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The Diamonds’ confrontation with Rinehart has already come at a significant cost.
The dispute started when Indigenous player Donnell Wallam said she would ask for an exemption from wearing the logo of Rinehart’s company Hancock Prospecting on her uniform.
She objected to being associated with its founder Lang Hancock, Rinehart’s father, who made openly racist statements in interviews before he died in 1992.
Even though Netball Australia offered to climb down, Rinehart refused to accept the offer and on Saturday announced she had decided to cancel a $15 million sponsorship deal, citing disagreement between Netball Australia and its players’ union.
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Netball Australia made some mistakes in handling this matter, but The Age is baffled by Rinehart’s intransigent approach to such a sensitive issue.
It is understandable that Rinehart wants to defend her father’s memory. But she did not need to make a crisis out of a request for a minor concession designed to help the sport attract much needed Indigenous talent. It undercuts her claim to be a friend to the Indigenous cause.
It raises questions about how she will respond if similar issues arise in rowing, swimming and athletics which she also sponsors.
In defending her actions, Rinehart repeated the tired argument that she objected to “sports organisations being used as the vehicle for social or political causes”.
For better or worse, however, sport has acquired such a central place in our culture that it is inevitably political. Companies and governments do not just sponsor sport out of altruism.
It is not just netball or soccer. Cricket Australia recently had its own controversy over sponsorship from energy company Alinta over its carbon emissions policies.
Far-sighted sports administrators who run national teams and leagues have to find a middle path between upholding community values and taking cash from companies and countries with controversial reputations.
Michael Bachelard sends an exclusive newsletter to subscribers each week. Sign up to receive his Note from the Editor.
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