Spoiler alert…I’m a big football fan.
I’m also a big fan of Gary Lineker but that has nothing to do with his team affiliations (Leicester, Spurs, Everton, Barcelona, Grampus 8, Walkers – I prefer a McCoy).
I just quite like the guy.
He is great on camera and somehow still has that boyish charm which enables him to get away with risque little comments and digs or frankly terrible puns – you’d never see me try that!
He’s become a “national treasure” and it pays to handle such treasure with care – whatever a contract may or may not say.
Gary has become a household name on the TV every week flogging football and occasionally bothering us about crisps – even then, it is done with a sense of humour and fun.
Now I’m not for one minute suggesting that the BBC lost their sense of humour here, it was a serious point to tackle and nip in the bud but to target Gary “early doors” as the commentators might say was a massive error.
The problem is, to borrow a phrase from footy parlance, they went in TWO-FOOTED.
They now accept that their interpretation of their own contracts might have been foggy and that there are, like their star attraction’s hair (and indeed mine) some “grey areas”.
One might even argue that they couldn’t have foreseen the scale of the media sh*storm they unleashed but when Piers Morgan is agreeing with Lineker (doubtless because it suits his own agenda) you know you have misread the room.
Never mind the boycott that ensued from the fellow presenters, then the commentators, then the other radio shows, then the other TV shows.
It all escalated pretty quickly and has now supposedly been dealt with but not without HUGE damage to the BBC brand and an even BIGGER boost to Lineker’s.
Enjoy renegotiating that contract when it comes around folks!
Of course, Gary may want to look elsewhere in future transfer windows but if he does, it would be wise for any brand that wants to sign him to consider their Ts and Cs VERY carefully when it comes to social media usage.
That goes for any business, whether you are hiring staff, contractors, freelancers, or “celebs” – what they say and do in public can potentially impact on you!
Remember, when you align with a celebrity or “influencer” you do so because of their reach.
This goes both ways – it can be positive or negative.
Or neutral.
Famously, our Gary was never booked once in his career – nope, not ONCE.
This was one heck of a yellow card for Auntie BBC.