The soccer authorities had the good sense to ‘break their own (stupid)rule’ in allowing their Champions to defend the Champions League. They have also seen their own stupidity and inconsistency of their rule (had some other nations been in the same situation they might not have had to swop out a team which had qualified)and made changes so that this situation won’t be repeated

The cricket story above is a similar one. Rules of the game change, or the way the game is played, and chaos ensues.

The entertainment industry is suffering the same issues. We’ve just started a new category for this Blog (Burning and Ripping) because we think the entertainment industry doesn’t know how to adjust to the rules being changed. What’s interesting is that the entertainment industrie’s rules have been changed by fans and supporters and not administrators.

Nuf Sed

After almost a decade of unquestionable world domination, the Aussies are losing their vice-like grip. They suffered FOUR losses in SEVEN days, two at the hands of England, one to county side Somerset (what!?), and believe it or not, one to non other than the World’s Worst One Day Team, Bangladesh.

Australia, and Ricky Ponting, are in trouble.

So how does a superpower go from hero to zero in one week? Well, there are a number of theories.

1. They are not getting any younger. The core group is losing it’s relevance. The Kevin Pietersens, Muhammed Ashrafuls and Graeme Smiths (BYT’s)of the cricketing world are looking at them and saying, “these guys are past their prime. I can beat them – I can do a better job”.

2. They have underestimated the competition. They may be getting older, but they should by rights still be winning. They are better on paper than any other team in the world. Ricky Ponting is quoted as saying that only one English player (Andy Flintoff) would be considered for an Aussie XI. Yet they have been beaten comprehensively twice by the same team. Corporates cannot afford to forget how hungry the little guys are. Everybody was small once.

3. They have become arrogant, and have lost their respect for the game. Andy Symonds has just been suspended for stumbling into the team’s hotel, drunk, after a big night out, in the middle of a tour. The team bus has been arriving late at matches, blaming it on traffic. The captain has been making rash, illogical decisions, without doing the homework. They look tired, frustrated and downcast on the pitch. They have lost the passion.

4. They have stopped INNOVATING. To get all Tom Petersy on you, one gets the sense they are relying on past successes to carry them forward. They have stopped raising the bar, and the rest of the world has caught up quicker than expected. They have stuffed around some of the new, young talent (Kasprowicz, Clarke).

Look, they’re still Australia. And they’re still the favourites to win the upcoming Ashes series. Perhpas I’m wrong, and their current slump in form is only a hiccup in the Oz Dynasty. Either way, their are some interesting analogies to be drawn from their current learning curve.