Every so often the experts have to remind us, in both our business and personal endeavours, that our “instinctive” reaction to challenges we face may not always be the most prudent.
So many companies, for example, have found out the hard way that during periods of decline in business, it makes more sense to increase spending (or at least maintain it) on advertising to ensure a strong profile among potential customers.
Similarly, we can point to numerous incidents in which organisations, when faced with public relations crises, chose to retreat and say nothing when it would have been more sensible to employ PR specialists and confront the issues head-on.
And, as many entities have found out during the most recent international recession, running scared and laying off workers as the first option can do untold damage to the organisation, since a studied, deliberate and pragmatic approach was avoided.
We draw these references as the foundation for our comments in relation to two sporting events that occurred last Saturday. The first was the cricket match at Kensington Oval involving Barbados Pride and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, while the second was the Elite Sports Relay Fair at the National Stadium. People who attended the two events reported that while the “crowd” at the Oval numbered in the hundreds, that at the Stadium was in the thousands.
Numbers-wise, it would appear King Cricket took a back seat to lowly athletics. We are willing to hazard a guess, based on support in recent years, that upcoming major athletics events are held at the National Stadium will attract more spectators than any Oval Test in recent times.
Yes, Government through the National Sports Council has spent substantial sums to bring the National Stadium track up to international standards, but that apart, there is absolutely nothing inviting about the Waterford facility. The concrete slabs in four of the five stands that have served as seats for almost half-century are a national embarrassment, and what we offer as a VIP facility would make celebrities laugh.
It is time for Government to do something about this complex, starting with the deployment of demolition experts. There is tremendous economic potential in a modern athletic facility, and the natural tendency to relegate such projects to the backseat in tough economic times should be resisted.
The Jamaicans have proved beyond a shadow of doubt that when a country’s athletes are backed by strong national support in the stands, they shine brightly.
If our National Stadium was more inviting, we are sure more Barbadians would flock there. But only a mother’s or father’s love would compel an individual to sit for hours in the sun, then get soaked when, and if they are there for a night event, watch the proceedings under poor lighting. Worse yet, if you have driven to the Stadium after heavy rain as most of the parking space is muddy.
The National Stadium, Barbados’ athletic programme and the nation’s athletes are long overdue for serious attention, and we therefore implore Minister of Sport Stephen Lashley to do what is necessary to get this project going. Don’t let the recession continue to leave us feeling compelled to relegate athletics to the position of second cousin to cricket. We may be pleasantly surprised by the results of being creative in our thinking.
