Rupert Murdoch’s Australian chief executive has accused athletes of hurting sport when they become “activists” and reject sponsorships from mining or energy companies. The executive chair Australasia of News Corp Australia, Michael Miller, told a sporting leadership conference that athletes who reject sponsors don’t lose any pay but the “grassroots” sporting organisations suffer as a result of their activism. News Corp is the largest publisher in Australian with mastheads including the Australian, the Daily Telegraph, the Herald Sun and news.com.au, and the pay TV channel Sky News Australia. Miller appeared to reference the withdrawal of Hancock Prospecting’s $15m sponsorship from Netball Australia last year after a player backlash. The backlash…