Farewell from Jaimie
This will be the last of my Watercooler blogs on the SKINS website.
THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE – FOOTBALL IN AUSTRALIA
I’ve written quite a bit about governance of cricket in Australia – and I’m pleased to see the former Chairman, David Peever, fall on his sword along with others – as well as football at a global level, but I want to turn briefly to football in Australia.
It’s just not cricket
Back in April, an occasionally wise man wrote this:
A horse race, a shock-jock and an opera house – a Sydney tale that could be anywhere
There’s been a fascinating story rolling out from my home town of Sydney in the past couple of weeks, which has fairly much consumed local media for that time. But on reflecting on it, I think it’s worth sharing with those of you who read this because it has an important lesson for all of us.
WELL PLAYED NIKE!
If you’ve read my previous blogs (mostly here) and search ‘Nike’, you will know that I have been one of the first out of the blocks to criticise them in the past. And rightly so as part of the elite corporate sportswear companies that keep the Olympic and other sporting bodies ticking in the manner to which they have become accustomed.
Farewell to JT, a genuine sporting LEGEND
He’s such a giant of the game of rugby league, and someone we’ve been proud to be associated with, for so long, it would be remiss of me not to mention the retirement of one of the game’s greats, Johnathan Thurston.
When it comes to the national sport plan, we have to think global as well as act local
It was good to see the Australian Government release its ‘blue sky’ plan on sport in the form of the National Sport Plan released by the Sports Minister, Bridget McKenzie, last week.
When ‘sticking to your knitting’ is not necessarily the best thing to do
Last week I had the opportunity to speak on the theme of ‘trust in sport’ at the Mumbrella Sports Marketing summit in Sydney. One of the areas that I talked about was the role of brands in supporting organisations or activities that align with their values. I said that one of the issues that I find disappointing about some other brands is their willingness to just sit on the sidelines when it comes to something that matters.
Women deserve better than the nonsense from a FIFA sponsor
My word, FIFA picks them, don’t they?
CRICKET AUSTRALIA’S FAILURE STARTS AT THE TOP
You all know my thoughts about the recent ball tampering scandal in Aussie cricket. I wrote about it here; as well as for Huff Post.
Should we be fixing it if it ain’t actually broke?
A hot topic that has struck me in the short time I’ve been in Sydney is the issue of stadiums.
WHAT THE LEADERSHIP GROUP OF THE AUSTRALIAN CRICKET TEAM DID IS JUST NOT CRICKET
Wow. What was the ‘leadership group’ of the Australian cricket team thinking? What planet did they come down from where they thought any part of what they were involved in was actually appropriate?
THE WORKERS CUP – HOLDING QATAR TO ACCOUNT
Three years ago, I went to Doha to look at what all the fuss was about for myself when it came to workers’ conditions in Qatar.
WHAT IS THERE TO CONSIDER MR BACH?
I have to admit I am really into the Winter Olympics. It’s a bit strange in light of growing up in Australia, the driest continent on earth, surrounded by ocean and beautiful beaches, blessed with pretty good weather and lots of sunshine, the Winter Olympics have, in a weird way, always been front of mind every four years.
A PAGE-TURNER BOOK ABOUT FOOTBALL THAT I COULDN’T PUT DOWN
Excuse the radio silence in January! I’d love to say it was because I was having a long break, whizzing down some ski slopes somewhere, or even back in Australia taking in the cricket and the tennis, but no – it’s been work. Quite a lot is happening and I’ll be happy to share more about that later in the year.
The good, the bad and the hopeful of sport in 2017
It’s been another big year in sport – unfortunately, for as much as the bad things as the good.
Qatar does a good thing
Two months ago I wrote about how Qatar could start to improve their battered image in the world. The battering started with the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to them seven years ago, and hasn’t let up.
Want equality in sport? Here’s a club that didn’t stuff around
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that the gender pay gap is no more apparent than in the world of sport.
Hey Qatar, here’s how to spend £222 million and do some good
About seven years ago, the wife of the former Emir of Qatar wowed a global audience when presenting her country’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup with a simple question along the lines of ‘When will it be the right time for the Middle East to host the World Cup?’