Thursday, June 7, 2012

F-1 circus moves to Montreal; can the students succeed where the Bahrain protesters failed?

Bernie's travelling road show and billion dollar circus lands in Montreal this week.

As you know, Montreal has been the ground zero of the Quebec Spring.

Here's a chance for them to get some real international publicity. Our allies in Bahrain failed in their attempt to bring international opprobrium to bear on Ecclestone's road show.

It was just another F-1 race.

Maybe Montreal can be different. Maybe the students and the workers and their sympathizers can show the world that it's not just business as usual in Montreal.

The Ecclestone circus is a prime example of everything that's gone wrong with professional sport. Time was, racing cars was about seeing who could make their car go faster.

As the sport became more and more about money, the guys who got the fastest were inevitably the guys who had the most corporate sponsorships.

More sponsorships meant more money which meant a faster car which meant more sponsorships and so the wheel went round...

And inevitably, that trip to the winner's circle meant millions in publicity dollars to the companies who's logos were on the side of the car in the winner's circle.

Which made F-1 one of the most lucrative properties in professional sport, which in turn made Bernie a billionaire.

All of which is why this weekend is a special weekend in F-1.

I'm an old school F-1 fan, and I won't be rooting for Alonzo or Hamilton or that German kid.

I'll be cheering for those Montreal kids who are busking spring into Montreal.


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