Drive-thru Pizza?

Toot and come in!

by Derek Bateman

That most Edinburgh of organisations, the Scottish Rugby Union, resisted the arrival of anything as tacky as advertising hoardings on the pitchside at Murrayfield until a committee man asked the more profit-minded Welsh rugby officials how much revenue the ad boards at Cardiff Arms Park generated. Eyes widening at the reply, an SRU voice was heard to say… ‘mmm, well I suppose they are very tasteful hoardings.’ Today of course company names appear on every surface including the players’ jerseys and even across their bum. Even the national stadium’s name advertises a telecoms firm.

In fact advertising has so taken over sport that there are times when it’s hard to watch the game. There are logos painted on the turf – they started behind the posts but now appear in the centre of the pitch – and often moving cartoons on digital boards round the field drawing your eye away from the point of the whole exercise, the game. With on-screen information intruding as well, it takes some concentration to enjoy a match on telly. And when it’s football, you’re told the programme is brought to you by Gazprom, President Putin’s energy arm, or, even worse, by a gambling outfit based for tax purposes in Gibraltar.