Take a knee, readers.
The world watches and waits while North Korea’s psychotic-in-chief, Kim Jong-un, draws radiations symbols on a map of the Pacific. The abiding image we have is of Jong-un, a genuine Bond villain from central casting, laughing maniacally with a fluffy cat sitting on his lap. But of course Jong-un wouldn’t be stroking it. He’d be eating it.
That is not the biggest of our problems.
Nor should we be overly concerned about the death of pluralism in this country as the Liberal Party dithers over whether to sell the office furniture on eBay and walk away with some dignity intact or muddles on for a couple more years.
There is a bigger crisis facing the nation at the moment and that is the threat of no cricket this summer, no Ashes series at least or if there is one it will not be played at a serious competitive level.
Sure, if the selectors called me up, I guess I could put the pads on and stride purposefully across the picket line before striding purposefully to the crease, face up to Anderson, Broad and Co. and take the shine off the new ball. With my head.
But no one is going to pay good money to watch that. All right, maybe one or two of you might obtain some obscene pleasure from watching a man clearly out of his depth being repeatedly and heavily concussed. It’s what keeps the turnstiles spinning in boxing after all.
Cricket Australia and the players, represented by Australian Cricketers’ Association have been at loggerheads for months. The Australia A tour of South Africa was abandoned yesterday. A tour of Bangladesh is the next cab off the rank and if no agreement can be reached, the Ashes series, beginning in November will be the next to have a red line ruled through it.
The big problem is, like many seemingly intractable industrial disputes, both sides hold perfectly valid positions.
For those of us who played cricket at some reasonable level, player payments where they were offered, were uncomplicated. A dollar a run, five dollars a catch and twenty bucks a wicket. Something of that order.
At the elite level it’s a bit more abstruse. The Memorandum of Understanding first established in 1997 between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association now runs to a Tolkenian 600 pages. I strongly suspect no one has read it from go to woah.
Broadly speaking the players’ position is the revenue arrangements that have been in place must remain in place. Cricket Australia wants to do away with revenue sharing and place cricketers on individual contracts.
The MOU has now expired, leaving players without any contractual arrangement. As it stood, players earned 24.5 cents in every dollar of Cricket Australia revenue with further spoils to be enjoyed where a surplus exists between projected and actual revenues over the period of the MOU.
The AFL has agreed to provide the players in its competition with earnings based on a 28 per cent share of revenue. Despite this, Cricket Australia believes its revenue sharing arrangement diminishes its ability to help fund and support the game at grassroots level as well as continuing to support the development of women’s cricket at all levels.
A report in The Australian yesterday, indicated the players had rejected an overture from Cricket Australia to carry over a $58.5 million dollar surplus between projected and actual revenues of which $30 million would go to the game’s biggest names, some of whom are now happily ensconced in retirement.
This is a negotiating tactic and a pretty rough one at that — a bald-faced attempt to make players look greedy and self-serving. What Cricket Australia mentioned only in passing is the offer would oblige it to renege on an agreement it signed off on five years ago.
The players’ greatest concerns are that those who come after them will be dudded and obliged to negotiate their salaries on a one-by-one basis.
This dispute has its genesis during the seven Test series against England in Australia in 1970-71 when Ian Chappell looked into the stands at the 60,000 strong crowd at the G and wondered why he, as captain, was making a measly $300 a game.
Chappelli’s moment of quiet reflection ultimately led to the establishment of a rogue competition, World Series Cricket. Now elite players have a wealth of competitions not within CA’s sphere of management to choose from. Those lucky and/or talented enough to have their teeth checked and forearms probed before going up on the block at the Indian Premier League can earn millions in little more than a month or for those slightly less fortunate, any one of a number of T-20 competitions in the West Indies, England, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates offer participants spectacular incomes.
This is a grim reminder the current group of players at the elite level can walk away.
The players are the game. It’s not much of a sport without them. If there’s any doubt about that ask yourself if you would like to see Cricket Australia CEO, James Sutherland with new nut in hand come off the long run this summer? Maybe the nine member Cricket Australia board could become flanneled fools, too. Mark Taylor, 52, would field at slip while another board member, Michael Kasprowicz, 45, could hurl a few passable deliveries down back of a length while the other seven members, very talented in their chosen business fields, would not exactly capture the nation’s imagination.
While Cricket Australia worries about the game’s development at park and club levels, they seem to have forgotten the real grassroots of the game are the fans who contribute directly to CA revenues by walking through the turnstiles and indirectly by switching on their TVs to the cricket.
And the fans are being treated like mugs while the two parties haggle over slices of a pie that is estimated to be worth about half a billion dollars over the next five years.
Get it fixed and get it fixed now.
This article was originally published at The Australian 7 July 2017
Dismal @ 10.08pm
Isn’t is the Labor state governments, in the main, who are blocking the gas industry?
Ah we see the Corporate Tax cuts are already being paid in dividends into the shareholders accounts mostly board members and international investors.. No jobs yet though. No Surprises.
What do you make your no job assumption on? I actually believe you’re right but you haven’t got the data to base your assumption on.
Superannuation tax breaks to the Very wealthy adding to the $31 Billion per year it costs the budget. Surely this is an area the Nation can cut back on. Why do the wealthy get more help than those struggling.
I see headlines the Gov. is looking at Privatising border control, visa and immigration. What is wrong with the government and its supporters. They live in an alternative universe.
If this is true it is a massive mistake.
hehehe…
http://www.smh.com.au/business/cbd/should-i-use-the-ole-size-16s-lecturer-goes-on-rant-after-being-faced-with-empty-classroom-20170712-gx9gu4.html
great in theory….
http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/rujry-1.png
This is sobering reading: Trump Has 6 Options to Neutralize North Korea—but None Are Good
http://observer.com/2017/07/donald-trump-north-korea-options/
There are no good options at all, mate and haven’t been for 60 years. Jong-un’s old man ceded control to the generals but it appears the offspring is pursuing nuclearisation and ICBM technology for domestic consumption in order to keep himself in power. That’s not to say he should be ignored. Chinese response in the last 24 hours was interesting, basically not our problem. The Chinese don’t think Trump will act. Very dangerous situation.
Wow, awesome State of Origin series, again. Reckon Joey Johns is right, NSW just don’t get it. All those star players to choose from, but they just don’t seem to be able to gel as a unit. Another commentator mentioned some guys were playing club football standard last night, seems he was right. On the night, lollygagging near your own try line just ain’t gonna cut it. Sorry Blues, but you were weighed, you were measured, and you were found wanting. Feel sorry for Lozza, he looked gutted after the match, 1 out of 5 series wins must be hard to cop. Always liked him, reckon Freddie, Joey and him made the difference when they were playing. The NSW record would be crap without them.
Congrats to all in the Maroons camp, thanks JT for all the memories. Here’s a prediction, might see him in a maroon jersey again after his shoulder is fixed, can’t see him staying away really, too much of a competitor. Although the disclaimer is he is setting himself up with a business interest in Cairns and a contract with CH 9.
Here’s one to ponder for all you southerners. How come more freak players come from Qld? Maybe it’s the coal dust in the water?
Brilliantly said Mack. Agree with every word!
Interesting. ” Voters could be forgiven for thinking that at least some of Menzies’ words sound more like those of the contemporary Labor Party than the modern-day Liberal Party. The Liberal Party itself acknowledges that a belief in “social equality” was one of the principles on which the party was founded”
https://theconversation.com/turnbull-is-right-to-link-the-liberals-with-the-centre-but-is-the-centre-where-it-used-to-be-80799
Question 4yall…Menzies is up on a pedestal as some sort of Liberal Plastic God
The Liberals definition of good govt is “surpluses”
How many did Menzies get?
Hint:- I have mentioned it on this blog many tymes!
Bravo! Knighthoods all round. We are pleased, and the people of Bananabenderland are happy.