Once every four years, the sports that make up the bulk of the summer Olympic events enjoy a strong following from fans. And for the athletes who excel at those sports taking place at the Olympic track and field trials this week, the exposure they get every Olympic year can dramatically influence whether or not they will be able to make even a meager living as a professional athlete.

Most of the runners, throwers and jumpers competing in Eugene this week make a very modest salary from shoe and equipment sponsors, and have to work other jobs to make ends meet. But one of the nation's best runners is trying to open up his sport for more sponsorship opportunities, and he's doing it by covering up the logo of one of his sponsors with tape.

Nick Symmonds kicked into another gear on June 25 in the 800 meter finals, going from fifth place to first in the final 200 meters to win his fifth national title in the event and earn a spot on his second Olympic team. Running toward the back of the pack until the end of the race is something Symmonds is known for, and it always makes for an exciting race as fans hope and wonder if he can make up the gap to win.

Those who were watching closely as Symmonds made his move on the outside in the trials this week may have noticed a small strip of white athletic tape on his left shoulder. The tape is there covering up the logo and Twitter handle of one of his sponsors, Hanson Dodge Creative, a company that bought the sponsorship rights to Symmonds' shoulder on eBay for more than $11,000.

"They took a chance on me when I put my shoulder up for bid in January," Symmonds said at the Pre Classic meet held in Eugene earlier this month. "I wear a Hanson Dodge Creative temporary tattoo on my left shoulder in every single competition, unfortunately due to the rules [for certain meets], I'm not allowed to display it anywhere in the media zone or the competition area."

Instead, the temporary tattoo is covered by tape. Symmonds is fighting a similar struggle that was fought nearly 40 years ago by the Pre Classic's namesake, Steve Prefontaine. The legendary Oregon runner was one of the top distance runners in the world, but during the early 1970s he had to live a very meager existence because the rules of the time that didn't allow track and field athletes to earn potentially lucrative prize money from races or any sponsors if they wanted to compete at the Olympics.

Like Prefontaine, Symmonds is passionate about improving his sport by improving the potential income for athletes. "As an athlete who wants to see more dollars in track and field, I say let's stop kicking potential sponsors out of the sport" he said. "There are so many companies out there that want to invest dollars in athletes, let's let them."

The battle that Symmonds and other athletes face is from the governing bodies of the sports, not from a lack of available sponsors. Both the International Association of Athletics Federations, which puts on the top level meets every year around the world, and USA Track and Field that governs the Olympic trials, only allow athletes to have limited sponsorship space during competitions and doesn't want athletes to be sponsored by companies that are potential rivals of event sponsors. Symmonds does wear his temporary tattoo in events not governed by the IAAF or the USATF.

The tape is in a way more of a statement than the tattoo itself. And the point isn't lost on Hanson Dodge Creative that bought the rights to Symmonds' left shoulder.

"It wasn't really about getting our Twitter handle on his shoulder. Wearing that tape over it I think has actually gathered more attention" said Joe Ciccarelli, Hanson Dodge Creative's marketing manager. "It was really about getting behind him, to align ourselves with an Olympic athlete."

The Milwaukee company specializes in marketing for outdoor sports companies, so working with Symmonds was a good fit, Ciccarelli says. The company won the eBay auction after being impressed with the creativity Symmonds showed in trying to raise awareness about the sponsorship issue. Since then they have worked with the 800 meter specialist by revamping his website, producing a series of videos highlighting Symmonds' racing career (below) and working with the runner on developing strategies for using social media in other active lifestyle campaigns.

Symmonds and other Olympic athletes don't seem to be under any kind of illusion that they will be making the same type of money as basketball or baseball stars. With a Nike contract said to be over six figures (though well below minimum wage for Major League Baseball), Symmonds isn't struggling to keep food on the table. And there are other athletes who, thanks to great performances, can bring in big dollars as well. Ashton Eaton set the world record in the decathlon last week at the trials and is rumored to have received a $750,000 bonus from Nike.

Symmonds is fighting hard to make sure he – and especially others in the sport who are struggling financially – can have the opportunities he believes are out there. Not all of the athletes in track and field are earning the same type of living as the five-time national champion or a world record holder.

Ryan Brown is a two-time NCAA champion in the 800 meter race and represented the United States at the 2009 World Championships. When Brown decided to go pro in 2008, it wasn't because of a fat contract.

"They (Asics) gave me shoes, a uniform and if I won races I would get a little bit more" Brown says. "The first year came out to $8,000."

Brown says he was thankful for the support that Asics provided, but that first year was a struggle. Like most track and field athletes, there are bonuses for winning or doing well in races and for making World Championship or Olympic teams. Unfortunately, in the weeks leading up to the 2008 trials Brown suffered a hamstring injury.

He ended up spending around $2,000 of his savings on physical therapy in hopes of improving his condition. He did manage to heal a bit, though not enough to be at full strength, and he wasn't able to make it to the finals of the 2008 trials.

His luck changed in 2009 when he made the World Championship team. Racing in Berlin meant a bump from his sponsor, and he was "living large" with his new $30,000 annual salary. Brown agrees with Symmonds' approach to attracting more dollars to the sport.

"We need outside sponsorships to survive" he said.

Over the past year, Brown was again sidelined with injuries. Asics continued to stand behind him, and Brown worked as a high school coach and at a running store as well. In the end he decided to retire from track and field saying it's just too difficult to survive on the limited money available to athletes.

Symmonds is adamant there is more money out there for track and field athletes. He gets the bulk of his money from Nike, a company he says is responsible for getting him where he is today and has supported a large number of track and field athletes. Nike was started by the University of Oregon's legendary track and field coach, Bill Bowerman, and one of his former runners, the company's current chairman, Phil Knight. Steve Prefontaine was one of Nike's first employees and sponsored athletes.

"But Nike, their job isn't to give every kid coming out of college a contract" he adds. "So why don't we let the Hanson Dodge Creatives, the Melaleucas (another sponsor) advertise on athletes during the competition so they can get a return on their dollar."

The 800 meter runner turns to NASCAR as an example of a sport where there seems to be plenty of room for multiple sponsors.

"You don't see Ford saying you can't put another sticker on the car" he says, highlighting track and field's governing body's issue over athlete sponsors potentially clashing with event sponsors. "They understand that by growing the pie, it's only going to help the whole sport."

Symmonds, along with Khadevis Robinson and Duane Solomon, will run the 800 meter race for the United States beginning on Aug. 6.

Video: Hanson Dodge Creative