Cricket: ben stokes valuable sponsorship terminated
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
England all-rounder cricketer and vice-captain, Ben Stokes, has had his Sponsorship Contract with the leading sports equipment manufacturer, New Balance, terminated.
The Contract, reputed to be worth £200,000 a year, has been terminated following his arrest on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm, as a result of a brawl last month at a Bristol nightclub, as well as a video, in which he impersonated Katie Price and her disabled son, Harvey, for which he has since apologised, saying that it was absolutely not his intention to offend them or anybody else.
Stokes, who is 26, also faces disciplinary proceedings before the Sports’ Governing Body, the England and Wales Cricket Board.
New Balance, in announcing the termination of his Contract, issued the following terse statement:
“New Balance does not condone behaviour by our global athletes that does not match our brand culture and values, and have therefore ended our relationship with Ben Stokes, effective October 11, 2017. We will not provide further comment.”
It is all about protecting valuable brands and, in Stokes’ case, ‘it’s just not cricket!’ to behave like he did!
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ’
