Sorry, I can’t see the problem here. I am not a VR fan, nor one of the Saudi monarchy. The choice does reflect the values of the VR46 organization, but those values have been evident for a long time now. No surprises. Motor sports has always attracted some dubious sponsors and teams have always gone for the best deal possible at the time. This reminds me of a quip by Prost in the 80’s when asked about Marlboro sponsorship: “Perhaps I can influence people to switch brands instead of starting to smoke.”
This morality road is long and winding. History is full of examples of tremendous progress built on the backs of those less fortunate to be down in the pecking order of the time.
To be clear, I'm not crazy about any conversation on the forum getting mired in politics or religion - as folks do at times take things personal. So right up front, let me say my rebuttal to your post should not be taken personally.
Historically speaking, it was okay for the British to enslave millions of Chinese to opium - because the money earned funded progress, tho mostly it really went into the pockets of the wealthy and the powerful and didn't do squat for the working man.
Historically speaking, it used to be possible to lynch black men from phone poles for looking at a white woman, in broad daylight and then - have an all white jury let the murderer get off scott free.
Historically speaking, in the days before mass media, it was understandable that people around the world didn't take a moral stand against slavery, genocide and racist colonial exploitation.
In this day and age, there can be no excuse for turning a blind eye to human rights violations by any government, and especially not by wealthy educated Saudis, for whom woman are property, nor to Saudi practices that include paying starvation wages to Indian employees who are little better than slaves.
Rossi can turn to many different sources of sponsorship and as the most visible spokesman for the sport of MotoGp, he owes it to the public to set a reasonable moral standard. The Saudis maintain their dominance in their field using fear and intimidation, and severe repression of half the population, jailing people for dissonant thought and barbarous practices like beheading for infidelity.
To accept money from them, is in effect to condone what they do, and for anyone with even a speck of morals, this is not acceptable.
Always there will be some who will try to write off the idea of taking a moral stance as mere virtue signalling, but the economic boycott of South Africa is evidence that taking a stance really effects dramatic change for betterment of our fellow humans. Economic progress that stands on the necks of the less fortunate, ....... mankind’s evolution as a species.
