group, a sports marketing agency that advised the A.C.C. on expansion, insisted money is not the driving issue.

"It looks like they're unwinding it," said Dean Bonham, chairman of the Bonham Group, a sports industry consultant in Denver.