Tweetcap: UK Sport Cut British Basketball Funding

By Sam Neter on December 19, 2012

Check out some of the Twitter reactions yesterday from players and journalists as UK Sport announced British Basketball would have its entire funding axed for the next four year cycle. A shocking day for British basketball.

The Players

I don’t claim to be the smartest person in the world. With that being said could some one explain what #Legacy actually means?

— Drew Sullivan (@drewsullivan8) December 18, 2012

Sad news that GB Basketball will have it’s funding cut so severely…mvp247.com/2012/12/britis…

— Robert Archibald (@RobertArchibald) December 18, 2012

I see a lot of Team GB sports are losing funding today (including basketball) to help build for Rio.Its a sad day for UK Sports.

— Kieron Achara (@KieronAchara) December 18, 2012

These funding cuts will be a true test of who really wants to inspire a generation

— johannah leedham (@joey_leedham13) December 18, 2012

Badminton, archery, fencing, water polo, volleyball and weightlifting will receive continued funding. I’m speechless. Really! Archery!!!

— Andy betts (@Bigab51) December 18, 2012

The Journos

All the previous investment in British basketball will now go to waste. Same for other team sports. What a short-sighted move from UK Sport.

— Mark Woods (@markbritball) December 18, 2012

Badminton, archery, fencing, water polo, volleyball and weightlifting also got 0 medals in London but keep funding.

— Mark Woods (@markbritball) December 18, 2012

CRAZY to cut GB basketball funding to 0. What were the last 4 years about?? Team sports are a slow burner. Millions wasted & dreams wrecked.

— chris mitchell (@chrismbbcsport) December 18, 2012

UK sport hv lost the plot with GB basketball. In 6 years GB men hv gone from equivalent of pub football team 2 playing in the Premiership

— Brendan gallagher (@gallagherbren) December 18, 2012

UK sport insisted GB plan for 2016 and legacy was paramount. Now cuts all 8.5m! Gutless. Waterpolo for some reason still gets 4.5m #uksport

— Brendan gallagher (@gallagherbren) December 18, 2012

So all that talk about ‘legacy’was the usualbollox! Thought UK sport was rather better than that #uksport

— Brendan gallagher (@gallagherbren) December 18, 2012

NearlyUKS 37m money spent on diving water polo, swimming and synchronised swimming for 2012 with very little return. Yet almost not cuts

— Brendan gallagher (@gallagherbren) December 18, 2012

Taxpayers may also wish to know purpose of £8.5m of basketball funding to 2012 that will now have achieved precisely zero

— Rob Scott (@robscott33) December 18, 2012

instinct is for hoops community to ‘circle the wagons’. but lets be honest, the 8.5m was not spent well. we need to look inwards too

— Rob Scott (@robscott33) December 18, 2012

UK Sport decision suggests GB basketball never had much of a chance. but what chance we had, was not managed well.

— Rob Scott (@robscott33) December 18, 2012

UK Sport show complete & utter disregard for basketball by cutting basketball funding to zero!Shame on them. Makes me sick

— JEFF TAYLOR (@JeffreyNTaylor) December 18, 2012

What makes UK Sport thumbs-down to basketball even more shocking is they have announced a record level of funding.

— JEFF TAYLOR (@JeffreyNTaylor) December 18, 2012

Terrible decision to end @gbbasketball funding. All that hard work wasted by a short-sighted move. British sport will live to regret this.

— Ian Parker (@iparkysport) December 18, 2012

Team sports need time + money but offer biggest rewards in participation. We’re turning our backs on world’s 2nd most popular team sport.

— Ian Parker (@iparkysport) December 18, 2012

So with these UK Sport funding decisions, are we really ‘inspiring a generation’ or just chasing medals?

— Ian Parker (@iparkysport) December 18, 2012

British Basketball gets £8.5m money cut despite getting to three successive Euro Champs – more than England’s footballers can say…

— Matthew Dunn (@MattDunnExpress) December 18, 2012

How are you feeling about it all? Does British Basketball ever have a chance to be relevant? Are the cuts a chance for a needed overhaul? Let us know in the comments below!

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