High Profile Australian Athletes Back Netball's Push For Coverage On Free-To-Air TV

A number of athletes headed by U.S.-based basketball player Lauren Jackson have backed a "growing campaign" to find the trans-Tasman netball championship free-to-air TV exposure in Australia, according to Wayne Heming of the AAP. Fears the tournament could face a total TV blackout when it begins in six weeks following the Ten Network's decision to drop its coverage have "prompted passionate pleas." Former player Tania Black has launched a petition on Change.org, a lobby group with 25 million worldwide users and 850,000 of them in Australia. Her petition has already attracted close to 6,000 signatures from the netball community and has received backing from "world-class Australian athletes" such as Jackson, int'l cricketer David Hussey and rugby league stars Cameron Smith and Scott Prince (AAP, 2/12).