The Last Thing the Game of Cricket Needs Is Saudi Money
The sport is facing a climate change crisis. Accepting $5 billion from a country that supports expanding fossil fuels would be foolish.
Adam Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the business of sports. He is the author, most recently, of “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale."
An offer you can refuse.
Photographer: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images
This year, Saudi Arabia’s expansion into global sports has disrupted professional golf, upended the soccer business and garnered the kingdom the 2034 World Cup. Now it’s turning to cricket. Bloomberg News reported that Saudi Arabia proposed making an investment worth as much as $5 billion into the Indian Premier League, cricket’s most popular and lucrative event.
It’s a tempting offer, but one that the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the IPL’s owner, should turn down if it values the future of the sport.
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The Last Thing the Game of Cricket Needs Is Saudi Money