August 2 – The majority shareholder of English Premier League club Arsenal, Stan Kroenke, often targeted by fans for the way he runs the club, is now under fire over a TV channel he owns which shows graphic footage of wildlife hunting.
Kroenke’s company recently launched My Outdoor TV, available in the United States since last year, in the UK but has been widely criticised by animal rights groups.
The channel, which operates in a similar way to other streaming services such as Netflix, is run by Outdoor Sportsman Group, which is part of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE). It claims to show “thousands of hunting, fishing and shooting episodes.”
Kroenke owns over 67% of Arsenal, as well as Major League Soccer team Colorado Rapids and NFL franchise the Los Angeles Rams.
Viewers of My Outdoor TV watch animals legally being pursued and killed but for many the channel glorifies trophy hunting, rekindling the case of millionaire dentist Walter Palmer who prompted global revulsion by infamously killing a lion known as Cecil in Zimbwabe.
Among those roundly condemning the station is Philippa King, the chief operating officer of Britain’s League Against Cruel Sports.
“This is a massive own goal for Stan Kroenke,” King said in a statement released to Press Association.
“We’re living in a world now where most people can see how brutal and shameful trophy-hunting is, yet the Arsenal boss is choosing to launch his sick TV channel in the UK.
“The channel claims to show ‘ethical, fair chase and legal’ hunting. Most people won’t agree that trophy-hunting is in any way ethical, and studies have debunked claims that most of the blood money goes towards supporting conservation. I’m not sure in what way an idiot with a gun against an elephant is a fair chase.”
The channel follows hunters across the globe, primarily in Africa, but another critic is the leader of britain’s opposition Labour party Jeremy Corbyn who is an Arsenal fan but says he is “disgusted” by the channel and that Kroenke should not be involved “in such a brutal, unethical and unnecessary activity.”
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