Tony Becca
THE WEST Indies Cricket Board (WICB) lost about US$19 million in the year leading up to September last year; it has an accumulated debt of about US$35 million - that means West Indies cricket is in serious trouble, and not surprisingly, not many people in the region or outside of it have any sympathy for it.
The question, however, is this: why is that so?
Apart from the fact that the board has always behaved like a law unto itself, over the years it has had little or no respect for the players, for many years, maybe because it cared little for the welfare of the players, it behaved as if money did not matter. It also missed a wonderful opportunity during the team's great years between the 1970s and the 1990s to market the team and to make some money for West Indies cricket and it was not until the coming of first the late Franz Botek, then Pat Rousseau and then Chris Dehring as head of its marketing committee that it started to look at making money.
That is one reason why there is hardly any sympathy for the board.
Under Rousseau as president, the board, however, did make some money - especially from television deals.
Big spending
With some money, however, came some big spending and with the board, probably looking at its wealthy friends like Australia, England, India and South Africa, coming up with a number of new positions, employing people to fill those positions and paying them well, especially so as far as its staff in Antigua is concerned, or was concerned.
That is another reason why there is hardly any sympathy for the board.
Right now, however, what with resignations and no replacements, the staff is not as large as it used to be.
Although there was a time when the staff was so large and the titles so many that one did not know who was responsible for what or who did what, right now the board is operating, for example, without a chief executive officer.
As poor businessmen as its members have been, however, although it spent its money like it had unending wealth, the board probably deserves a little sympathy and, again probably, should not be blamed entirely for the poor financial position in which it finds itself.
Although it cannot be excused for what obviously has been a waste of money, part of the board's problem is due to the change in fees for a series as dictated by the ICC.
Some six or seven years ago, the ICC full members voted eight to two (one of the two being the West Indies) and then nine to one (the one being the West Indies) to change the fee structure for tours from one in which touring teams could bargain for a fee plus a percentage of gate receipts and television rights to one which allowed the home team to pay a fee to the visiting team and keep everything else.
Tour payment system
In other words, the system these past few years is that after paying the visiting team a fee to tour - a fee which most times is not even enough to pay the players much more to cover transportation and accommodation - the home team keeps everything else.
While that system of payment is good for countries like Australia, England, South Africa and India, however, while it is a blessing to countries with huge gate receipts and large television earnings, and while it is reasonable for countries like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh who are so weak that they usually get little or nothing for a tour, it has been devastating for the West Indies who suffer from small gates, who do not attract television revenues the size of Australia, England, South Africa and India but who, despite their recent performances and their last experiences in Australia and in New Zealand, remain a draw wherever they play.
Apart from the fact that the islands are small, however, apart from the fact that the grounds are small and apart from the fact that the economy of the islands do not allow for large entry fees - the kind which would make up for the lack of numbers, the fact remains that despite the large crowds, comparatively speaking, that have been attending the Stanford 20/20 tournament, West Indian people no longer support the game in any way and at any level as they used to do, and that is one of the problems that faces West Indies cricket.
The board has been disappointing - no question about that; the board, but for when Rousseau was president, never appeared interested in making money or in saving money - no question about that, the board has never marketed West Indies cricket - no question about that, and the Board has never ever even attempted to spread the gospel of the game - and there can be no question about that.
Board hard hit
As bad as the board has been, however, it was hard hit by the ICC's decision, and even if it is only a little, it deserves a bit of sympathy and some help from the people - and especially so from those who love West Indies cricket.
The people need to rededicate themselves to the game - to demonstrate the love which made them once volunteer to serve the game as coaches for young boys, as leaders for young boys, and in the clubs, the love which saw them watching the game and listening to the sound of bat hitting ball or ball hitting stumps as often as possible.
The way things are going right now, based on what is happening in the clubs and in the territories, the lack of leadership, the lack of volunteers, suggests that if things continue the way they are going now, instead of things getting better in West Indies cricket, things will only get worse.
