It's hard for sport & politics not to mix with the reliance that pro sport has on corporate sponsorship.

$15M is a lot to give up for a relatively poor league. You'd want to make sure you've got a proper problem before saying no to that kind of cash.

$15M is a lot to give up for a relatively poor league.

West Coast Fever are understandably pissed off, as the sponsorship of the club was also torn up even though this was purely a Diamonds issue.

Sorry - the $15M was a reference to the netball sponsorship that was terminated today (which I what I presumed prompted this thread)

There's an old saying about biting the hand that feeds you

The netballers may have just cut the branch they were sitting on

Be careful what you wish for

Sometimes principal should be put first, actually is say most of the time.

They don't like something Lang Hancock said in 1984

Lang Hancock died in 1992

The absurdity is incomprehensible

Humanity is regressing

You gotta feel sorry for all The volunteers running local netball clubs, considering how this might take the sport backwards

Bendat era Wildcats had ethical sponsorship although a lot of it was funded from the public purse.

What didn't the players like about the sponsorship?

They don't like something said in 1984 by a guy who died in 1992

I'm not making that up

Hancock and his daughter, yes they are a very scrupulous lot. I'm not going to get to political on a basketball form but when you are as old as I am, you have seen a lot. By the way remember axe the tax, that great for the average Australian.

The NBL added Creek to the commentary team this year, I don't think ethics are something they're concerned with.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/oct/22/hancock-prospecting-withdraws-from-15m-funding-deal-with-netball-australia-after-players-revolt

Hancock and his daughter, yes they are a very scrupulous lot. I'm not going to get to political on a basketball form but when you are as old as I am, you have seen a lot.

By the way remember axe the tax, that great for the average Australian.

Yes PW and it was all started by her father and very friendly media. At my age now I try and just stick to sport.

Neither a company nor an individual can simply decide to become a tax resident of another country. Especially someone as high profile as Gina Rinehart. She'd be getting audited regularly

For example, if she owns a house in Australia and has family in Australia and spends most of her time here, then she's an Australian resident for tax purposes, end of story.

If she is lawfully a tax resident of another country then fair play, no different to you claiming a deduction lawfully in your own tax return

I'm not defending Rinehart by the way, I know very little about her

But it's a slippery slope putting your "moral principles" first in situations like this because it's hard to apply them consistently

And being offended by the views of a guy who was dead before most of the Australian Diamonds were born, and therefore jeopardising a 15 MILLION dollar sponsorship for a tiny sport like netball, strikes me as the most inane piece of posturing I've ever heard from any athlete about anything.

It deserves to be placed on the same level as Kyrie Irving spruiking the merits of flat earth theory.

Just to clarify on the residency thing, if you're a tax resident of two places then a tax treaty will decide which country you're a resident of

But my point was, the ATO looks closely at someone like Rinehart.

In most cases rich ppl are fairly squeaky clean on tax (not all, as proven by Panama papers and other examples etc). Tradies are much more likely to be cheating!

Someone's excited.

The idea was as Rinehart was spending all of her time in northern WA Singapore wasn't too far away to FIFO on a private plane, obviously to be a tax resident elsewhere she'd have to be away for half the year.

I'd imagine there are companies who wouldn't want to take on the social risk of sponsorship because 'maybe' there is a way they can get slandered for something they've done.

Instead of condemning racism, Gina chose to withdraw $15M in funding.

Cosmo, I don't think it warrants a condemning of racism statement

Given all the racist stuff Gina had to put up with because of her marriage to Lang, it would have been a great opportunity to come out against racism and hopefully to put to rest any ongoing discussion of Lang's racist comments from 30-odd years ago when racism was common as ...

But was it racism that the netballers were objecting to, or her links to fossil fuels, or to mining which intruded on land important to Aborigines, or to resistance to Aboriginal rights, or …? They seem to have had enough options.

Given all the racist stuff Gina had to put up with because of her marriage to Lang

The irony at the statement criticising organisations/businesses for going into social issues and political when it's something Hancock delves into massively themselves

From Sydney morning herald...

[In a statement released on Saturday evening, the Diamonds affirmed their solidarity throughout the process. "Reports of a protest on the part of the players, on environmental grounds and a split within the playing group are incorrect," the statement read.

“The players acknowledge that the support of our commercial partners is critical to the financial sustainability of the sport. The singular issue of concern to the players was one of support for our only Indigenous team member.” ]

I wonder how popular that teammate will be, if the next sponsorship is only $5m or $10m instead of $15m, and it impacts on their wages. And how popular that teammate might be with the netball community given possible flow through effects into grassroots level

Just because someone complains about something, whether it's one of those 'moral compass' complaints or not, doesn't mean the complaint is warranted. Being offended doesn't by default mean you're in the right.

Thanks, PW - major embarrassment over getting the wrong name

Does having a fast food sponsor giving away cheeseburgers make me stop watching game. Hell no. Is it right? Who cares, we are great full for what these sponsors are giving the sport. If we were getting huge TV deals like AFL etc, then maybe the NBL could have social responsible sponsors, however that will unlikely ever be the case with Australian basketball.

I just wish the boomers or Opals suddenly start appearing in Gina's news feeds

I would hope BA and LK are already pitching how they can grow women's basketball with $15 mill. Much needed if we want basketball to remain a major women's sport with all the new competition for good female athletes.

Sponsorship in Australian sport is dominated by companies that could infringe on many people's beliefs and ethics in a multitude of ways:
- Betting
- Financial
- Alcohol
- Fast food
- Energy
- Apparel + more

So why the uproar at mining's offer to save netball?

Would this have even been a conversation if the sponsorship related to the AFL or NRL?

Betting to me should always be a NO because of the harm it causes, especially to young people, and its aggressive no-responsibility campaigning gives me the shits.

Alcohol, energy, smoking and fast food I find less offensive, providing they're not rammed down my throat every ad break.

The others, meh

$15mil for the WNBL and Opals? Yes please!

Honestly BA should be on the phone to Hancock Prospecting right now. Oh wait, it's BA... *groan*

I'm with you PW

most giant companies have skeletons in the closet and have gross people in charge. Its generally how they get big, working their asses off and being cut throat.

the catch is that the money generated ends up helping everyone, god knows where our country would be without mining.

Hancock even donates plenty to indigenous support groups (i'm not saying it makes Gina a good person, its likely for PR/tax/government hand shake deals, but it still helps people)

this is going to hurt netball.

Lang Hancock 40 years ago said aboriginal water should have a substance put in it so aborigines would die off as a race.
I'm not certain how patty Mills, Yvonne Goolagong, Kathy Freeman, ash Barty etc would think about it, that’s they wouldn’t be here.
One netball player of aboriginal decent said that she didn’t want a sponsorship on her uniform but didn’t have a problem with the rest of the team wearing it, seems perfectly understandable to me, but the daughter of Lang, who by the way has had court battles with her own children says f..k you.
I’m certain if an anti-Semitic group decided to offer the netballers 15m it would not go past first base.
Money is not everything.

Swimming never complained....But it's also one of the whitest sports going around

They guy who said that is long dead. The company has poured millions and millions into indigenous causes since. This should have been solved by getting the sponsor and the player in the same room, stating that is not the belief of the company or its owner, and showing the support they give to so many community and sporting causes before this issue ever got into the public sphere.

https://www.nit.com.au/when-it-comes-to-roy-hill-and-gina-rinehart-actions-speak-louder-than-words/

Maybe Gina could have apologised on behalf of her father, and yes all moved on. The holocaust happened and the German nation apologised, yes I know Lang didn't actually get to put in his platform but history is now telling us a total different story to the taking of this nation and the treatment of aboriginals as employees.

It wouldn't be a conversation on ethics without a Nazi reference

she probably didnt think sponsoring a sport would create work or require her to prepare media releases.

I just wish the boomers or Opals suddenly start appearing in Gina's news feeds

Can't see Rinehart supporting basketball. I think basketball may prove to be a similar minefield to netball (though I didn’t expect NETBALL to raise this issue tbh).

I wonder when Cambage joins the conversation?