None of this has to do with what I am getting at.
The game has a well earned reputation for being full of dumb mugs. Culturally a guy does not even fit in if he speaks properly (see DCE). I think it would help the game to ditch that reputation by having more people at uni.
Fully agree.I am the first to cringe when a player is interviewed and two stilted words come out.The clubs used to give players lessons in dealing with the media>that should be a must.
I bag Cameron Smith at times ,but you've got to hand it to him, he handles himself well with the spoken word, as do the Turbos,Sean Johnson and many others.The NRL provides a record of players completing uni degrees each year ,eg Russel Packer quite a decent number in fact..Check it yourself.
The code is a lot more encompassing/multicultural than the AFL for starters.A shy Fijian guy isn't going to come to a mic, and speak as though he has done it all his life.
Sure there are dumb mugs involved, but the AFL is not far behind on that matter, and their media is far more protective.
TBH to say a guy doesn't even fit in if he speaks properly,I call BS.Players fit in if they can play as part of a team, have a laugh at training.The Storm show this .
Exhibit A, Some of our politicians with uni degrees are great speakers and debaters, but when it comes to plain commonsense sheesh.
Don't get me wrong education is so important these days.