by Laura Conaway

(NOTE: THIS POST HAS AN UPDATE, AFTER THE JUMP.)

Mike Pesca sends this:

Home Depot has withdrawn as a U.S. Olympic sponsor, and as part of a program that employed Olympic hopefuls with full-time benefits and wages for part-time work. So you'll no longer see commercials like the one above.

Over the years, Home Depot has employed hundreds of athletes who have collectively won many medals. Just how many? Well, Home Depot has never been known for its exacting accounting standards, and and no one can seem to agree as to the scope of the program:

 

Pesca continues:

Wall Street Journal: In the 16 years, that Home Depot has sponsored the U.S. and Puerto Rico Olympic and Paralympic teams, it has employed 600 athletes who have won 145 medals.

KSL 5 Utah: Since the program started in 1992, 570 Olympic and Paralympic athletes signed up. Home Depot workers earned 194 medals, 88 of them gold.

FROM Home Depot's own website: To date, more than 300 The Home Depot athlete-associates have competed in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, earning a total of 194 medals, including 88 gold, 62 silver and 44 bronze.

Another part of Home Depot's own website: The athletes have earned a total of 212 medals including 95 gold, 68 silver and 49 bronze.

Seattle Times: Home Depot says it employed 660 athletes, 300 of whom made Olympic and Paralympic teams, resulting in 150 medals — 95 of them gold.

Home Depot still offers part-time jobs to the athletes in its employ, just not part-time jobs with flexible work hours and full benefits. You know, a future heptathlete can don an Orange Apron like anyone else. Home Depot, after all, can't just go throwing cash around.

UPDATE: Pesca talked to William Chipps, senior editor at the IEG Sponsorship Report, about Home Depot's decision. Chipps says he thinks that even though Home Depot is no longer an Olympic sponsor, it could still have remained in the Olympics Job Opportunities Program. Pesca has calls out, and we'll try to have more on this for the Monday podcast.

UPDATE on the UPDATE: One of Pesca's calls got returned. Home Depot spokesperson Jean Niemi says a company does have to an Olympic sponsor to take part in the jobs program.