Don Crowley won the Wisden Writing Competition in 2022. His award-winning piece originally appeared in the 2023 edition of Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack.
There has been a cruel irony in the MCG over the years. There is no KFC branch on the premises, even though there are lots of KFC advertisements on the edges, privacy walls and banner boards. That’s the kind of torture Tantalus endured. However, there are evil wings hanging on the trees that we are not allowed to touch, and there is Pepsi Max in the pool that we are not allowed to drink from.
Last year’s T20 World Cup ads were equally appealing. Although there were colorful signs advertising Aramco, there were no rigs for sale and no barrels of crude oil. Gone are the days when sports advertising targeted actual consumers and promoted products that could be purchased in stores. Nowadays, sportswashing is a practice that uses coverage of major sporting events to target abstract concepts such as legitimacy, credibility, and trustworthiness.
During the World Cup, when you arrived at the edge of the stadium, a broken voice kept saying over the PA system. “Welcome to the MCG, the People’s Stadium” Sports of Driving. But can a place flooded with ads for the Saudi government’s oil companies really claim to meet the needs of the everyday sports fan, the average gamer, the “people”?
This is not specifically about MCG. Aramco is his ICC sponsor and all the venues bear its name. But it represents an increase in corporate takeovers in cricket. Sportswear has been a hot topic for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour and the World Cup in Qatar, but cricket is also in crisis. Aramco, which also sponsors the IPL, is one of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters. Amnesty International says their owners have a “horrible human rights record,” including the brutal murder of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. .
Australian cricket coverage is also littered with alcohol and gambling advertisements. Bundaberg, 4 Pines and Bet365 are all commercial partners of National Board. Alinta Energy’s contract as lead partner expires in June, but Australia’s test shirts have long featured the logo of the energy supplier, whose holding company is one of the country’s biggest carbon emitters. It’s here. Australian captain Pat Cummins has refused to feature Alinta in an ad for the 2022/23 season, saying it is inconsistent with climate action. Cummins is the founder of Cricket for Climate, which aims to equip clubs with solar panels to reduce their carbon footprint.
I hope this is the way of the future and that more players, fans and administrators will have the courage to criticize cricket’s unethical sponsorship deals. Maybe his message of welcome to the MCG is more than just eye-rolling. It is not a powerful sponsor, but a national asset that serves the people. This prospect is attractive.
Dan Crowley is a comedian and classics student from Melbourne. He blogs atdancrowley.substack.com His batting average is just 3.
Wisden takes part in its 11th annual writing competition from as far away as Australia, Canada,Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and even more America. Allentries were read by our editorial team.
