"Fitness is a relative term. I mean to say that it does not necessarily mean that one who runs hard and lifts weights is fit. Cricketing fitness is different. So if you can perform, it means you are fit." Sourav Ganguly provides his unique take on what constitutes fitness Jul 19, 2008
Australia’s chief selector, scourge of Poms and all-round good guy Allan Border has been forced to resign his post as chairman of selectors because of a ‘conflict of interest’ involving beer sponsorship. I am not making this up.
The former Test captain recently fronted advertisements for XXXX Gold, owned by Lion Nathan, which is sponsoring beach cricket this summer in Sydney, the Gold Coast and Perth. Border will represent Australia in the tournament, alongside greats such as Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson and Dean Jones.
That, however, does not impress Foster’s, a major sponsor of cricket. It recently announced a new deal with Cricket Australia, in which it would no longer be the naming rights sponsor of the triangular one-day series, but increase its commercial involvement at grassroots level.
Geoff Donohue, corporate affairs spokesman for Foster’s, said the XXXX campaign involving Border was little more than ambush marketing.
“We think ambush marketing is fairly un-Australian,” he said. “I will leave you to decide whether what they are doing with their current advertising campaigns is ambush marketing.
“I guess Allan has [resigned as a national selector] in pursuit of his own commercial interests. But we are thrilled with our association with Cricket Australia and the Australian cricket team, and we’re more than happy with the access we have to the current players.”
If you are that thrilled to be associated with Cricket Australia, then I’m sure you won’t be that miffed with Allan Border continuing his association with the XXXX brand that has been ongoing for the past twenty years.
Fosters: couldn’t give a fourex about, well, anyone.
I find it amazing that these sponsors are able to restrict the rights of any individuals in the name of copyright protection.
In the USA this would get laughed out of court as restraint of trade… And indeed in the Caribbean the much publicize cell phone wars are now subsiding as the WICB realizes that unless they own the individual player’s rights (which come at a hefty price) they cannot stop the players from making a living.
My guess is that it will be a matter of time until this happens in the UK, Australia and India. Hopefully this means more money and security for the players (either from the boards or the sponsors) and a reduction in the number of guerilla marketing stories… Let the guys make a living.
This is impossible, David Boon has been the very, very public face of VB for years and is gearing up for a monster talking Boony campaign for the Ashes, is he going to resign? I doubt it.
And you thought that Australians didn’t give a XXXX about anything else? I’m sad to see him step down over this seemingly trivial matter. Must be more to the story. Surely it means a lot to AB to beat the Poms in the Ashes.
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