Essay by Eric Worrall
The Australian Netball Association has just wiped out their own funding, by alienating Australia’s richest woman with their green wokery.
Netball in turmoil as Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting pulls ‘ground-breaking’ $15m sponsorship
A week from hell for Netball Australia has taken another twist after Rinehart’s mining giant pulled out of the historic deal.
Gina Rinehart’s mining empire Hancock Prospecting has withdrawn its controversial $15m sponsorship deal with Netball Australia after it sparked a week of turmoil in the sport.
Players were reluctant to embrace the mining giant’s backing and wear its branding on their playing dresses after Indigenous player Donnell Wallam voiced concerns over comments made by the company’s founder, and Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock.
The players’ questioning of Hancock Prospecting’s ideals relating to climate change further made them uncomfortable with the association.
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Netball Australia had labelled the sponsorship deal as a “ground-breaking” partnership for the future of the sport, but the deal was a Pyrrhic victory, given the damage it caused in player relations.
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Perhaps the players who just killed their own funding could spend a moment reflecting on where all the material required to build their green energy revolution is supposed to come from, if mining is such an objectionable activity.
I don’t like calling people names, but I don’t think you need a crystal ball to figure out what I’m thinking right now. I feel sorry for whichever association members put effort into landing this sponsorship deal, only to see it torn apart by their ungrateful players.
Correction (EW): The Summary on the WUWT home page and Twitter said “Basketball”, should have said “Netball”. Apologies for any confusion.
