A few weeks ago, our Sports Minister said, “There is no such thing as corporate social responsibility. This is an absolute myth.” He followed up saying that it is the responsibility of government and not corporate to support community programmes, an expectation of corporate social responsibility that has become a bit lopsided amongst some local groups. However, although it may not be mandatory for corporate entities to finance community programmes, globally, corporate social responsibility (CSR) does indeed exist and carries with it high cognisance, regardless of the reasons or incentives. What should not exist is the complete replacement of government responsibility with CSR. CSR is about private entities impacting positively on social needs or goals. The obviously poor framework that exists in the local sports industry has likely made it very difficult for corporate entities to understand exactly what it is they will be impacting on or contributing towards the betterment of when it comes to sporting programmes.
Such ambiguity will hardly motivate or encourage any private entity to donate any of its resources over a sustained period, regardless of government incentives or social hype. Not to seem naïve, some international companies certainly do use CSR as a tool to boost their public relations (PR) and/or image to consumers and potential investors alike, but to be realistic, nobody does something for nothing. Even the Dalai Lama lives as he does in the hope of better in the next life. So, companies might use it for PR but with the right framework in place such relationships can easily become win-win situations. So here is where I entice the concept of public-private partnerships. Being a small island of 1.3 million people, with an overabundance of sports programmes, each sport containing at least one athlete with potential for international concession, does it really make sense not entertaining such arrangements?
CSR and Sports Sponsorship, without a doubt, go hand in hand because of the inherent risks involved with this sort of business. On a scale atypical to anything we will see locally but which really drives the point home, I read in Bloomberg Business week (http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jun2007/gb20070607_140258.htm) about the huge loss suffered by BMW in 2007 when the BMW Oracle team sailboat was eliminated in Valencia, Spain, from the America’s Cup qualifying competition before the start of the main event. Estimations put the cost to BMW for this failed effort at US$200 million. Keep in mind that expenses are relative to the sport itself, while sponsorship levels are relative to the status echelon of the athlete/team. This was a high profile team in a costly sport, participating in a high profile tournament, thus sponsorship would be expected to also be high, hence sponsorship by a company such as BMW.
During the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival 2011, I made the decisive effort to see the film, “Chris Dennis—Between Worlds.” This film is a documentary on the experiences and challenges of one of the most talented surfers coming out of not only Trinidad and Tobago but the entire Caribbean, whose biggest obstacle at this point is funding. Recognise that this is an athlete who paradoxically rose out of the humble beginnings of Rampanalgas, Balandra, and whose obsession for surfing has allowed him to entertain the possibility of becoming a professional surfer. Unfortunately, he continues to battle the odds to realise his full potential due to financial restrictions. Sufficient funding would allow him access to more international tournaments, providing him with greater exposure and experience and eventually earn him a place in the top competitions so that he can realise his dream of ranking amongst the top 100 surfing athletes.
This film surfaced a feeling of both awe and disappointment in me. That such athletes who exhibit the mental fortitude and physical discipline to believe in themselves and stay true to their dreams despite the constraints of their socioeconomic fate, may never get to realise their full potential because of something as superficial as money, just feels to me like a wasted opportunity for a nation to capitalise on and a corporation to invest in. Athletes like Chris Dennis, who come from places where the odds are stacked against them and yet succeed, all the while maintaining a reputation of positivity, are role models to other youngsters. Supporting such individuals is not only an investment in the person but in the hope of future young dreams. I believe that CSR is not a myth in Trinidad and Tobago and that sports sponsorship is still alive but it is time to for sporting entities to clean their act up so that corporate sponsorship will be more encouraged to support their programmes. Looking ahead, these resources can be better channeled to provide greater international exposure to our local talent for it is in this way that the true benefits will be sourced.
Source: www.guardian.co.tt
By Asha De Freitas-Moseley