Two big dogs are barking at each other on the other side of the fence. Each wants a piece of bone that is only available for one of them. There is nothing to choose between these two canines other than keep barking at each other as furious as possible to show who is the boss. The one which barks the loudest would win the jewel prize of a piece of bone.
However, in sports, barking louder does not guarantee any success nor victory. In sport, actions prove to be louder than any words. Pundits can throw their betting, analysis and opinions on who should and why this should be the case result. Off-field pundits do not transfer well into the on-field performance and results.
This is the case when there are two big bosses for different airline companies have emerged as the main force to drive their own new Formula One teams. In the British Isles we have Sir Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Atlantic Airways, who is also the owner for Virgin F1 Racing team. On the other part of the world, we have our own Malaysian's Dato' Tony Fernandez, the founder of Air Asia and team principal of Lotus F1 team.
Branson then suggested something less macabre. The two influencer in aviation industry once worked together and it is by no surprise that they share the same passion and experiences. These passions are something that is well-mixed in their bloodstreams. But alas, what a shame! Been the two biggest players where all Formula One is all about money that are thrown just to erect the loudest and fastest car, but to condemn the spirit of sportmanship is no gentlemen at all.
Lotus F1 and Virgin Racing are among the four new teams competing in the 2010 Formula One season. Next season's Formula One is about to create history by making a very much different atmosphere than the one we used to endure before. While the testing season, which will pretty much indicate and gauge each team's performance is far from begin, the challenging season has started between these two bosses.
Fernandes recently quipped that his only target in the new F1 season was to beat Branson; otherwise, he would retire and kill himself.
"He has an airline. We have an airline. If we beat him, he can come and work on one of our airlines as a Virgin stewardess. It will save him having to kill himself but we'll make sure the stewardess outfit is perfect." Richard Branson.
The next thing you heard in the paper the next morning is how Dato' Tony Fernandes kindly accepted the offer.
"Our guests will be delighted to be served by a knight of the realm. But knowing Richard, the real challenge will be to prevent him from asking our guests 'coffee, tea or me?'" Tony Fernandes.
Fernandes said if Branson lost the challenge, he would be assigned to duty on board a flight operated by AirAsia X. "We'd like to keep him with us for a longer flight rather than the short-haul flights operated by AirAsia. We'll be applying soon to the Department of Civil Aviation to gain clearance for him."
So, these two bosses are willing to sell their own dignity just to create some nice scene for the F1 fans to see. But I bet not many of us will buy them. It's not only the personal agendas are put into gamble on the Russian roulette table, but the national interests as well. Forget about this shameless challenging verbs been thrown at each other, the end result from the on field car racing is what matter most. This is the day when the sports-world lost its spirit of sportmanship for awhile.
