If you play any sport other than soccer in Italy, it’s an uphill battle. I’ve even heard you’re better to join the military services so you can some all-expenses paid trips around the world as sponsors seem to lack in interest in anything that isn’t a round ball kicked about by a few prima donnas.

But multinational heavy transport company, Iveco, is paving the way for some pioneering sponsorship deals by throwing its weight behind the New Zealand rugby team. You read that correctly - an Italian trucking company is sponsoring a rugby team, the antithesis to soccer culture, on the other side of the world.

While the Italian national rugby team is sometimes considered just a bunch of losers (and most Italians won’t be able to tell excatly how many losers), they are known for the hard work, passion, and get the job done attitude, compared to the antics of most football stars. With some real grunt, they’ve pulled themselves up from the bottom of the six nations pool with a few recent victories, and are sponsored by Jaguar - ironies will never end.

For any other Italian businesses wanting to support noble causes - and rugby is, after all, the game played in heaven - I recommend sponsoring some of the Pacific Island teams. After Iveco’s example, it will cost you less than sponsorship of a Serie B soccer team over here, and could get you some serious international recognition in your field, in this case the competitive world of logistics. Leave soccer to the really big guns who can afford to splash around money.

Source | Panorama

Photo | Flickr

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