Sportswashing in Cricket - Polluted Deals
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Businesses with questionable products, dodgy ethics and deep pockets full of dirty money, have often viewed sport as a convenient way to sanitise their reputations. Remember the Benson and Hedges Cup? The John Player League? The Silk Cut Challenge? All of these tobacco industry/cricket tie-ins would be almost unthinkable today, but they were ubiquitous until tobacco advertising was finally banned in the UK in 2002.
According to The World Health Organisation, global deaths due to the use of fossil fuels, largely due to air pollution, are comparable to the roughly 8 million deaths currently caused by smoking. And things are likely to only get worse, as the glaciers melt, sea levels rise, extreme weather events worsen and millions more people lose their homes, livelihoods and the ability to feed themselves.
Sportswashing may be nothing new, but in this time of climate emergency, sports teams and organisations are coming under increased scrutiny for their ties with the fossil fuel interests that are driving this crisis, while reaping record profits. As climate breakdown begins to bite and we hear daily reports of wildfires, heatwaves, drought, flooding and other extreme weather events, cricket is likely to be one of the hardest hit of all sports.
We here at The Next Test believe that the cricket world has a responsibility to act and an opportunity to lead the way; setting the highest standards for sustainability in sport and refusing to deal with companies that are continuing to reap vast profits from ecological collapse.
Here we take a look at some of the most problematic sponsorship deals in the world of cricket:
Aramco
Aramco is the state owned Saudi Arabian Oil giant, valued in the trillion$ and recently registering record profits for an oil company of $161 billion. Estimated to be responsible for 4% of all greenhouse gas emissions since 1965, Aramco has in recent years been funnelling a significant proportion of its billions into cricket, most conspicuously through its deal with the ICC and its sponsorship of World Cups and ‘Player of the Match’ awards. Aramco has also had its fingers in the IPL pie and major shareholder, the Saudi Public Investment Firm, is reported to be considering investing $5bn for a significant stake in the tournament.
JP Morgan Chase
JP Morgan Chase is reported to be the world’s biggest enabler of fossil fuel financing and the biggest investor in new fossil fuel exploration, responsible for hundreds of billions of dollars in investments in only the last few years. It also happens to be the principal sponsor of Lord’s, the Home of Cricket, with its oily black branding splattered all over the hallowed ground. Despite the MCC’s admirable efforts to drive sustainability initiatives, former President Stephen Fry’s very public support for Extinction Rebellion and various protests from climate activists and members, Lord’s has so far been conspicuously silent on its lucrative links with its main sponsor.
Emirates
According to their own website, Emirates has a ‘vast cricket sponsorship portfolio’. It is a ‘Global Partner’ of the ICC, sponsors its umpires and has been the ‘Official Airline Partner’ of various World Cups and tournaments. Lancashire currently play at the ‘Emirates Old Trafford’ and if you’re a football fan, you might watch Arsenal play with ‘Emirates’ on their shirts, in the ‘Emirates stadium’ in the ‘Emirates FA Cup’. While keen to loudly trumpet their eco credentials, it's important to remember that Emirates is one of the world’s biggest airlines, pumping more than 11 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually. The airline industry is currently responsible for around 2.5% of global emissions, but this is set to rise dramatically if air travel continues to expand.
Alinta Energy
In a significant victory for anti-sportswashing, the big coal burners, Alinta Energy ended their major sponsorship deal with Cricket Australia, (entirely coincidentally, we’re sure) following criticism from Test Captain, Pat Cummins and his refusal to feature in promotional material for the company. Pat has been an inspirational leader in the field of climate impact on cricket, setting up the organisation Cricket for Climate and taking a stand against sportswashing. Nice one, Pat!
What you can do:
Make your voice heard and demand action! Write to the cricketing organisations making deals with these polluting companies and demand that they stop participating in sportswashing. Remind them of their sustainability pledges and their responsibility to their players, fans and to the planet.
Write to the MCC
Write to the ICC
Write to Lancashire CCC
Make some noise on social media with the hashtag #cleanupcricket
Educate yourself and your fellow cricket lovers:
