Sports Relief

[flicka]

After hours of Sports Relief, with Smithy the star of the show IMHO.

That alone is my reason justifying a donation.

 

However I'm afraid I do find it a bit of an hypocracy.

There was a clip of very young children employed (in Bangladesh ?) on obsene pitance making sports shoes for global leading brands, who charge ridiculous money for there goods to enable them to pay out equally obsene amounts sponsorship monies to already obsenely paid sports people.

Then we get those same sports people asking the general population to donate money fto improve the lot for those unfortunate children.

I would be more impressed by our sportsmen & women, if they donated the whole of their sponsership money to the cause.

 

[Klyne]

How do we know they don't make their own individual contribution or encourage their sponsors to contribute? Devoting their time may well be much more valuable in terms of return. Whilst they are devoting their time they are also preventing themselves earning money elsewhere so perhaps its the same thing. Charitable giving is a personal thing but no one is forced to do it.

 

David

[CliveH]

It is a quandary. Do we say no to buying such brands made by children in Third World countries because we do not want to see them exploited?

 

And then cause them to lose perhaps the only income they have?

 

Difficult choice because I would like them to get a fair wage and some education as part of their employment package. That is why I am a great supporter of the "Fair Trade" brands. They are not perfect, but what they do is far better than the exploitation much of the child labour in such countries.

 

Not sure "Fair Trade" includes such things as clothes and trainer production. But it does include wine and for that I am grateful as I can certainly do my bit.

 

[flicka]

Hi Clive

I agree with Fair Trade and the producers should see benefits.

My beef is with those receiving vast sponsership deals.

They really do not think about the pittance received by those children, when they sign up lucrative Sponsership deals.

[Syd]

Aw come on guys

Are these children in the front of your minds when you go and ask your boss for a pay rise or perhaps when you purchase a lottery ticket.

 

Lets be fair to the sportsmen too, their earning years are a lot less than most peoples