Sponsorship in Sport

Of course, back in those days we had to provide our own sheep. There was none of this corporate sponsorship, not in those early days. Only the other day I saw some one whose wellies had been sponsored by PlungenPuke Sheep-dips. Bloody good wellies they were too, designed so that once the sheep had her back legs in them there was no way she could wiggle free.

I wish I'd had a pair like that, back when I was young enough to get up to the top of Torfellbank hill when all the young ewes used to gather up there.

Anyway, I blame the television money. As soon as they get hold of a sport, the money pours in. That brings more money in and before you know it, the sheep have adverts for banks and suchlike dyed into their fleeces. 'Do to this sheep exactly what our bank has been doing to you all these years.' I remember that one.

There's drugs as well. So many shepherds these days are on Viagra, it makes going into the dressing room like trying to walk through a turnstile.

(One of my earliest – see here for example. Note: the link to the actual article is broken. I’ll get around to fixing it when I redo the webpage sometime in the near* future.)

*near future – as in quite possibly never.