The thing I love most about the Sonny Bill Williams sponsorship fiasco

By
Martyn Bradbury
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40
7

The thing I love most about the Sonny Bill Williams sponsorship fiasco is watching boofhead sports broadcasters and the less cerebral parts of the rugby watching public intellectually struggle with the concept of ethics, philosophy and conscientious objection.

They’re like a wet kitten trying to work out using a typewriter – a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!

Looking into the eyes of the boofhead sports broadcasters as they try to conceptualise SBWs ethical stance is just one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on NZ television.

The mere idea that a human being isn’t just some by-product of corporate banking sponsorship is too large a mental leap for boofhead sports broadcasters to comprehend and the confusion on their faces as they attempt such mental gymnastics looks like a hilarious mix between irritation and severe sun burn.

They come across like guppies out of water with their gills frantically sucking in air as they struggle to understand what a conscientious objection is.

The rugby watching public are little better. The backlash in favour of a person being a corporate slave would be funny if it weren’t so sad. At no point have any of those rugby boofheads even paused in their condemnation of SBW to consider the injustice of a capitalist society allowing Banks grotesque profit margins via their use of usury, oh no, their issue is that Sonny Bill Williams thinks he’s better than us!

Negative egalitarianism at its finest.

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May SBW long continue keeping that confused look on their wee faces.

 

 

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40 COMMENTS

  1. “….the less cerebral parts of the rugby watching public ”

    Martyn, are you implying there are cerebral parts?

    Tell me where they are, because I haven’t found them! 😉

    • Are you an expert on Sharia Law Andy? Neither am I, but if you’re prepared to base your understanding of it (probably just based on “these cunts chop people’s hands and heads off”) then let me know.
      We could then enter a discussion, but I’m picking your ego is driving your prejudice, and is getting the better of you (or maybe that should be the worst of you).
      All that aside, you’re probably on the losing ‘side’ – just as the likes of Garner and that pathetic comfy little Richardson have come to realise.
      (I.e. the keeper of statistics from polls you probably subscroib to on the AM show)
      What now is the outcome?
      They’ve accepted his beliefs are genuine – in that he doesn’t like usuary, or the downsides of commercialism.

      (And btw – that’s ‘by the way’), that’s coming from someone not that interested in sport since its commodification, and whose prejudices had me thinking SBW was just another pretty-boy poof (you know the ones that think during a same sex blow job, only the suckee is the gay man)
      I suspect you have many of the same fucked up values – but you know – es they say “En uff story” (Going forward)

  3. Good on SBW.

    For starters it raises the point that banks are not our friends and are in fact sucking the life out of this and many other economies simply to maximise returns to investors. All that money on overpriced houses that could have gone anywhere else but to the banks. Think about that!

    And this man is clearly evolving. And even better in his latest iteration he has done it to rugby where no one but no one every rocks the boat and the thickest of sheep mentality prevails.

    Where is Richie and Dan when they need em?

  4. It really bothers some people that SWB has a religious and political conscience. He doesn’t come on TV telling us how great Fonterra is (try asking the small business contractors to whom Fonterra owes money how great they are), he doesn’t come on promoting dodgy insurance companies or loan sharks.
    He sticks to his principles and because his principles do not conform with the convention right-wing rugby boofhead suck-more-piss and suck up to corporates mentality people scratch their heads and ask what has got into him. “What an ingrate” they huffily spout.
    Like when the Beatles dropped Beatlemania. People scratched their heads and even the Queen reportedly remarked that the Beatles were turning dreadfully “funny”.
    Plus SWB has also done the unthinkable by becoming a Muslim. A terror suspect perhaps. Rugby players, especially those with the skills and profile of SWB just don’t do things like that – it just isn’t right and the MSM doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  7. I never used to like Sonny Bill Williams, simply because I was fed up reading and hearing about his chopping and changing sporting codes. I thought he was so overrated and who cared anyway.

    However, since Sonny Bill became a Muslim I have changed my tune. It seems his choice of religion has made him a much better man with strong ethical principles and moral values. He seems more confident and outright, living his life through honesty, kindness and goodness.

    NZ needs more Kiwis of the calibre of Sonny Bill Williams. The country would be a much better place for it.

    Go Sonny Bill, you are a shining star in every respect.

  9. I have never had any time for Money Bill and i have never been able to see what all the fuss is about or understand the hype that surrounds this man.

    If it offends his principles to wear a jersey with a bank logo on it fine and i would expect he will want to cover over the Steinlager logo on his All Black jersey because drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden in the muslim faith.

    The fact that the rugby supporting public can’t identify with this moral protest is not new or surprising such is their blind zeal for the game that they can not tolerate or grasp the fact that someone will want to make a stand or highlight an injustice because they happen to wear a jersey and score tries.

    Michael Jones was the last high profile religious rugby player i can remember who made a stand and refused to play if a game was scheduled on a Sunday because of his religious convictions.

    For many it was inconceivable that a All Black as important as Jones would not want to be playing and possibly denying the team a winning result…sacrilege, shock and horror.

    Such was the respect for Michael and after a careful public relations exercise his decision was accepted and the sky had indeed not fallen in.

    I hope Williams will use his position and go further to highlight and make a stand with other in justices that happen every day under neo liberalism.

  10. I’ve always viewed SBW as a great player, whether rugby or league. Up until now I’ve never questioned his ethics. So, by not showing the ANZ logo he’s taking a stand against the bank, fair enough. (He’s played for the chiefs and crusaders in the past, with the logo emblazoned across his chest, just saying). He’s ok with the adidas logo though, so clearly he supports the working conditions in the third world, sweatshops. And there’s the BMW deal, good on him for driving around in a $150000+ car while children in Nu Zilland (however Martyn’s spells it) are starving. Hmmm and whatever happened to that deal after it was found out that some of his mates were saying that homosexuals are worse than animals. Yes, when someone says they are better than you, they should at least on the surface be able to back it up. At this point I’d respect his decision to not play professional sports anymore, instead of taping over cracks.

  11. “Looking into the eyes of the boofhead sports broadcasters as they try to conceptualise SBWs ethical stance is just one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on NZ television.”

    Nice try, but (unfortunately) this has exactly NOTHING to do with ethics. This has EVERYTHING to do with Islam Sharia Law (SBW is a converted Muslim). The media should ask him what his thoughts are surrounding ISIL and their “righteous” effort to reform the caliphate. It would be quite amusing.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_banking_and_finance
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliphate

  12. Me like rugby. Bank make rugby happen. Me like bank.
    He play rugby. Why he no like bank?
    Head hurt.
    Me drink beer now.

    • That will encapsulate the level of discussion on this matter for many in this wonderful country.
      An opportunity to discuss the mere existence of legalised money printing and extortion as practised by the bankstas, and their parasitic relationship with dependent debt slaves locked into a soul-destroying financial system will pass by untouched.

  14. I am not religious but any belief system that does not promote and perpetuate greed like corporate banks will get my support .SBW
    has shown guts and integrity.The rugby community will survive
    because they know that one individual will not rock the boat
    so what is all the distress about?

        • Really, Andy? Saudi Arabia – home of conservative brand of Islam, Wahabism – is a bedfellow of Washington and a staunch ally in Middle East affairs. Especially on Syria.

          Care to re-phrase your assertion?

          • Don’t forget Linda Sarsour Frank, co sponsor/hi jacker of the women’s march. What a joke. Telling women, who cares about not being allowed to drive when under sharia you can instead have interest free credit cards. The left are well and truly aligned with these beliefs, they just can’t see it. Today SBW is taking a stand against a bank, tomorrow he’ll be advocating for women to cover themselves in public.

            • Offwhite and Andy, I think your prejudices are clouding your rational judgement. SBW has referred to only one aspect of his muslim beliefs. At no time has her “invoked” other aspects of Sharia Law, you guys are just creating a fake straw-man argument to bolster our weak position. Your weak argument falls apart when your silly propositions are discounted as nonsensensical.

              To give an example, its like suggesting condemning christian law because it advocates in the Bible burning witches (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 20:27) or stoning homosexuals (Leviticus 18:22) . Are you going to going to make similar comparisons? Or is your prejudice directed solely at Islam?

  15. To be honest generalizing everyone in this country with an interest in rugby as being a boofhead etc is simply displaying the same ignorance you are all trying so hard to parody.

    I am left / love rugby / understand SBW’s stance and believe the best way for BNZ to handle this is to simply accept the removal of their logo.

    • The best way to handle this is to drop SJW from the team. I don’t really see why we need to pander to the needs of Sharia

        • False equivalence
          I don’t have a problem with Moslems practicing their religion. I do have a problem with political Islam and Sharia

          One of SBW’s mates is a preacher who has less than liberal attitudes towards homosexuals, to cite one example. Oh and I don’t mean anti-gay marriage, if you get my drift.

          • Actually, Andy, it’s not a “false equivalence” at all. You just can’t answer Frank’s point. The fact that you “have a problem with political Islam and Sharia” is your problem, not ours. In other words, GET OVER YOURSELF!

        • Indeed Michael didn’t play on Sundays and nor did the Going brothers, but the issue of sponsorship didn’t exist as rugby wasn’t professional then.
          The question of how SBW gets paid – presumably in cash – and where he keeps all that cash, as it obviously can’t be in a bank, should be of considerable interest to certain members of society.

        • It appears the local and Aussie Rugby authorities are a lot more pragmatic than some posters here, Larry Williams etc etc. I saw footage on TV the other night of Aussie players with the same principles on the field without some of the logos worn by others.

          The Unions say they are quite happy to accommodate “sincerely held beliefs” held by their players. Ding!

          No players, no need for sponsors, no game.

    • Which ones? Islamic banks do charge interest but it’s structured in a way that it seems like a partnership between lender and borrower. Not sure what happens to that partnership if the borrower renegs.

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