Freelance is the new buzzword in cricket and in the Age, Greg Baum writes that it is a mercenary approach that will inevitably turn fans away from the game.
Player agents say many more cricketers will take the money and run, or hobble (Flintoff), stumble (Symonds) or swagger (Bravo). They say authorities have only themselves to blame for scheduling too much meaningless cricket between countries. They want the program streamlined so that their clients play more - and more meaningless - cricket for their franchises. You can draw your own conclusions, adding 10 per cent plus expenses, about why agents would think this way.
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Sportsmen hate to be called mercenary, but so be it. Players and authorities will bristle at that, but I make no apology, and nor will the increasing number of fans who have become disillusioned with the direction of the game. After retiring, Adam Gilchrist admitted that it was difficult for sportspeople to see the professionals' cloistered world as it looks from the outside. Well, here's a glimpse. Go, freelance away, but don't be surprised if in a while, no one cares, and if in another while, because no one cares, there is no one to watch.
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