Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 11. May 23 1977

Sport

Sport

Drawing of a man playing rugby

The sporting sensation of the last couple of weeks without a doubt concerns cricket. Recently, Mr Kevin Packer of Sydney's TV Channel 9 announced that he had signed up 35 of the world's top cricketers to play in a special series of matches, the first series to be played in Australia this summer

The players were being offered contracts which ensured them payments five to six times greater than they receive at the moment for international play. The series is going to cut across international matches that have already been scheduled by the international cricket authorities. Predictably, the cricket councils of the various cricketing nations have rejected Packer's series outright. Already some of the older players are condemning players such as Tony Greig for joining Packer's group.

Most notable of these is Dennis Compton, former brilliant English test batsman and English international soccer player. He accuses Greig of professionalism and lack of patriotism

These sorts of attitudes are only too typical of the international councils of world sports bodies. While they have 'made' it financially in this world, they are in a position to sit back and enjoy the fruits of 'amateur' sport. Sport in the past was very much the realm of the elite, cricket particularly. In these days of intense competition rising costs and greater recognition of employee rights sportsmen are no longer content to devote longer and longer hours to the perfection of their sporting skills without economic recompense.