Borkowski Weekly Media Trends 18-11-22
Lycett vs Beckham | Prince William vs Wales | Cristiano Ronald vs Man Utd | Tuvalu Metaverse | FTX Collapse
*TW: First three trends contain traces of football*
Lycett vs Beckham: Will Beckham Bend?
The top of the week saw the return of one of this era’s eminent stunsters, Mr Joe Lycett, to what he arguably does best: funny pranks imbued with powerful symbolism.
His primary target this time was David Beckham, but the true subject of his ire was the world cup in Qatar and its scandalous record of human rights abuses and LGBT discrimination.
Lycett gave Beckham a choice: sever ties with Qatar and he would donate £10k in cash to charity, or attend the tournament in which case Lycett would burn the cash.
It’s a smart gambit. As the KLF proved almost 30 years back, flaming cash is a striking visual. The burning of money that could otherwise help human and LGBT rights is also a potent symbol of the folly of awarding the world cup to Qatar.
Crucially, it also denies Beckham the usual megaceleb response of staying silent and hoping the whole thing blows over. If he does nothing, there will be another incredibly negative press story and viral social media trend around the immolation of the money and his reputation will take on further flak: the man who chose Qatari blood money over charity and principles.
Either way, one highly likely outcome is that this will be another feather in Lycett’s overstuffed cap.
Where There’s a Will, There’s An…Angry Welshman
As well as being President of the FA, Prince William is a loud and proud football fan and was photographed at several England matches during the rescheduled 2020 Euros.
So it was unsurprising that the newly appointed Prince of Wales made a public appearance in support of Gareth Southgate’s squad before they relocated to the more problematic surroundings of this year’s World Cup. Speaking to the team at St George’s Park, The Prince said, “We are all rooting for you. Enjoy it.”
What His Royal Highness seems to have naively forgotten was that this particular use of the royal ‘we’ was bound to anger quite a few of the UK’s nations. Most significantly the Welsh, given that this year sees their first participation in the tournament since 1958. William’s comments opened up an already sore wound within Wales, given that his speedy anointment as the country’s Prince following his father’s accession to the throne was met with its share of controversy. A petition against the move was signed by 30,000 people and a Plaid Cymru councillor in North Wales even raised a motion in Gwynedd Council to have the title abolished completely.
Actor Michael Sheen, long critical of The Royal Family’s presence in Wales fuelled the fire by weighing in on Twitter:
A few days later, William tried to make amends during an awkwardly timed visit to the Senedd in Cardiff. When questioned about who he would be supporting in the upcoming Wales vs England match The Prince said, “I’m telling everyone I’m supporting both, definitely. I can’t lose. I’ve supported England since I’ve been quite small. But I support Welsh rugby and that’s my way of doing it. I happily support Wales over England in the rugby so I’ve got to be able to play carefully with my affiliations. I worry otherwise if I suddenly drop England to support Wales then that doesn’t look right for the sport either. So I can’t do that.” Llywydd Elin Jones responded with a light-hearted, “We can agree to disagree.” But one can assume that many Welsh fans might not be so ready let this particular royal faux pas slide.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Own Goal
Cristiano Ronaldo has been a global talking point this week as the world reacts to Piers Morgan's 'Uncensored' tell-all interview, which dropped in full Thursday night. Morgan broke the story on Sunday, alerting newsdesks and drip-feeding enough sensational clips to create a colossal crisis for both CR7 and Manchester United.
It's an enormous blunder on Ronaldo's part. To many, Ronaldo's reputation was verging on God-like. No one will dispute his position as an all-time footballing great, but he's permanently tarnished his legacy at Manchester United - the team that transformed him from wunderkind to superstar. But now, journalists confirm that the club is preparing to banish Ronaldo for breaching his contract in the interview, concluding an ignominious second stint in Manchester.
It's commonly known that Ronaldo is one of football's most enormous egos, but the fallout of Morgan's interview has thrust this to the front of the public’s consciousness during a period of decline in Ronaldo's footballing abilities. And while Ronaldo tried to frame his grievances as primarily with the club's hierarchy - a move many fans and neutrals would have backed - the interview timing was wrong. It followed an awkward summer transfer window where he desperately tried and failed to find a new club. At the time, there was an unspoken understanding that Ronaldo carries a lot of baggage; a 37-year-old diva who demanded an untouchable status, and a guaranteed starring role at any club. And that's why, despite being one of the greatest players of all time, so many didn't want to touch him.
Ronaldo's public battle against his bosses has fallen flat. His attempt at fighting United's broader operation backfired and looks like he's punching down. In addition, the sheer length of the interview created space for Ronaldo to make mistakes…more than enough rope to service several reputational gallows…
The only winner of this interview is Morgan. He used the situation to promote his show and his personal influence far and wide. It's unclear what Ronaldo will do after the World Cup, but this interview has increased the likelihood that one of football’s great careers will come to a dismal end.
Seizing the agenda of COP from thousands of miles away
Tuvalu, a miniscule island nation in the South Pacific - thinly populated atolls and reef islands with palm tree-lined beaches- seized the national stage at COP27. It’s unclear how many people can remember the UK's message at COP but a many will remember Tuvalu.
The stunt took the form of a haunting video message delivered by the Tuvaluan foreign minister announcing that the nation will soon vanish due to climate inaction and rising sea levels and they are therefore preparing to create a virtual duplicate of the country in the metaverse to retain their culture, their heritage and their beauty.
Putting to one side the damage that critical headlines about Meta is doing to the concept as a whole, this is perhaps an interesting case study for what the metaverse can be; not a game, but an important platform on which essential virtual artifacts can live; in this case the preservation of the culture, identity and heritage of a small nation many will have never heard of.
There’s something tragic about a real human standing on a real beach talking about the real possibility that his beautiful nation will be reduced to a digital ghost, and it’s possible that the headline-grabbing stunt will make the world realise it's time to take action, and ensure that the Tuvalu metaverse ends up being an opportunity for the rest of the world to experience their paradise, rather than a ghoulish virtual history book.
Wall Street is taken for a ride.
The dramatic collapse of FTX caught Wall Street off guard. Huge institutions had invested in FTX, the crypto exchange led by the young Sam Bankman-Fried. Big celebrities like Larry David and Tom Brady promoted the company and featured in adverts. And many wall street firms who moved into crypto used FTX as their exchange.
As more information emerges - the full story will become clear. But what we know already is damming all those involved. A bunch of geeks cosplaying The Wolf of Wall Street or The Big Short. Accounting inaccuracies, Ponzi-like trading schemes and lack of the most basic business leadership.
One thing is clear though; Sam Bankman-Fried, the son of two compliance lawyers, managed his PR carefully for years successfully positioning himself as the genius behind the JP Morgan of the crypto world. His brand was about earning to give and protecting the customer but in the end it turns out he just took and squandered billions causing financial ruin to many normal people.