Cricket Australia still without major sponsor amid Pat Cummins controversy
The governing body's $40 million deal with Alinta Energy is coming to an end in June.
Cricket Australia is reportedly still searching for a new major sponsor, with their deal with Alinta Energy set to expire in June. The partnership was at the centre of controversy last year when comments from cricket captain Pat Cummins divided the general public.
Cummins voiced his concerns about Alinta’s parent company - Pioneer Sail Holdings - and their vast carbon emissions. Pioneer Sail Holdings are said to be a large carbon emitter, which is bad for the environment and planet in general.
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In October last year, Cricket Australia and Alinta announced that the $40 million partnership they formed in 2018 would be coming to an end in 2023. It came after Cummins, who is a member of the Cricket for Climate group, decided not to appear in a TV commercial for Alinta and spoke out about companies who aren't doing their bit for the environment.
On Monday, The Australian reported that CA still haven't found a new major sponsor to fill the void left by Alinta. According to journalist Nick Tabakoff, there are concerns that the public negativity towards Alinta could affect that price that Cricket Australia garners from sponsors going forward.
According to the report, one unnamed betting company has already backed out of seeking sponsorships in Australia due a number of instances in which players have expressed concerns about companies. The NRL's former commercial chief Paul Kind told The Australian: “Sports across Australia need to be worried about scaring off sponsors, because it will ultimately hit them, and the players, in the hip pocket. The events of last year provide a new layer of challenge, and caution for potential buyers.”
The most high-profile example of player pushback towards sponsors also came last year when netballer Donnell Wallam expressed concerns about a $15 million partnership between Netball Australia and Hancock Prospecting. A Noongar woman from Western Australia, Wallam had raised concerns about historical comments made by Gina Rinehart's later father and the company's former chair Lang Hancock about the Indigenous population.
Wallam was reportedly uncomfortable about wearing the company's logo on her Diamonds uniform, with teammates supporting her stance. Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting responded by withdrawing the $15 million sponsorship, which came as a crushing blow for the cash-strapped sport after the Covid pandemic resulted in large losses.
The Victorian government later stepped in to fill the void, agreeing to a $15 million deal of its own with Netball Australia. In February the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) also announced it would top up netball's funding by $9.4 million.
Pat Cummins slams 'rubbish' claims around $40m deal
Discussing the furore around the Alinta partnership in January, Cummins shot down suggestions he cost Cricket Australia $40 million. The captain also said it was "absolute rubbish" to suggest he put any pressure on the governing body to end the deal.
"We have seen certain players make decisions based on religions, or certain foods they eat, where they won't partner with specific partners," he said. "Every organisation has a responsibility to do what's right for the sport and what they think is right for the organisation, and I hope society when it moves forward. It is a balance when you make decisions about who you are going to welcome into the cricket family."
Cummins continues to cop backlash on social media, with many labelling the fast bowler and Cricket Australia too 'woke'. But Cummins said the criticism doesn't bother him.
“The nature of the position I am in, you do get dragged into different things," he said. "It was one of those moments you have to live with people you don’t know having opinions about you.”
“I am not doing things to please absolutely everyone. Steve Jobs said he would go and sell ice cream if he wanted to do that.’
“My generation and people around that are passionate about different things. They are open-minded to things … some people can’t leave those values at the door. They can’t walk past those values. If that creates different conversations maybe that is a good thing."
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