alx said:Your sponsorship is in essence based upon you performing high profile work. Is being paid for work that isn't performed considered fraud?
I've always understood that sponsorship is grossly based on your ability to make them sell more equipement, because people see a pic/vid of you wearing that shoe/harness/tshirt/rope/whatever on your 9c, and they know/think you've climbed a 9c, and/or they think you're really cool, so they unconsciously think that if they buy that shoe/harness/tshirt/rope/whatever, they will get marginally closer to climbing 9c and/or being as cool as you.
(and in the end, they buy that shoe/harness/tshirt/rope/whatever).
in that perspective, paradoxically, a totally false/inflated achievement that is believed by most as true has more value that a true achievement that's believed by most as false!!!