anitalobo’s posterous

Losing the human story of sport

After attending a rash of sport sports-related seminars, I’ve heard and learnt a lot about making sponsorships sweat, running big-ticket events, sticky eyeballs, hot-shot activation and the Holy Grail - ROI. All the energy is spent discussing event execution and broadcast.

Conspicuously absent at all these intensely debated forums is what are we doing to directly support the sports persons themselves – the individuals who wrap their lives around training or building a sports legacy that encourages young people to pursue excellence in sport. This so-called 'soft legacy' is missing.

Sports business seminars on infrastructure mull around ‘acquiring land-building-selling’ – the so-called ‘hard legacy’ is defined in buildings & stadia that in many cases barely comply with competition requirements, athlete comfort be damned!

Facility upkeep or even availability to young sportspersons after the big event is over is not on any priority list.

The discussions among sports marketing folks are confined what they can do to get more advertising around broadcast time. Sports sponsors think ROI equals plastering their branding, first-class box for the bosses, advertising – while non-sponsors think-up new ambush marketing techniques.

Sports federations and organisers’ of the Olympic/ Commonwealth Games devote more energy to legally protecting their brand name, orchestrating events and official delegation visits!

Sports persons who have the most direct and personal stake in delivering the core sport element are incidental and usually ignored while more ‘important’ issues are discussed. There is very little discussion about investing in athlete training and promotion, well before the Games arrive.

Specific to India, the current and escalating demands on athletes include: training, marketing, getting into media; being available for sundry photo-ops with pot-bellied officials and above all, WINNING even if they don’t have the same training facilities that all competitors have!

The human story of sweat, pain, tears, and hours of practise that excludes evenings-out or cuts into family time, to improve the score by a minute or an inch is ignored by most. Athletes go through training on their own steam, sometimes with their coach and family for company.

While I recognise that world-class performers have to enforce a degree of isolation and put in countless hours to reach peak performance, this does not imply:

[A] No-say in decision-making that affects performance especially sponsorship for training [that is if you get a small percentage of what the federation corners]

[B] Not being respected by federation officials, who threaten your place in Team India for the flimsiest of reasons

 [C] Officials excused when they ‘forget’ registering athletes for important competitions that influence world ranking and berth

[D] Not being paid dues on-time even though officials are jet-setting on educational tours

[E] Being made to chase sundry officials every time you travel international, for permissions/ tickets etc

[How difficult is it to ensure dues are paid on time, training-related issues are sorted quickly or travel/ logistics are driven through a speedy clearance for ‘Team India sports persons only’ channel.]

[F] Undue pressure to perform or perish [latter happens more frequently in India, with no support for athletes who need a ‘recovery’ program from bad-form or medical issues]

If our top sportsperson spend a large percentage of their energy just running around to ensure basics are not overlooked and they don’t anger some official on the tree, how will they develop an ‘edge’ that makes vital difference to a podium finish? Wait, we still haven’t even got around to sharing that wonderful human story of overcoming limitations, that’s waiting to be told.

In hoopla around organising bigger events, roads, stadia, greening the city, TV rights, and sponsorship, the real and human story of sport is lost.

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Have sport-led triggers harmed Australia’s business interests in India?

Ponting’s restrained comments before the India-Australia ODI series had seasoned journalists smiling. Many good-humouredly rued the lack of pre-match aggro!

For some it was a welcome relief to closely focus aggression onto the playing field, and not have it overflow into the wider India-Australia environment.

A series of triggers, sport-specific as well as off-the-field, have sent a negative signal about Australia in India over the past year.

Some of these triggers are:

Australia's Commonwealth Games chief Perry Crosswhite aggressively and repeatedly raising doubts about the security measures in New Delhi, stating that athletes would have to decide themselves whether to compete or pull out.

Persistent rumours that Australia was on stand-by as Plan B host, if India wasn’t prepared in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games

[Non-sport, but highest public impact] A spate of attacks that have dented Australia’s image as a country that welcomes Indians.

Impact on Australia’s image:

Country perceptions are formed in a cauldron of fact, first-hand experience and news.

At this nebulous frontier, basic questions matter: Do you feel welcomed – as an individual and a business entity. Are India/ Indians liked? What are the cultural/ social barriers to doing business?

On these counts, Australia’s image of being a tolerant & welcoming country has taken a beating.

This impedes new business initiatives with prospective Indian partners.

Let’s look back at why?

Rumours that Australia is geared up to host the Games should preparations for Delhi 2010 falter, was the first major negative signal that shot across the public graph a year ago.

When that subsided, reports of Indians, especially students being attacked started pouring in with alarming frequency. There are over Indian 90,000 students in Australia.

While the Indian media went overboard and sensationalized developments, the Australian media took a defensive-aggressive stance – neither of which helped.

Who loses out?

Mid-sized and small businesses from both countries have found it more difficult to establish partnerships. Uncertainty thrives in a negative environment, making it more difficult to trust.

While established business relationships may weather this tough patch more successfully, the current spell of uncertainty ‘might impact those who are thinking about doing business. In this case, perception is powerful and it would be good if that perception was universally positive, affirms Steve Manallack.

Statements such as, “Australia wants to benefit from India’s growing economy, but doesn’t like India [ns]” are not an exception in private business circles. Mid-sized businesses that are active at Indo-Australian business forums have found the going tough over the past few months.  

In Australia, concerted efforts are being made by organisations such as Australia India Business Council which is deeply involved in working towards reduction in violence against Indian students, according to Steve Manallack, Vice President of the Council.

“Some of our sporting clubs are coming forward to work on a ‘buddy’ system which would link Indian students with local families. We feel this is a good idea for the long term’, adds Manallack.

Curbing triggers, strengthening trust

The attacks on Indians have thankfully tapered off and the local police are actively tracking this now.

However, the Commonwealth Games will continue to be a thorn in our sides, until the Games are done & over with.

The recent visit of Stephen Smith, Australia’s foreign minister was too little, too late in the day. Showing the ‘inspection of venues by Australia’s Foreign minister’ may have unwittingly strengthened negative perceptions, as media reports quote Smith reiterating ‘any decision to boycott the Games on safety grounds would have to be made by Australia's sporting federations’.

While the triggers in this case, are difficult to curb, I hope both India and Australia learn from the challenges of the past year and our bond, as a people and as tolerant, multi-cultural nations, are strengthened.

So besides gagging Perry Crosswhite, offering more [than three] hockey scholarships and praying that India wins some cricket matches against Australia during the upcoming series - what do you think Australia should do, to strengthen the country’s image in India?

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