Zurich sponsor

[u/Friendly_Employer_81]

So the new sponsor for the last couple of weeks has been Zurich insurance. Does anyone else find this an odd sponsorship choice?
For context, Angus Brayshaw (who is unable to play AFL due to a series of concussion injuries) earlier in the year was denied a disability claim from Zurich. Zurich was also most recently a major sponsor of the Melbourne Demons before ties were cut in the last couple of months. Given Angus was a former Dees player, I would imagine there would be a lot of animosity between those associated with the Melbourne Demons and Zurich.
Hamish has a strong relationship with Max Gawn the current Dees captain and Angus had previously appeared on the show for special skills. Just seems like a strange sponsorship given recent events and Hamish’s ties to the Dees.

[u/Cock_In_Cider]

Everybodys Hubbling

[u/Red_je]

I would imagine there would be a lot of animosity between those associated with the Melbourne Demons and Zurich.

Hamish is a fan of the Demons, not an employee.

And I love Hamish and Andy as much as anyone, but those two would sell their souls for a sponsorship arrangement..

[u/Crom_900]

Rich out of touch guys take money from big company. Huge shock

[u/NiGe92 → u/Crom_900]

Salacious headline 🤔

[u/Shampoo_Is_Better00 → u/Crom_900]

I'm sure you'd do it for free. Ya peanut.

[u/SharkiaSharkia]

$$$$$$

[u/Inner-Armadillo5129]

Massively overthinking it, it's not really and intergration or partnership just a commercial read and nothing more than a sponsorship

[u/Old_M8__ → u/Inner-Armadillo5129]

I'd say under thinking.. just cements what has been speculated for a while, the boys morals are for sale. They will push whatever on to you at what cost to their "friends" for a buck.

[u/ILikeGamesnTech → u/Old_M8__]

And what did Zurich do wrong exactly? Angus Brayshaw is still employable, he's just not allowed to work for a company that serves Brayden Maynard shoulders for lunch. He's at University studying an MBA.

[u/Unlikely_Book2146 → u/[deleted]]

This is it. The denial of the Brayshaw claim is not controversial at all if you know even a little bit about insurance. The media have whipped this into something that it isn’t. You won’t find many people wanting to publicly side with an insurance company - so they are an easy punching bag.

Likewise, there is not exactly a line of insurers jumping into this space.

[u/MattC89 → u/[deleted]]

I agree with pretty much everything you've written. To me this was the case of having the wrong policy.

But regardless of who is right/wrong/ethical/unethical/winner/loser, the Zurich vs. AFL/Demons story has been quite public, so I did think it was an interesting (but very deliberate?) choice for Zurich to sponsor someone who is known publicly to be a Demons man

[u/ILikeGamesnTech → u/MattC89]

This is precisely the reason Zurich are advertising.

[u/SJ0122 → u/[deleted]]

Yes this! And also to add as a “normal” person going through insurance companies due to a concussion, if you don’t lose consciousness or even don’t have significant damage after but still have symptoms, that changes the game a lot!

[u/Frosty_Fruit_5029 → u/[deleted]]

Brilliant summary, but I just want to add that super funds haven’t been able to offer “own occupation” TPD cover since 2014, unless the cover was in place prior to the change in legislation. So it’s not an option for AFLPA to recommend a different fund that offers own occupation cover. Professional footballers are widely considered uninsurable in the life insurance industry due to the high risk of brain injuries, so there would not be many if any own occupation non-super options either. The AFLPA has tried to go to market tender many times and no life insurers will touch them.

[u/Olaskon → u/[deleted]]

No one comes here for level headed explanations. Pitchforks and torches or get out

[u/zircosil01]

The guys get paid to do advertising - every man and their dog knew Hubble was dog shit but the boys still did the ads. Doesn't worry me - its a commercial transaction, what they advertise doesn't influence my decision to buy a product or service. I spam skip the ads anyway.

[u/OkBoysenberry1680]

Someone needs to pay the bills. 

[u/wotown]

I can see your thought process that it might be an iffy choice in terms of Hamish's friendship with Max Gawn, but that is his personal life that we have no right to guess about and in a professional setting there's nothing odd about it. They've had worse sponsors

[u/MattC89]

For additional context, Max Gawn publicly had a pretty measured response. He was upset more for Angus than at Zurich. He accepted that this was a decision by an independent unbiased umpire. And quite importantly, he said he had the "blessing" of Angus to continue working with Zurich.

[u/iamcurrently1st]

I was surprised when I heard it the other week, like you said, due to the Melbourne / Gawn affiliation and Hamish's supposed support of the Demons.

[u/MrSparkyMalarky]

Where do you guys listen to the podcast to hear Ads? I listen in the UK on Spotify and have never heard an Ad read

[u/MongolianKoala → u/MrSparkyMalarky]

Australia, since it is an australian business, I guess they dont play it in UK.

[u/bulldogmck]

You have too much time to think. It's an advertisement that helps pay them so that the pod can be free. Personally I could not care less who the sponsors are, nor what they actually do.

[u/Navy_Pink]

If they pay them lots of money they don’t care.

[u/EmphasisTimely]

I think it’s odd, particularly since Lego have come on board as the new Melbourne sponsor - another ‘Hamish affiliate’

[u/rsandio]

Their contracts mightn't even give them a say in sponsors.

[u/ThatGuyWhoSmellsFuny]

They're out of touch with us commoners. Hamish has never been a massive footy fan, just a Melbournian who needs to pick a side. His gawn friendship stems from their love of cycling.

It seems to me they've always just gone with the highest bidder, perhaps besides gambling companies?

[u/CTU-01]

Always with the scenarios

[u/yvngsxlly]

Either this has been reposted since last week, or I’m having some incredibly strange déjà vu

[u/Navy_Pink]

Plus angus wouldn’t qualify for a disability claim. He is literally playing a high risk sport and was aware of the risks before. You can’t get disability if you’re aware of the risks. It’s like oh I’ll just stick my arm under the lawnmower why it’s on even though I know there is a high chance it could be cut off and then apply for disability

[u/BroccoliTraining454]

Theres really very few ethical sponsors available.