Listen to this story being read by Isabella Ross, here.
There's one news story that is dominating Australian media. And it has everything to do with the Australian Diamonds netball team and a certain polarising figure - Gina Rinehart.
This week, reports came out that the Diamond players were uncomfortable wearing a uniform with the Hancock Prospecting logo on it. For context, Hancock Prospecting is owned by Gina Rinehart, the Australian mining magnate and heiress, who leads the Australian-owned mining and agricultural business.
Originally, it was suggested the discomfort the players had with associating with the Hancock Prospecting logo was down to environmental reasons - considering the pivotal role mining companies play in contributing to global warming.
In late September, the $15 million sponsorship deal was announced, on the back of Netball Australia reportedly struggling financially, with their debt in the millions.
At the time of the announcement, former Diamonds' captain Sharni Norder shared her concerns about the new sponsorship deal via Twitter.
Wallam is the third First Nations woman to represent Australia in the Diamonds squad and is in line to make her Diamonds debut in the upcoming series against England.
"It means a lot because being a First Nations athlete… there's not much representation in netball. So being able to play netball at the highest level in Australia is just huge for the next generation," she said recently. "I'm really proud that I can be that role model for other Indigenous athletes."
Coming to a head on Saturday, Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting ripped up its $15 million sponsorship deal with Netball Australia. They then issued a statement, suggesting the sports team was "virtue signalling".
The mining giant announced it had decided to "regrettably withdraw" its proposed partnerships with Netball Australia and Netball WA. It is important to note that Rinehart has in the past done a lot of charitable work for Indigenous causes.
In the wake of the news, it's uncertain how much of a drastic financial impact the cut-up sponsorship deal will have on Netball Australia.
But the players are doing what they do best - playing some incredible netball.
Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich said this week her team is focused on blocking out the "outside noise" and "toxic" commentary on social media.
"Nobody can estimate or understand the connection that is within our high-performance group. We are very proud to represent Netball Australia. We are very proud to be in the uniform. And we're very good at having collaborative conversations to shape the direction we want to continue to take the sport and how we play the game," she said.
"As a playing group, as a Diamonds collective with our support staff, we've been really strong together inside. We'll continue to do that and get to a resolution. Hopefully, that will be really soon."
Reflecting on the courage of the players, former Australian Diamond Amy Steel said to ABC News that she was proud of their efforts.
"One of the golden rules is never say anything that could negatively reflect you and your sponsors, and your relationship with your sponsor. It takes a lot of courage as an athlete to stand against everything that you've been trained and say: 'Actually, I'm going to stand up on this issue and make my voice known'."
To support the Aussie Diamonds, you can follow them on Instagram, and can cheer them on for Sunday night's game. You can watch the final game of the Constellation Cup via Kayo Freebies and Foxtel.
Feature Image: AAP.
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