"He is talented, very talented, but he has no brains" Geoffrey Boycott is at it again. Virender Sehwag is the target this time after he recklessly pulled a catch to deep square in India's first innings at the SSC Jul 25, 2008
It’s everywhere. Everyone sponsors each other. Even the sponsors have their own advertorials. The sponsors are sponsored by other sponsors. It’s another apparently necessary evil of this world.
Cricket has been victim of it for some time but has remained relatively untarnished as a result, until today with the news that Australia has struck a deal with Commonwealth Bank who have secured naming rights for their one-day team. England v Australia in a one-day match is now the stuff of history: read England v Commonwealth Bank Australia.
There are two problems with this. Firstly, it is entirely unnecessary of Cricket Australia who have now surely leap-frogged the BCCI in the Most Greedy Cricket Board league. CA have pots of cash. Sponsorship is one thing; naming rights is new, dirty territory and there can be no other reason than sheer financial greed. Secondly it sets a precedent. How long before other teams follow suit? How long before counties in England are renamed after their own sponsors or, worse, Test sides are named after their richest benefactors?
There is an irony, though. The very definition of commonwealth is just that: a “body politic,” or a government/organisation formed by the consent of the public. Does CA really expect their patriotic fans to agree to this? The old song and chant “Come on Aussie come on!” won’t have quite the same ring to it (”Come on Commonwealth Bank Australia, come on!”).
Even if they do start refering to our national team as the Commonwealth Bank Australian Cricket Team I highly doubt anyone in Australia will care. I don’t think you’ll hear this conversation,
“Hey is there cricket on tonight?”
“Yeah the Commonwealth Bank Australians are taking on England”
“Sweet, we’ll flog them.”
The same thing happens with our Rugby Union team and stadiums. But whatever corporation attaches their name to the front of a team or stadium their name will always be the same. I don’t go to see the Qantas Wallabies play at Suncorp Stadium, I go to see the Wallabies play at Lang Park.
True Tim, and I agree it won’t happen. But that just makes a further mockery of the whole stupidity. If no one will acknowledge the new name, why bother? It’s greed, nothing less
Will, because it gets the board money, and because the company will get free advertising in papers. Witness the witless “Headingley Carnegie” crap that is repeated religiously in the Times and on Sky…
I do agree with you Will but at the end of the day sport is a business, as annoying as that is. I guess all I am saying is that this is nothing new and as long as a board’s decision doesn’t effect the quality of cricket on the field it doesn’t rally bother me what they do.
Makes you wonder how they managed for all those years in the old days without billions from tv rights & naming rights, sponsor’s logos on anything that moves or doesn’t move. But it’s happening in every sport. It’s just seeling the soul & more importantly, integrity of the game for a few extra $ that they don’t even need.
I’m with Tim on this. No-one will ever refer to the squad as the CBA Aussies. Just like no-one speaks of the Pura Cup - it’s still the Sheffield Shield.
I think you’ve been far too vitriolic over this - it just means a little more cash for CA, hence more for cricket in this country. If it’s spent well, more power to CA. My feeling is that this was bound to happen anyway - the BCCI has become a combined commercial arm/extension of Indian nationalism. Other boards will feel that they, too, have to shore up their financial resources purely to defend themselves against the BCCI.
Look at it this way: the PCB, the Windies, the Lankas, and the Bangas all might as well be stamped ‘Property of the BCCI’. Only us and you poms have any financial strength - and we really need to ensure that continued financial clout to survive against the Indians.
It may seem that I’ve gotten off topic, and I’m not speaking for CA (which was, I am sure, not entirely motivated for the purest of reasons), but this decision was probably a good thing. I can see a time when the cricket world is fractured by the actions of the Indians, and if we ever have to go it without them, some of us are going to need money to fund the continuance of world cricket.
Yeah mate, but that’s just because “the Blues” is just so dodgy! Now my lot - the Redbacks - great name, just an ordinary side for the last few years.
As far as four year-olds being indoctrinated, I suppose it’s up to us oldies to stem the tide - the kids only repeat what they hear, after all.
You got it right in the first sentence, Will. It is a necessary evil these days. I don’t blame CA for taking the dollar, as long as the money goes back into cricket. No-one will use the new name except for the TV commentators, CB make a fool of themselves by asking for it anyway and CA laugh all the way to the bank.
If I find a sponsor tomorrow prepared to put dosh into my little League, then by God I would call them the “Fruit & Veg” National XI or whatever. I have kids playing here who have never seen a grass wicket. Grass-roots funding wouldn’t even pay for one pitch.
Unfortunately, I suspect the lovely lolly will serve to make some administrators’ lives a bit more luxurious while hundreds of kids play on with a plank of wood and a tape ball.
If a company like ‘Brit’ wants to stump up a big sum to have it called the ‘Brit Oval’ who cares? No one calls it the Brit Oval apart from the PA announcer in the ground, and media commentators.
The money means the facilities are slightly better, and the players get paid a decent sum for what they do - still amounts that a Premiership footballer wouldn’t get out of bed for, but heading in the right direction.
The only time I’d use a sponsors prefix would be if they named Lords something really embarrassing - ‘Durex Lords’ or ‘Preparation H Lords’. That would wind up the MCC farts - which is fine in my book!
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