MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

What about “Life is short, have an affair” to sponsor a basketball team

Andrea Bargnani, who currently plays for the Toronto Raptors

Virtus Roma basketball team is in talks for a sponsorship deal with a website that helps unfaithful married people have an affair. Founder and president of www.ashleymadison.com Noel Biderman has been in talks with Roma president Claudio Toti for two days, something that has brought criticism from the Vatican.

The Canadia-based website's motto is: “Life's short, have an affair” which is pasted on to most of Toronto’s urban transport system.

“Sport is more about fun than the family. What should we say then about alcohol and betting and the companies that regularly sponsor sports teams,” Biderman is quoted as saying by Italian news agency Ansa. “I can assure you that affairs existed before we did.

”We're not offering anything new; we offer a communication platform for those who want to meet others away from work“.

Roma are allegedly hoping to use the Ashley Madison revenue to fund a bid for Italian star Andrea Bargnani, who currently plays for the Toronto Raptors.

Several European clubs are trying to secure the sponsorship necessary to bring NBA stars to Europe and take advantage of the ongoing lock-out.

But the idea of a website that encourages infidelity sponsoring the team closest to the Vatican is too much for some.

”It's crazy, there's no need to comment on this. It's a betrayal of values and even of the identity of sport,“ His Grace Flavio Capucci, of the Opus Dei organisation, told Ansa.
”I hope that Virtus's directors will think twice about this”.