There’s a great old saying.
Politics and sport don’t mix.
And a few of our athletes need a bit of a reality check.
We
learn today about an intervention by the Australian cricket captain.
Pat Cummins has gone into bat against a major sponsor….
Cummins spoke with Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley about their sponsorship agreement with Alinta Energy.
He voiced his concerns about Alinta being one of the country’s largest polluters.
Cummins has shared the story in the Sydney Morning Herald.
“When we think of who we want to align with- and want to invite into cricket- I hope climate is a real priority.
“When we’re getting money- whether it’s programs for grass roots, or for fans, we have a responsibility that we’re doing the right thing.”
Alinta has since ended its deal with Cricket Australia- worth almost $40 million.
The energy company came on board back in 2018- following the ball-tampering saga in South Africa.
It was a time when Aussie cricket was in crisis.
And Alinta Energy backed them in.
Now- the partnership has ended.
And it came after an intervention from the Test captain.
We don’t know if that played a role in the deal coming to an end.
But Pat Cummins wants everyone to know that he spoke up.
This kind of action sends sport down a slippery slope.
Because the corporate dollar is hard to come by.
And the idea that a national captain is personally lobbying for his boss to cancel a $40 million deal is crazy.
Alinta - by the way- has a number of renewable energy projects in the works.
They’ve built one of the largest wind farms in WA.
They're closing a massive coal plant 15 years early.
And last month they gave the green light to a giant solar and battery facility.
Pat Cummins is best to focus on his world class bowling.
Not telling his marketing department who they should be dealing with.
It’s a power company- not an outlaw bikie gang!
And that leads us to the situation in netball.
Our netballers have recently refused to wear a team uniform containing the logo of Gina Rinehart's company- Hancock Prospecting.
It apparently goes back to a team meeting on October 6.
An Indigenous player of the squad- Donnell Wallam- voiced her concerns about Gina supporting the team.
Her concerns largely related to a comment made by Gina's late father- Lang Hancock in 1984.
A comment made almost 40 years ago.
And Lang is no longer with us.
What it has to do with Gina Rinehart in 2022- I have no idea.
Donnell says she didn’t want to wear the logo on her uniform.
And the entire squad decided to get behind her and back the boycott.
Netball Australia seems to have lost control of the situation.
And now the chair of the organisation- Marina Go- has suddenly stepped down.
But here are the cold hard facts.
Netball Australia is broke.
The sport is $4.5 million in the red.
Gina Rinehart has stepped in and given them $15 million.
It’s one of a number of sports Gina has bailed out over the past few years- including swimming and rowing.
Countless athletes have made it to the Olympics because of her support.
And her own record on Indigenous issues speaks for itself.
She provides education and employment scholarships for young Aboriginal people.
She also funds research into rare diseases in Aboriginal children.
Did the Australian netball team consider these facts when boycotting the uniform?
I’m not suggesting these sports stars have to maintain a vow of silence.
But be careful what ground you campaign on.
There will always be someone with an axe to grind.
No industry is immune from criticism.
Banks, insurance, mining companies, fast food, soft drink, alcohol, gambling, media companies.
If you put a line through all of them… there will be no sponsors left!
