Tony Becca, Contributing EditorBRIAN LARA is not the most popular man to have ever led the West Indies cricket team. When it comes to thinking about the game, about the development of the game, however, he is as good as any and better, much better, than most.
West Indies cricket is desperately in need of funding, West Indians claim they love cricket, they talk a lot about what it has done for the people of the region, they lament the fact that it is not as strong as it used to be and on Wednesday night in Port-of- Spain, Lara, the West Indies captain, the idol of the people, begged them to dip into their pockets in an effort to help West Indies cricket.
According to Lara, the West Indies stands to earn about US$50 million from the World Cup, about US$20 million of that will be going to paying off debts, that leaves about US$30 million, that money would last for some five to six years, and the question is what will happen after that.
Lara has a suggestion.
Lara's suggestion is that like Barcelona Football Club in Spain which has a support group of 100,000 fans, like the Green Bay Packers of the NFL with a support group of 80,000, like both teams whose supporters boost the revenue of the clubs by paying annual fees as members of their group, the people of the West Indies should come together, form a supporters group, pay an annual fee of say US$20, and in so doing, support their beloved West Indies team.
According to Lara, who was speaking at the West Indies Players' Association's (WIPA) awards function, such a move would prevent any one private entity from dictating the pace of the regional game and, in saying that, he referred to the sponsorship row between Digicel and Cable & Wireless that wreaked havoc last year.
"Why do we have to have the stranglehold of sponsorship round our necks?" asked Lara. And later on, after earlier stating that West Indies cricket was at a critical juncture and in danger of dying, he said, to a ringing round of applause: "We are greater than that."
Lara is right. Although it is said that he who pays the piper calls the tune, West Indies cricket does not need to be strangled. It is greater than that.
Sport is big business these days, it is a prime target for sponsors. Right around the world sport attracts sponsors and sponsors gravitate to sport like bees to honey. In fact, some sponsors are honoured, extremely honoured, to be involved with some sports and some events.
SMALL MARKET
Not so in the West Indies, however. Whatever the reason - and it may be traditional as well as it may be because the West Indies is a small market, sponsors, most of them, believe they are doing sport in the West Indies a favour, they are doing those in sport a favour, and because of that the attitude, certainly of some of them, is condescending.
According to Lara, West Indies cricket is at the "threshold of complete oblivion in world cricket" due to its financial situation. There is no doubt about that, and if the people love West Indies cricket, if they really believe what they keep on saying about the importance of West Indies cricket to the people, they will come together, form themselves into a group, get the board to recognise and welcome them, and pay an annual fee towards the financial security of West Indies cricket.
As Lara reasoned on Wednesday evening in Port-of-Spain, one million people from around the West Indies and the diaspora paying US$20 a year would amount to US$20 million, and that would be enough, if not to fully run West Indies cricket, at least to make it self-sufficient and therefore stronger, more independent, when it comes to dealing with sponsors.
Well said Brian Lara.
West Indies cricket has been suffering because the people of the West Indies have neglected the game and especially so club cricket. The people have, for years, refused to put their money where their mouth is.
Maybe they will listen to the captain, maybe they will listen to his plea, maybe now they will make an attempt to help the West Indies team and in so doing, help West Indies cricket.
The West Indies team will never again be the best in the world until West Indies cricket becomes strong once again.
