Cricket Australia open to Chris Gayle returning for Big Bash

I would have done it differently but I think too exaggerated a brouhaha was made about this entire episode.

If a woman did it, it would be seen differently.

If Warner did it, they might have said the loveable rogue is being cheeky. 

But in your previous post you argued that Chris Gayle would provide a huge revenue boost. When I responded with evidence that suggests this may not be the case, you moved the goal posts and said youngsters would be more interested in a big name player such as Gayle. As posted above, the other overseas players that would replace him are just as popular as Gayle. More to the point, I think it is fair to say that homegrown Aussie talent such as Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc et al would be just as big a draw as Gayle.

With regards to commercial appeal/hype, when searching Youtube for this years Big Bash League commercials, Chris Gayle does not feature in any of them.

As to the point about shirt sales, can you link me to any evidence showing that Gayle's shirt was popular in the BBL? If so, I'd love to see it. Unfortunately, I don't think you will find any, because I don't believe they sell them. If you go and check out the BBL website or Melbourne Renegades online store, you will notice you can't buy a Chris Gayle shirt. It's not like football where you can buy individual personalised player shirts, you can only buy team shirts. So it's hard to have kids wearing shirts with Gayle's name on the back when they don't sell them.

At the end of the day, it is still a business and owners care about two things - winning and revenue. The majority of revenue comes from ticket sales, advertising revenue, TV rights and prize money. Understanding the analytics of the game help teams draft the best valued players (not simply the best players) which puts them in a better position to win. The reason I mentioned this previously is because no one wants to support a losing team. Look at the attendances for the recent West Indies Test matches as an example of this.

FWIW, the Renegades average home attendance last year (29,010) was below the overall average (29,443) for all BBL games. And for further completeness, the Renegades home ground has a capacity of 56,347, meaning the ground was only 50% filled for each match. Their local rivals, the Melbourne Stars made it all the way to the final and had an average home attendance of 40,298. The Stars team was not made up of big name stars, far from it actually.

The Renegades have failed to make the playoffs for the last three-years. On top of losing out on prize money for qualifying for the playoffs, they are losing out on additional ticket sales by not hosting a semi-final or a final.

Another example, albeit in a different sport, is AFC Bournemouth. They almost went bankrupt and out of existence in 2009. Their average attendance that year was 4,930. Fast forward 7 years later, they are in the Premier League, every home game is a sell out and they are one of the 30 richest clubs in the world. Winning begets higher revenue.

IMO, Gayle's involvement in next years BBL will be dependent on his performance on the field, the value of his contract and how he fits in with the structure of the team. Lets not forget that Martin Guptill - one of the biggest stars and number 3 ranked T20 batsman in the world - initially went undrafted in this years IPL as teams felt he didn't fit in with the structure of their lineups and preferred to use their overseas quota on a position of greater need.

With AFC Bournemouth they had a gardcore group of fans that followed their club home and away back in them days, win, lose or draw and they follow them now. I'm a Manchester city fan, have been since my first game in 1983 back when we was sh*t before we got all the money, and I didn't care if we lost every week. It was still my team, so not everyone just jumps on the bandwagon of success, just because a lot of others do like you said.

My point was that Gayle was good for the Melbourne renegades and the BBL, just like Aguero is good for Manchester city and the premier league. Or are you just somebody that doesn't like Chris Gayle?

Your original point was that Chris Gayle would provide a revenue boost for the Renegades even if he performed poorly on the field. Then when evidence was provided to the contrary, you changed your position and stated kids would buy his shirt and that he would be great for the hype and commercial aspect. Again, I provided facts to the contrary, and once again you shifted your position - now just stating that you believe Gayle is good for the Renegades and BBL - this time without providing any reason behind this.

I do find it interesting that you gloss over the points that you can't buy a Chris Gayle shirt or that he wasn't featured in any of the BBL commercials/ad campaigns or that the Renegades had a below average attendance record even with Gayle in the team. All factually disputing your previous points. Everything I have stated has always been based upon fact and backed up by well reasoned research and evidence.

As to your last point, if you read my posts throughout this thread, you will see my research on Gayle's numbers at last years BBL - they were very good. I always do my research before stating opinion as fact. Something Daniel Brettig failed to do in his ESPN article I linked to earlier whereby he claimed Gayle was not a prominent on-field contributor last year. What's the point in having a discussion if you say something but don't back it up with facts or reason?

In my last post I said that Chris Gayle will be a part of the next BBL if his performance (and contract) warrants it, ergo, yes, I do believe that Gayle will play in the next BBL as his numbers last year were good. This is, however, dependent on whether he can be signed for a reasonable contract.

It is worth pointing out that Chris Gayle is currently a free-agent and no longer under contract to the Renegades. He is free to negotiate with all 8 teams. What contract would you offer Gayle if you were one of the BBL teams?

Finally, everyone knows my thoughts on Chris Gayle on this forum - he is one of my favourite players to watch. Calypso and I spent many a late night/early morning here watching him bat in last years BBL - including his record-tying 50.

I do appreciate the discussion, but also appreciate a discussion that is based on facts. Please do let me know though if you are able to find any of those Chris Gayle shirts 

Considering Gayle is 'one of your favourite players', you don't seem to rate his commercial impact too highly for some reason. I'd have thought a big name player like Gayle is, would have been an asset to any team or league, but  I'm guessing I'm wrong then.

I'd also have thought that he would be a player that kids would look up to, and even maybe try an emulate, but I'm guessing I'm wrong on that aswell then.

As they're just my opinions though I'm not sure how they can be wrong, as they're an opinion, as in what I think. Just because you don't agree with those opinions doesn't necessarily make them wrong.

Tell me when your birthday is and I'll buy you a Melbourne Renagades shirt from the shop, and get his name printed on the back of it for you if you want.

The factual evidence I have provided shows that his commercial appeal in the BBL was negligible. Whether he is one of my favourite players or not has no bearing on this. I have simply provided facts. Gayle was not featured in any of the BBL commercials or ad campaigns that I could find, the Renegades had a below average attendance for the BBL and their ground was only 50% full.

With regards to Gayle being an asset - the Regenades paid him $250,000 - almost a quarter of their salary cap - and failed to make the playoffs. In fact, the Sydney Sixers were the only team to win fewer matches. As I have posted throughout this thread - with actual evidence - one great player doesn't make for a great team. This is also why I provided a link to the analytics so that you could better understand how teams construct their squads and the implications of the salary cap. And why a player such as Martin Guptill went undrafted in this years IPL.
Of course you are entitled to your opinion, however, opinions can be disproved with facts. You know, those pesky things that I have provided throughout this thread. Everything I have stated has been backed up with actual evidence, from Gayle's on-field performance - through numbers/analytics - to his potential off-field impact - through attendance figures, commercial impact, team standings and the fact you can't buy personalised player shirts despite your continued protestations otherwise.
Once again, you can't get his name printed on the back of a Renegades shirts. Seriously. They do not sell them.

I am respectfully bowing out of this discussion because it is quite clear you are either trolling or not reading any of the facts and evidence I have gone to great lengths to provide.

All I'll do then is try and attach this screenshot of the Melbourne Renegades official BBL page showing the shop page where you can buy a custom Renegades shirt with GAYLE 333 on the back.