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.
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
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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