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Is the sporting industry about to kick an own goal?

Monday, 28 April 2008

By Geoff Munro of the Community Alcohol Action Network

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The Coalition of Major Professional Sports (COMPS) is trying to intimidate the Senate into rejecting Family First’s Alcohol Toll Reduction Bill. The sports coalition claims the Bill would force sports to cut funding for female, indigenous, and disabled people’s sport.

COMPS represents four football codes (Australian Football League, National Rugby League, Australian Rugby Union, Football Federation Australia), Cricket Australia, Tennis Australia, golf (PGA Tour Australasia), horse racing (Victoria Racing Club) and motor car racing (V8 Supercars Australia).

In a breathtaking dummy spit, major professional sports threaten to recover “lost” revenue by hitting the punter at the gate with higher ticket prices and cutting funding to female, indigenous and disabled sport.

Surely these tactics are set to backfire? It looks to me like the mother of PR disasters, a foul, an own goal of monumental proportions. Doesn’t it render doubtful the claims the sports make about their family values, and their keenness to foster grassroots participation?

And what about Cricket Australia’s “cricket family”? It sounds like they’re saying that: “You’re part of our family as long as you’re not black, disabled or female?”

Is the sporting lobby about to kick a disastrous own goal?

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John Reid Thursday, 1 May 2008 6:37:43 PM: what is it that the major sports do not understand. They get so caught up in thinking any issue they have not instigated will be negative, they cannot see opportunities and their responsibilities. As soon as the issue of binge drinking was highlighted by the Prime Minister, a few of the key sports (not cricket funnily enough) started bleating about how they were being unfairly targeted. They missed the point. It is an opportunity for them to step up and position sport as it should be positioned - for the benefit of the community and not a corporate joy ride. There is apparently a lot of money around sport - if not then maybe the administrators have not been doing their job. There should be no need at all to threaten disenfranchising any particular interest group. Grow up sport and do your job for the communities that provide your lifeblood.
Bruce Clark Friday, 2 May 2008 8:29:26 AM: I am waiting for anyone, even the alcohol manufacturers, to identify one sport where the performance of the participants is enhanced by consumption of alcohol. When they can do that I will withdraw any objections I currently have to the massive tv advertising during sports broadcasts which are deliberately aimed at not only current markets but also to emerging (underage) ones.

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Is the sporting industry about to kick an own goal?

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