Sunday, January 10, 2010

What did they expect?

The New Zealand Rugby Board is a private company that makes its money by organising and promoting a form of gladiatorial contest. A while ago. the NZRB arranged to stage the 2011 Rugby World Cup in NZ. Since the sales of tickets and broadcast rights will not bring in enough income to cover the bribes hosting fee they pay to the International Rugby Board who hold copyright on the concept of 'rugby', the expected profit for the NZRB from the deal relied on (a) the NZ government of the time chipping in $$ million and (b) the councils of various cities building new sports stadia that would provide sufficient capacity and comforts. A subsequent government has committed more moneys for things like allowing NZ TV stations to buy those broadcast rights, and rebuilding parts of Auckland as a "Party Central" zone that would provide bar-owners and hoteliers with a lucratively money-spending atmosphere.

Domestic fans are now complaining that the tickets to games are priced way outside the range of the people who are paying for these facilities, and indeed are currently available only as part of international travel / accommodation packages.

It's as if they are not clear how 'corporate welfare' is supposed to work.

13 comments:

ckc (not kc) said...

'lympics are next - "Poorer, Faster, Madder!"

Unknown said...

The March Of Folly.

Barbara W. Tuchman

Smut Clyde said...

I have no problem with the March of Folly; it's just that the other 11 months of the year seem to be dedicated to the same cause.

Unknown said...

Without folly we apes may never have shaved.

Substance McGravitas said...

If I figured out a way to take you suckers for all you're worth I'd be gosh-darned ashamed. And wealthy.

Unknown said...

Take us we're open.

Hamish Mack said...

The rich get richer
The poor get the picture.
-Midnight Oil "Read About It"
O, what we ben! And what we come to.
-Riddley Walker

Smut Clyde said...

Without folly we apes may never have shaved.

Tell me more of this 'shaving' whereof you speak.

Unknown said...

My skin suit came with these instructions,
1. shave suit daily
2. do not mate with Earthlings
3. they will always believe you

Broke one rule, now must stay.

mikey said...

Ahh, indeed, fondly do I remember supporting Matamata at Bonecrusher IV in Hawaii in '93.

Explaining baseball to kiwis.

Trying not to laugh as they discovered with their first swallow that "whiskey" in america is not at all the same as "whiskey" in the commonwealth.

Betting with my girlfriend how long you could sit in a bar with a NZ Rugby team before somebody hit somebody else.

Watching what happens to booze-soaked madmen when they discovered what happens when you smoke REAL marijuana.

Yeah, that was back in the summer of '93. I've still got the cap, a pin that says "Look! This button says FUCK on it" and limited movement in my left shoulder...

Smut Clyde said...

1. shave suit daily
2. do not mate with Earthlings
3. they will always believe you


Broke two rules. Anthropology license was confiscated.

Unknown said...

The 3rd is no rule, they cheated.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Without folly we apes may never have shaved.

Follicle folly?

WV, oddly enough is "disco".

Obligatory link