Detractors Wrong On USACA/Centrex Deal

By Orin Davidson
Even as the year draws to a close, the heat isn’t cooling on the United States of America Cricket Association’s (USACA) heels in the midst of the winter saturation.

Its dealings with the Scotland-based marketing company Centrix is making the headlines outside of the official established medium, mainly for the wrong reasons.

Talk of money changing hands in USACA’s favor is creating angst among many of its detractors, given the executive body’s unenviable track record.

Above everything else, the deal is generating anger and envy among the narrow minded destabilizes who can never accept any accomplishment outside of their own doing.

This is very clear from the message board ranting on websites within the U.S. cricket fraternity.

It is identical to the actions of the said type or possibly the same persons who sought to destroy the Cricket International/United Promotions’ West Indies team’s tour of New York with vicious false misinformation, this past summer.

Among other attacks, the association is referred to as a shambles even though they have influenced the interest of a well known international sports marketing company.

You cannot be a complete failure if you are on the verge of pulling off the biggest ever business arrangement in United States cricket, notwithstanding USACA’s lapses where the cancelled Project USA were concerned.

Indeed, if USACA has already creamed off a sizeable advance from the deal, as is rumored, it would be a huge feather in the association’s cap.

Although the association’s media official Orville Hall dismissed all the speculation by stating that the arrangement is not yet a done deal, if and when it is solidified, the administration of Gladstone Dainty must be given credit where it is due.

Utilization of the eventual financial gains is another matter, but for the present, they have made more progress than in all of its three years in office, with the Centrex arrangement, and deserves their just due.

Yet the criticism of a lack of transparency so far with the deal, is not unjustified.

As one poster, correctly put it, USACA is doing nothing other than posting scores of national competitions on its website.

Nothing has been mentioned of its progress with implementation of the new constitution nor even minor mention of its dealings with Centrex on www usaca.org.

This lack of transparency is not good enough.

At least some effort should’ve been made to enlighten the increasingly interested cricket public, on two highly important matters, regardless of whatever resources are available to the national ruling body.

In any event, if and when USACA starts to reap the tens of thousands of dollars from the staging of games here and from marketing and merchandizing activities, it will have to heavily beef up its public relations arm.

Communication is the major component in the success and longevity of any organization and the sooner USACA accepts this reality, the better it will be able to correct its past lapses.

And in these days of enhanced technology, it is doubly important they make better use of the information super highway.

As the expression goes “time and tide waits on no man” and USACA could ill afford to be left behind.
Orin Davidson Column Homepage