A "willingness to compromise" means the commercial requirements of modern sporting organizations and the personal beliefs of sportsmen and women "do not need to be at odds," according to Tusdiq Din of SKY SPORTS. There are "several examples across a range of sports," including Premier League football and int'l rugby and cricket, where this has been the case. When Sonny Bill Williams covered up the Bank of New Zealand advertising logo on his Super Rugby side Auckland Blues shirt, he "became the latest Muslim sportsman to refuse to endorse a product contrary to his faith." An agreement from all sides was "eventually and amicably reached," but he is "far from the only athlete to find himself in this type of situation." South Africa's Muslim cricketers Hashim Amla, Imran Tahir, Farhaan Behardien and Wayne Parnell "reached their own agreement" not to advertise the team's shirt sponsor, Castle Lager, last year, in keeping with their belief not to advertise alcoholic drinks. Parnell, who rejoined Kent County Cricket Club ahead of his country's summer tour of England, feels the "prospect of a top level athlete worrying about a potential conflict of interest can be easily avoided if early communication is made." Parnell: "You know I think as long as you show respect to the organization, they will reciprocate that respect and, if it's all things equal, they will more often than not agree to what you're asking" (SKY SPORTS, 4/30).
