OK, the draft for the Indian Premier League was held yesterday… perhaps “draft” isn’t the right word, but rather “auction”. Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds earned himself US$1.47M in his own pocket for playing Twenty20 Cricket topped the bidding. I just cannot fathom where this money is coming from… why are we paying such huge amounts for what is at the moment a version of cricket in its infancy and really is a bit of a hit and giggle!
This article though sums up some of my thoughts on this. Why? Why can India – a country of extreme contrasts between the rich and poor – tolerate such expenditure? It just absolutely stokes me about the dollars dealed out.
Here is the list of who got what… (link) Perhaps the most obvious oddity to me, not picked up in the press, is that Cameron White – who I watched on tele last night leading Victoria against NSW in front of 3 men and a dog at the SCG, picked up $546K – more than Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
You have to wonder where this will be in 5 years time??
3 comments:
In 5 years it'll prolly still be raking in the cash - Indians are just that nuts about the cricket. Plus Australia seems to be the only country that really puts Tests on a pedestal these days. 20/20 is much more prominent elsewhere.
TV rights. Pure and simple. Got to be.
About a billion Indians, god knows how many Pakistani's and Sri Lankans, let alone selling to the rest of the world. Also, Twenty-20 is a game that is short enough for the Americans to appreciate so their market becomes a real possibility. And just think of how much they could make in a few years time if the Chinese get interested!
As for Cam White, well it's simple. Domestically, our guys play a bit of Twenty-20, more than the national team by quite a few games, and I believe that Victoria has done well in them. Also Cam is reasonably young, (Longevity) bats and bowls leggies, (Useful player) and not likely to make the national side on a regular basis. (Availability) All points in his favour, whereas Ponting has age against him, and would have availability issues due to national commitments.
(I heard a story that Roy had made himself unavailable for the test tour that clashes with the IPL this year. Maybe a commitement like that explains his big pay packet)
20/20 is a blight on the game if you ask me, but I have to agree with Clay here. With so many other issues in their country, you'd have to honestly wonder where some people's priorities are to be spending this kind of money on cricket.
That said, it's a drop in the bucket compared to other big sports in the UK, Euro nations and US.
This world is pretty much clueless - they value a person's ability to kick a ball more than someone who could possibly cure cancer.
We pay massive amounts of cash for morons to beat their chest on a field, when the real things that matter (medicine, science, technology) fall by the wayside because the powers that be don't sink cash into them.
Can you imagine what would be possible if we paid the world's top scientists 100 million plus a year instead of a moron who can kick a soccer ball?
The mind boggles...
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