Are women important for rugby league!!

[sharko]

I must ask the question whether women are considered important for rugby league!
Do women have enough interest in the sport that makes them important financially to the game?
Do enough women attend matches, purchase merchandise, purchase season tickets, watch the matches on tv, encourage their kids or siblings to attend matches and play league as youngsters?
If so why are a number of rugby league players so determined to project a neanderthal image of themselves and their sport?
Why are a number of rugby league players so determined to project an image to women of predatory behaviour?

I believe women are vital to ensuring the long term success of rugby league and yet we seem to have every 6 months or so conduct that draws the game into disrepute in the eyes of women.

I am making no defamatory comments here or seeking to prejudice any pending court actions I am merely stating some frustration at the actions or image being projected by some individuals in the game which sigle handedly destroys the good and decent work done by the majority of league players.

It is obviously a cultural thing with some league players, I know they are poorly educated, most of remarkably stupid but they are put on a pedestal by managers, officials and fans and suddenly lose sight of things which are proper and decent.

There is going to have to be ongoing changes in attitude and culture otherwise we run the risk of alienating an important element within our sport!

 

[Southernsaint]

Women are vitally important to Rugby League.

When the superstars of tomorrow are little kids, it's Mum who is driving them to training, washing their jumper, cleaning up their cuts and bruises and working in the canteen on game day.

The behavior of the players in the NRL has a huge effect upon whether Mums allow their kids to play League or whether they push them in to soccer or AFL...

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

It's a pretty big societal issue tbh, if not *gasp* human nature. Not much the NRL can do about it really except token gestures.

Rich, famous, young men, s**tty women, groupies, alcohol, multiplied by 400-odd players and 52 weeks of a year= sh*t going down. Rugby league is just an exaggerated example of society at large.

That's not to say it's acceptable, but imo it's inevitable when you create the societal situation *4Corners here we come*

 

[International RL]

Not according to this guy.

:lol:


http://www.sportsfix.com.au/Sportsfix/GOOD_BLOKE130707.html

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

lol

At the end of the day, SS is right about the role women play in rugby league, and therefore from a marketing (i.e. cynical money grubbing) perspective it makes sense to target them.

Really though, 100% of NRL players are men. The sport is about men competing against men, and men bashing each other. If women get into it, that's great, but any effort to "feminise" the sport is extremely artificial.

 

[International RL]

I seem to remember an NRL studty indicating that 42% of the fan base are women...so it is important that we market the game to that huge demographic.

At the same time I guess that women are attracted to the rugged masculinity of the players and the sport itself, so making it effeminite is surely not the answer. I do think we need to combat any negative attitudes towards women that may prevail in the game - though as has been suggested much of the behaviour/attitudes is probably symptomatic of more broader trends in society such as the sexualisation of pretty much EVERYTHING etc etc.

 

[Titanic]

With our over-governed modern day society there is no place for high-profile morons anymore. What used to be swept under the carpet is very much public information these days. Football skill is not an excuse for poor behaviour. Get the idiots out of our game and let's move on.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

You're never going to get the idiots out of the game

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

Really though, 100% of NRL players are men

oh i disagree

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

.At the same time I guess that women are attracted to the rugged masculinity of the players and the sport itself, so making it effeminite is surely not the answer. I do think we need to combat any negative attitudes towards women that may prevail in the game - though as has been suggested much of the behaviour/attitudes is probably symptomatic of more broader trends in society such as the sexualisation of pretty much EVERYTHING etc etc.

Surely a game which is 100% male alienates women by definition. That's the fundamental "problem" imo.

 

[petetheileet]

Cheerleaders are very important!

 

[chileman]

Of course women are important to the game and our sport as they are for any sport, you think Rugby League has troubles with players and their misdemeanors, try running an NFL club and it's players :sarcasm:

 

[International RL]

Surely a game which is 100% male alienates women by definition. That's the fundamental "problem" imo.

To an extent yes, but I'm sure a lot of the allure is the masculinity and a bit of a perve.

 

[Danish]

Women are vitally important to Rugby League.

When the superstars of tomorrow are little kids, it's Mum who is driving them to training, washing their jumper, cleaning up their cuts and bruises and working in the canteen on game day.

The behavior of the players in the NRL has a huge effect upon whether Mums allow their kids to play League or whether they push them in to soccer or AFL...

Are they really??

Whenever I played sport as a kid it was always my dad taking me to my sports while mum took the girls to dancing. He wasnt the only bloke on the sideline either.

Its the father who pushes his son into league (mum's like soccer). Its the fathers who put in their time and effort COACHING the junior sides and refereeing (not just dropping them at training and games). Its often the fathers who fork out for boots, jerseys, rego fees and other such stuff. Its also the fathers who are generally donating their time to run the entire junior club (not just the tuck shop).

The fathers are just as if not more important to League than the mothers.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

To an extent yes, but I'm sure a lot of the allure is the masculinity and a bit of a perve.

No doubt

I'm sure some/many women dig that. But a culture of youth and masculinity does not= a culture of men in touch with their feminine sides and sensitive to what women want. I think that's something men and women need to realise.

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Cheerleaders are very important!

Having cheerleaders is important cause we can get the younger female audience involved in our game. Its not just cheerleaders aged teens to 20s that get involved, some clubs have younger cheerleaders aged around 6-12. (ie. Parramatta)

But I'd like to see them get involved in other things apart from cheerleading.

I wouldnt mind seeing women sideline reporters, like years ago on ABC, cant remember her name.

I think the ESL has one on Sky Sports.

And I think the Manly club has a female supporters club, Sarah O'Hare is involved in that. Id like to see that from other clubs.

Lately we've also had female sideline officials in the PL and Jersey Flegg.

So yes, women are important to our game.

 

[crusader-eel]

Speaking as a Mum with 2 daughters who love the game, I don't blame the NRL or a "footy culture" for some of the stupid things players do. The vast majority never do anything wrong. You are going to get idiots in every section of society. It just gets magnified because it's in the media.

I wouldn't deter my son from playing if that's what he wanted to do but I do agree that the level of injuries you see does scare mums. I know a lot that don't let their little ones play for fear of getting hurt.

I like the new Parramatta style of cheerleaders which emphasize athleticism rather than skimpy outfits. Some of those outfits really look tarty. When you consider the large proportion of women attending games, a new direction is needed. My young daughter cheerleads but their's is very demanding with lifts, pyramids and tosses. Their costumes are also in the American style.

I would love a Manly-style female supporters club at Parra. It's a great initiative and really should be looked at by other clubs.

The emerging importance of women to footy, particularly in merchandising income can be seen in the ever increasing range of jerseys and clothing. The ladies jerseys are great as they fit our body shapes and we enjoy wearing them. And kids usually hassle mum about buying them a jersey or t-shirt or whatever.

Small things like that go a long way to making women feel included in a male sport which help increase their emotional investment in the game.

 

[JJ]

Rich, famous, young men, s**tty women, groupies, alcohol, *

Hmmmm - but the "rich, famous young men are not "s**tty" too? :roll:

 

[shaggy]

Having cheerleaders is important cause we can get the younger female audience involved in our game. Its not just cheerleaders aged teens to 20s that get involved, some clubs have younger cheerleaders aged around 6-12. (ie. Parramatta)

But I'd like to see them get involved in other things apart from cheerleading.

I wouldnt mind seeing women sideline reporters, like years ago on ABC, cant remember her name.

I think the ESL has one on Sky Sports.

And I think the Manly club has a female supporters club, Sarah O'Hare is involved in that. Id like to see that from other clubs.

Lately we've also had female sideline officials in the PL and Jersey Flegg.

So yes, women are important to our game.

i think the woman ur refering to from the abc is debbie spillane, who also used to work with the bulldogs at one stage & i think superleague

9 used to have lana taylor (jts wife) who interviewd players most match for the sunday footy show, and used stephanie brantz as a roving reporter

many sports in america use female reporters as sideline eyes