Rugby, "as the received wisdom goes, is a thug's game played by gentlemen," according to Shona Ghosh of MARKETING MAGAZINE. Why would big-name brands "get involved with one of the more aggressive sports?" As the Rugby World Cup approaches, "there are plenty of reasons, it turns out." The FIFA World Cup, "which did so much to boost brands" like adidas during last summer's tournament, has been "tarnished by multiple corruption investigations." There are also the "continued exposés of human-rights abuses suffered by migrant workers in Qatar." Match- and spot-fixing "also dog that other gentleman's game, cricket." Rugby remains "comparatively clean, marred occasionally by bad behaviour from individual players, often alcohol-related, rather than corruption." O2 has partnered the England Rugby team for the past 20 years, and O2 Head of Sports Sponsorship Gareth Griffiths believes it is "the best deal of its kind in the country." He said, "The reason we're so proud to partner with England Rugby is the values that [the sport's governing body] the RFU and [head coach] Stuart Lancaster have. We have very high standards we expect of them. If we were in football, we wouldn't be happy." M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment CEO Steve Martin said that the game's clean reputation "has an effect on and off the pitch that attracts brands." He said, "The opportunity is in the social side -- rugby is played in a very good, respectful way. The values of rugby are very strong and, as a result, there's quite a positive response in the sponsorship market." Rugby's "cleanness" also increases the sport's appeal to women and families, "which is another plus for sponsors." In addition, with the price of football rights "continually creeping up, rugby offers a credible alternative for a brand seeking a strong headline sponsorship." For the Rugby World Cup, a top-tier sponsorship slot costs about £6.45M ($10.1M). By contrast, 2014 World Cup sponsors were paying up to £16M. Griffiths said, "We used to be an Arsenal FC sponsor, but it got quite expensive in football. We're about being the lead sponsor, and you can't take the shirt of the England football team" (MARKETING MAGAZINE, 8/18).
