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In this cancel culture, this viper's nest of misery and woe, driven by groupthink, and a seemingly unquenchable desire to be furious about something, I note poor old Speights are in the gun for having the temerity to sponsor the Highlanders rugby team.
Rugby, short of Silver Lake, being a silver lining is not exactly flush these days with dosh. For a game we have dominated globally for years, it is a remarkable thing we still manage to, given the state of the books.
And for anyone who is in any sport or industry where money is tight and bottom lines are hard to keep black, sponsorship is a time honoured and successful way of paying the bills and promoting a brand.
They will be called the Speights Highlanders. This is a first, but the wowsers are out . They argue Speights and its name has no place in sport. Despite the fact they’ve been associated with rugby in their part of the world for 40 years.
In that aspect alone I admire them. Longevity, consistency, and loyalty are in rare supply these days. Such is the nature of things, the here today, gone tomorrow type existence we live. To have a partnership that stands the test of time is increasingly rare, more is the pity.
I look at Emirates Team New Zealand. Not just the airline but companies like Toyota who through good and bad, brilliant and bleak, have stayed the course, written the cheques, and I assume enjoyed the ride.
Speights makes beer, yes. But beer is not the devil, the devil is the abuser of the beer, and the pisshead isn't sponsoring the team. The same way the crook driving the car is the criminal, not the manufacturer who made it.
Social issues are of our own creation but given our inability to face them and deal to them, due to a lack of self-responsibility, we look to find fault elsewhere. And the manufacturer, producer, supplier, or seller is the easy target.
Fast food, sugar, fat, speed, booze, lotto. They're all the devil, they must be banned, and blamed before they're banned. They must certainly not, participate in any activity, we deem incompatible.
Speights make a popular, legal product. It's a product that has every right to be promoted and advertised.
Rugby is a popular, legal sport that has every right to pay its way and meet its bills.
Connect the synergies and you’ve got a deal. That is the real world and I hope it’s a good four years for both of them.