Captain is proof scandal can enhance your reputation

The national cricket captain beat Matildas star Sam Kerr to the No.1 spot after a CODE Sports special report measured some of Australia’s leading athletes in every sport across nine key criteria to determine the top 50 sports marketing magnates in the country.Each athlete’s “marketability score” was generated by three main categories: personal brand strength, audience reach and economics.Cummins performed strongly across all the categories, with his personal brand score of 29.6 out of a possible 40 proving last year’s Alinta controversy has not hurt his marketability in the slightest.The 29-year-old became inadvertently embroiled in a media storm late last year when his personal views on climate change were misconstrued as the reason Alinta Energy’s $40 million sponsorship of Cricket Australia came to an end.Cummins’ long-term adviser Neil Maxwell admits he was initially concerned the Alinta issue may become polarising, but lauded the cricket star for his unique ability to not “ride the emotional roller coaster”, with this calm approach helping turn a delicate situation into a win.“Even as a manager of players for 20 odd years, I actually learn from the bloke,” Maxwell told News Corp.“He doesn’t ride emotional or media roller coasters. And I suppose that’s because he is content in the values he holds and doesn’t go with the fluctuations of the highs and lows that come with holding such a high profile public position.“It’s often portrayed that the public have very black and white views on things but I don’t think it’s actually the case.“The extremes on both sides seem to have the loudest voice and what the Alinta matter did was it gave an opportunity for critics to really have a crack. And I don’t think he’d had any criticism as a person until that occurred.“At first, a few of us were really concerned. But what we initially thought was negative reaction because people scream from the rooftops, you actually realise it’s only a handful of people.“By the end of it, Pat saw it as a badge of honour.“It reinforced why there’s such benefit in staying calm, and just being your consistent self rather than reacting.”A MAN OF HIS WORDRather than damage Cummins’, the Alinta drama may have actually enhanced an impression that the Test skipper is a man of character who stands by what he believes in and is fundamentally authentic.“Sometimes I see that authenticity questioned. By intelligent people, too. But I know the guy and there is nothing wrong with this bloke. I think he’s a remarkable Australian,” Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley said of Cummins.“The way he was judged on the Alinta stuff. He didn’t duck for cover. He believes in what he believes in and he’s strong enough to stand up and take the stones that come with that. If he was your son you’d be proud of him.”Research from True North, a company specialising in the emotional connection of fans to sporting teams, found that while athletes who are advocates for climate change may attract loud public criticism, they are actually immensely popular with younger people 30 and under.Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley believes the Cummins’ era of captaincy has coincided with more brands wanting to associate themselves with cricket in this country.“I think the values and the culture of our national teams is a huge part of brands wanting to associate themselves and I’m really proud of where the team is at,” Hockley said.“He is a very inclusive leader … ultimately the team under Pat’s leadership has a very, very clear objective and that is to make Australians proud.“I don’t think we were worried (about the Alinta fallout).“… Pat was a very quick to correct the record that his stance and our discussions had nothing to do with Alinta’s decision to choose to move on from our partnership.”As a face for Fox Sports, New Balance and Gillette, Cummins’ is one of the most in-demand athletes when it comes to representing a brand.Those relationships run deep. Cummins’ refused to accept his full sponsorship payments from New Balance as a young player because he’d spent so much time sidelined with injury, and now both parties are reaping the benefits of that mutual loyalty.When injured for a Test last summer, Cummins threw himself into TV commentary on Fox and revealed himself to be a natural broadcasting star.8 TYPES OF ATHLETES LEBRON-LIKE INVESTORCummins is also following an off-field model similar to American athletes like LeBron James, where he has taken small equity stakes in about half a dozen businesses, including a non-alcoholic drinks company.“It’s really unique. He doesn’t chase the endorsement dollar. It’s not about a cash transaction for him,” Maxwell said.“It’s about, ‘how can I contribute to the growth of a business and share in that long-term.“Therefore you can command a larger and deeper association with a brand or business as opposed to a one dimensional cash transaction.”Cummins is also heavily invested in his initiative Cricket for Climate and is an unpaid ambassador for Unicef, where he personally contributes ongoing donations towards a program called ‘Indi Kindi’, which is providing early learning support for indigenous children in remote communities.“Credit to Pat, he approached Unicef and was really interested in understanding more about what we do and ways in which he could help. I think that says a lot upfront about him as a person,” Unicef chief marketing officer, Libby Hodgson said.“He comes from a very genuine place.“He has both made very generous donations of his own, but has also really used his profile and connections with the cricketing world to bring attention to (what we do).”Australia's most marketable: The criteriaCode Sport's 50 most marketable Aussie athletes 2023How scandal made Cummins into a money-making machine

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March 24, 2023 at 12:31AM
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The national cricket captain beat Matildas star Sam Kerr to the No.1 spot after a CODE Sports special report measured some of Australia’s leading athletes in every sport across nine key criteria to determine the top 50 sports marketing magnates in the country.Each athlete’s “marketability score” was generated by three main categories: personal brand strength, audience reach and economics.Cummins performed strongly across all the categories, with his personal brand score of 29.6 out of a possible 40 proving last year’s Alinta controversy has not hurt his marketability in the slightest.The 29-year-old became inadvertently embroiled in a media storm late last year when his personal views on climate change were misconstrued as the reason Alinta Energy’s $40 million sponsorship of Cricket Australia came to an end.Cummins’ long-term adviser Neil Maxwell admits he was initially concerned the Alinta issue may become polarising, but lauded the cricket star for his unique ability to not “ride the emotional roller coaster”, with this calm approach helping turn a delicate situation into a win.“Even as a manager of players for 20 odd years, I actually learn from the bloke,” Maxwell told News Corp.“He doesn’t ride emotional or media roller coasters. And I suppose that’s because he is content in the values he holds and doesn’t go with the fluctuations of the highs and lows that come with holding such a high profile public position.“It’s often portrayed that the public have very black and white views on things but I don’t think it’s actually the case.“The extremes on both sides seem to have the loudest voice and what the Alinta matter did was it gave an opportunity for critics to really have a crack. And I don’t think he’d had any criticism as a person until that occurred.“At first, a few of us were really concerned. But what we initially thought was negative reaction because people scream from the rooftops, you actually realise it’s only a handful of people.“By the end of it, Pat saw it as a badge of honour.“It reinforced why there’s such benefit in staying calm, and just being your consistent self rather than reacting.”A MAN OF HIS WORDRather than damage Cummins’, the Alinta drama may have actually enhanced an impression that the Test skipper is a man of character who stands by what he believes in and is fundamentally authentic.“Sometimes I see that authenticity questioned. By intelligent people, too. But I know the guy and there is nothing wrong with this bloke. I think he’s a remarkable Australian,” Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley said of Cummins.“The way he was judged on the Alinta stuff. He didn’t duck for cover. He believes in what he believes in and he’s strong enough to stand up and take the stones that come with that. If he was your son you’d be proud of him.”Research from True North, a company specialising in the emotional connection of fans to sporting teams, found that while athletes who are advocates for climate change may attract loud public criticism, they are actually immensely popular with younger people 30 and under.Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley believes the Cummins’ era of captaincy has coincided with more brands wanting to associate themselves with cricket in this country.“I think the values and the culture of our national teams is a huge part of brands wanting to associate themselves and I’m really proud of where the team is at,” Hockley said.“He is a very inclusive leader … ultimately the team under Pat’s leadership has a very, very clear objective and that is to make Australians proud.“I don’t think we were worried (about the Alinta fallout).“… Pat was a very quick to correct the record that his stance and our discussions had nothing to do with Alinta’s decision to choose to move on from our partnership.”As a face for Fox Sports, New Balance and Gillette, Cummins’ is one of the most in-demand athletes when it comes to representing a brand.Those relationships run deep. Cummins’ refused to accept his full sponsorship payments from New Balance as a young player because he’d spent so much time sidelined with injury, and now both parties are reaping the benefits of that mutual loyalty.When injured for a Test last summer, Cummins threw himself into TV commentary on Fox and revealed himself to be a natural broadcasting star.8 TYPES OF ATHLETES LEBRON-LIKE INVESTORCummins is also following an off-field model similar to American athletes like LeBron James, where he has taken small equity stakes in about half a dozen businesses, including a non-alcoholic drinks company.“It’s really unique. He doesn’t chase the endorsement dollar. It’s not about a cash transaction for him,” Maxwell said.“It’s about, ‘how can I contribute to the growth of a business and share in that long-term.“Therefore you can command a larger and deeper association with a brand or business as opposed to a one dimensional cash transaction.”Cummins is also heavily invested in his initiative Cricket for Climate and is an unpaid ambassador for Unicef, where he personally contributes ongoing donations towards a program called ‘Indi Kindi’, which is providing early learning support for indigenous children in remote communities.“Credit to Pat, he approached Unicef and was really interested in understanding more about what we do and ways in which he could help. I think that says a lot upfront about him as a person,” Unicef chief marketing officer, Libby Hodgson said.“He comes from a very genuine place.“He has both made very generous donations of his own, but has also really used his profile and connections with the cricketing world to bring attention to (what we do).”Australia's most marketable: The criteriaCode Sport's 50 most marketable Aussie athletes 2023How scandal made Cummins into a money-making machine