Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough

[Don]

This is totally shocking! Taming the shrewd: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough Sukhwant Basra Monday, April 09, 2007 02:50 IST MUMBAI: The BCCI?s over reaction to the endorsement issue stems from a misguided attempt at containing the sharks in suits that represent player management executives. For long, rumours have circulated about the influence of player agents in getting their clients into the team. Juniors signing on with those representing influential seniors have become a regular occurrence. Responding to the criticism of its harsh stand on individual endorsements even as it looks to milk cricket, Board officials are now leaking more precise details on the player-agent nexus forcing its hand. Player representatives seek to earn between 15 to 25% of the endorsement fees for each deal signed. For top stars, these figures easily go into crores. Players are assured of minimum guarantee money per year when they sign on. Batsmen have it better as the willow is allowed to carry an individual sponsor while only team sponsors figure on the on-field dress. Till recently no bowler was given guarantee money in the region of a crore even as top batsmen have been assured of figures beyond Rs 5 crores. Only now an upcoming speedster has broken that barrier. Batsmen are instructed to lift their bats towards the pavilion each time they crack a fifty to ensure adequate TV exposure for the brand plastered on it as well as twirl around to allow enough time for photographers to capture the image. Bats are also not hung down when a player walks to the pavilion after a good knock as he has instructions to wave it to the crowd and the cameras milking additional publicity. The longer the time spent and more the runs scored all have performance based clauses which influence the way the batsman behaves out in the field. During the World Cup a unique avenue made its entry ? the back of the helmet. Senior Indian batsmen were seen sporting logos on what has been untapped potential. In case a player is not part of the team for three months, earlier it was six, he stands to forfeit his guarantee money. There has been the instance of a certain senior backing off to allow a junior batsman his way into the team for a one-off match in order to protect the latter?s financial interest with a cola company. This in turn forms pressure groups within the dressing room based purely on common commercial needs. In case a player does not live up to initial promise, agents have been known to plant stories in the press regarding his attitude and fitness to wring out better terms or to influence his ouster from the team. While advertising and PR agencies will not sign on clients with conflicting interests, the choppy waters that agent sharks prey do not allow for such niceties. A number of bowlers or batsmen may well figure on the rolls of the same agent who will then discard the out-of-favour ones. Incentives extend to the presentation of ostentatious gifts. On elevation to vice-captaincy a young batting star was presented with a swanky new Mercedes by the people who manage him. In the light of such information coming out from Board and industry sources, the BCCI?s overreaction to the endorsement issue makes more sense. Just that to curb this disease the BCCI has chosen to use an axe where perhaps a surgeon?s sniping was required

[Dhondy]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough Shocking! Sonuvabitches! :mad:

[Chandan]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough So you people are believing it???? Can anyone explain how it could have worked unless players influenced the captain so much that he put his foot down in front of the selectors? Or were the selectors being bribed? What was/is it? Can anyone explain even by giving examples? If not, THIS STORY IS AS RUBBISH AS ALL THOSE GREG CHAPPELL STORIES WERE JUST BEFORE 6th APRIL!!!!

[karina]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough I think this story is true. What really hits home is about the batsman getting paid according to the time spent batting- which explains why our batsmen so many times get glued to the crease without scoring. They don't want to risk getting out! :wall: :wall:

[Dhondy]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough Sell your soul to the devil for a few quid? Or $400 million? Yeah, why not? Everybody else is doing it in our beloved nation.

[Chandan]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough Oh well Dhondy, explain it to me. How can inflencing a senior player would get a junior in the team? Afterall, captain is the only player present in the selection meeting. Please explain.

[Gambit]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough I don't believe the rubbish about seniors getting juniors in. If you believe that, then that contradicts the mafia story.

[Dhondy]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough Chandan, read what it says in there. It ain't saying that seniors influence selection. It says juniors have a perception that agents acting on behalf of senior players can exert covert pressure on their behalf. Hence it makes sense to sign up for those agents.

For long, rumours have circulated about the influence of player agents in getting their clients into the team. Juniors signing on with those representing influential seniors have become a regular occurrence.

OK? Now those agents may or may not have the power to influence selections. But by creating an impression that they have the means to do so, they get more and more juniors to sign up for them. That itself is unethical. Poweful middlemen can create an impression to their punters, in this case young players, that they run Indian cricket. It's just a step away from these players then acquiescing with these unscupulous agents' requests such as refering the next young player to them, or heaven forbid, of performing in a certain way on the field, such as batting for time instead of runs, or playing for milestones rather than team interests. It could explain the bad blood between certain players, who belong to different agents, one trying to outdo the other, rather than pulling in the same direction, as team interests would dictate. When there is "my agent" and "his agent", or "my sponsors" and "his sponsors", effectively there is a supernumerary force above and beyond the team and country that dictates thought, conduct, and priorities. It shouldn't be.

[yoda]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough Totally believable. Gambit there are enough seniors and juniors to go around.

[Chandan]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough Dhondy, Somehow I just cannot believe this. If that is indeed the case, how come India won even a single match, be it ODI or test? It is just impossible. And maybe it is all the work of those BCCI officials who don't mind players shooting for their sponsors on the eve of a big match but would like to cut the players to pieces?

Responding to the criticism of its harsh stand on individual endorsements even as it looks to milk cricket, Board officials are now leaking more precise details on the player-agent nexus forcing its hand.

And bat lifting after a ton or half ton has been done since ages when there used to be no sponsors of bat. What do you say about that? You think players think of money once they're out in the middle?? No way!! The media has been stupid to T by writing these pieces but are we not insulting our national players by even thinking such things about them??? Do we call ourselves Indian cricket fans????

[yoda]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough

And bat lifting after a ton or half ton has been done since ages when there used to be no sponsors of bat. What do you say about that? You think players think of money once they're out in the middle?? No way!!

It has been done since ages, yes. Question is, since when has it been part of a player's contract and is it acceptable? To me, it is not acceptable for such things to be as part of a contract. Anyways, all existing contracts will be reviewed for such "shady" clauses.

[Chandan]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough

And bat lifting after a ton or half ton has been done since ages when there used to be no sponsors of bat. What do you say about that? You think players think of money once they're out in the middle?? No way!!

It has been done since ages, yes. Question is, since when has it been part of a player's contract and is it acceptable? To me, it is not acceptable for such things to be as part of a contract. Anyways, all existing contracts will be reviewed for such "shady" clauses.

So that BCCI gets to sink in their teeth in players' endorsement money too!!! May I ask why is no one willing to question what BCCI does with its money, how are they spent and what are the results of such expenditure? May I ask wehy BCCI is not willing to become a professional body, run the Indian cricket systematically instead of this anarchy that we have today. BCCI is manipulating the media and keeps on throwing small senational news to them as if throwing pieces of meat to dogs, to keep them busy in discussing the failure, the honesty, the integrity of players only and hence preventing them from looking what the real cause of demise of Indian cricket is. But are we fans that stupid too?

[Dhondy]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough Chandan, you obviously want to believe that all is honourable and good in the cricketers' garden, and it may well be so. But do try and not be naive. Have you never heard of conflict between two paymasters? A doctor works for a hospital. He also does private practice. The hospital suffers because he spends more time with his private patients than he should. Medicine is a noble profession, is it not? An IAS Officer, sworn in to uphold the nation's interests, favours certain businessmen because they fatten his bank account. Doesn't happen? Yet, a cricketer scoring a slow fifty to retain his place in the team and by extension, his myriad sponsorship deals, is totally implausible to you? Or the idea that a senior bowler might withhold tips from a junior, or even undermine him, because he doesn't want to lose his place to him, and thereby the sponsorship deals that are worth many multiples of his annual contract? Presumably, you have never heard of corporate rewards made to clients for refering other clients? Listen, cartels are not exclusive to Columbian drug smugglers. And you don't become a bad fan because you open your eyes to the ground realities.

[yoda]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough

So that BCCI gets to sink in their teeth in players' endorsement money too!!!

They are only asking for them to reviewed. Not asking for a cut!

May I ask why is no one willing to question what BCCI does with its money, how are they spent and what are the results of such expenditure?

Unfortunately, they have no accountability. Aren't you glad that atleast the players are being held accountable?

May I ask wehy BCCI is not willing to become a professional body, run the Indian cricket systematically instead of this anarchy that we have today. BCCI is manipulating the media and keeps on throwing small senational news to them as if throwing pieces of meat to dogs, to keep them busy in discussing the failure, the honesty, the integrity of players only and hence preventing them from looking what the real cause of demise of Indian cricket is. But are we fans that stupid too?

They just got this much more professional with some of these sweeping changes. I don't agree with a few of them and hopefully those will be resolved logically. I am surprised you aren't outraged at the kind of clauses in these contracts which clearly are detrimental to the team. I know we don't have official copies of these contracts, but this is what we have to discuss with, for now.

[Mandrake]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough This is indeed shocking....it is quite believable though.However,with BCCI itself a huge commercial group..how deep is this rut?...quite possible that this nexus has shady dealings with selectors themselves to keep certain players in the team...

[Chandan]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough .

I am surprised you aren't outraged at the kind of clauses in these contracts which clearly are detrimental to the team. I know we don't have official copies of these contracts, but this is what we have to discuss with, for now.

Yoda, if these clauses are indeed there, tell me how were we able to win even a single match in last 4-5 years?

[Bumper]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough Chandan, nothing written in the media that is negative about the players is believable for you, as u need proofs for everything. But u aint gonna get proofs for these titbits. Its fair to conclude everything written above is prolly not true. But its naive to dismiss everything written above as BS.

In case a player is not part of the team for three months, earlier it was six, he stands to forfeit his guarantee money.

Have u ever wondered why our injured super stars RUSH into the team, even when half fit and can barely hold the bat ? Either they are so patriotic that they wanna win games for their country at all costs or they are simply mercenaries who dont want to miss an opportunity to fill their pockets. Which one looks more probable ?

On elevation to vice-captaincy a young batting star was presented with a swanky new Mercedes by the people who manage him.

Sehwag and Yuvraj have recently been VCs. It should be fairly easy to verify this statement.

[head coach]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough So it remains true that superstars like Gangully, Tendulkar play for money! More worried about the cash flow and deals than results on the field! Those who are worshipping these fellows are you hearing?

[Chandan]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough

Chandan, you obviously want to believe that all is honourable and good in the cricketers' garden, and it may well be so. But do try and not be naive. Have you never heard of conflict between two paymasters? A doctor works for a hospital. He also does private practice. The hospital suffers because he spends more time with his private patients than he should. Medicine is a noble profession, is it not? An IAS Officer, sworn in to uphold the nation's interests, favours certain businessmen because they fatten his bank account. Doesn't happen? Yet, a cricketer scoring a slow fifty to retain his place in the team and by extension, his myriad sponsorship deals, is totally implausible to you? Or the idea that a senior bowler might withhold tips from a junior, or even undermine him, because he doesn't want to lose his place to him, and thereby the sponsorship deals that are worth many multiples of his annual contract? Presumably, you have never heard of corporate rewards made to clients for refering other clients? Listen, cartels are not exclusive to Columbian drug smugglers. And you don't become a bad fan because you open your eyes to the ground realities.

Dhondy, I know that there is corruption in every field of life. Cricketers also must be trying to maximise their income during their playing career. BUT I'M NOT READY TO BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN DO IT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE TEAM. I'd rather have faith in my players who dedicate their lives to cricket rather than the corrupt BCCI officers who do not do a thing for cricket. I believe in players and will always do unless BCCI can give a copy that contract to media which has that clause. If there indeed is such a clause in any players' contract, why is BCCI hesitating in exposing it???? I know why. Because it does not have the contract and it is only trying to deflect the attention of media from the rot BCCI is in.

[Chandan]

Re: Player-agent nexus forces BCCI to act tough

written above as BS.

In case a player is not part of the team for three months, earlier it was six, he stands to forfeit his guarantee money.

Have u ever wondered why our injured super stars RUSH into the team, even when half fit and can barely hold the bat ? Either they are so patriotic that they wanna win games for their country at all costs or they are simply mercenaries who dont want to miss an opportunity to fill their pockets. Which one looks more probable ?

Bumper, My simple question is, it is selectors who select them. Why were they selected if they were half fit? It is the physio and BCCI doctor who pass a player fit or unfit. Are you saying that selectors, physio, board doctor...everyone gets money if even a half fit player rushes back to the team? If so, what is the board doing for them? Why don't the board sack such dishonest personnels? Or the board shares the money too. As for VCs, don't the selectors decide about it as well?? So how can a player be blamed for being named a VC?