Sport

How to Really Love Your Mascot

By Anthony Sharwood

I saw a piece on tele the other night about endangered tigers in Russia. Come to think of it, that's probably a tautology because I think almost all of the world's tigers are endangered these days. Anyway, this piece on the TV was one of those follow-up stories. You know, let's see how everybody's getting along a few weeks after we first ran our story...

So how were the tigers getting along? Not too well it appeared, despite some generous (and unsolicited) donations from several incredibly big-hearted Australians who had watched the original story.

If only others were as generous...

"We have a saying in Russia", Vladimir the Tiger scientist said. "There are so many people out there who love tigers, you could feed a few of them to the tigers and no-one would notice."

The problem, continued Vladimir, was obtaining even a small financial commitment from the people who professed to care.

That's when I got thinking.

I'm a Balmain Tigers fan, you see, and I haven't heard too much about the Balmain Rugby League club donating anything to the Save-the-Tigers fund lately. There was a team trip to the zoo to visit the caged tigers. Yes, I definitely saw something about that on the news. But a cheque to Vladimir just outside of Vladivostok? If it's happened, then news has escaped me.

So as I say, I've been thinking: what if all sporting teams were forced to pay some sort of environmental levy if their team mascot is on the endangered list? I don't know exactly how it would work, but a 50 cent or one dollar levy per bum on seat per match would seem more or less fair.

Ridiculous, you say? Well you tell me - what's free in the world anymore? You can't impersonate anyone's looks or voice without being sued these days. So why on earth should a sporting team be able to have an endangered animal as its logo without being forced to compensate the animal in some small way?

Ok, you say, but wouldn't it be an unfair slug on clubs that happen to have endangered animals as their mascots? Not a bad point, but why stop with those clubs? Make the Sydney City Roosters fork out for the cost of controlling Newcastle Disease. Or why not get the Canberra Raiders to fund a course in Viking History at the ANU?

Seriously, it's time the clubs stopped paying half a million dollars to alcoholics and players who crap all over their motel rooms. Give some money to those magnificent creatures of the wild who know better than to foul their own den.

Now that would really be displaying the famed "tiger spirit".

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  Issue 15 contents

»	Labor Council Unveils New Public Face
»	Revealed: New, Meaner Breed of Body Hire
»	Unions Wins Own Safety Prosecution
»	Timor Protest Calls for UN Troops
»	Pay Equity Jitters as Report Gathers Dust
»	Paid Maternity Leave: One Step Forward - One Step Back
»	Court Victory for PNG Workers
»	First For Union With Multicultural Arts Grant
»	Cleaners Clean Up In Backpay Bonanza
»	Unions Join Sorry Ceremony

»	Guest Report
»	Sport
»	Trades Hall
»	Piers Watch

»	Concern at Timor Attitudes

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