League unfashionable in Sydney?

[c_eagle]

On the back of a drop of 10% in attendances amongst Sydney teams in 2006 and what can only be described as very mediocre attendances during the final series, Sydney has once again confirmed it's growing apathy towards rugby league.

Tomorrow night's attendance will be disappointing at best, especially when you consider that last year's final will probably have attracted more, played in a neutral country.

Nonetheless, results on the television were great this year and it seems like there's still a very healthy following in the codes' world headquarters.

With the limelight given to the soccuh, the ashes, the growing Swans' profile and the ever present scandals surrounding our sport, RL is not a very fashionable item to have hanging in your wardrobe at the moment. It's ok to indulge from the privacy of your own home as a guilty pleasure but less and less people want to associate themselves with the implied thuggery of Rugby League. This stereotype is re-inforced by the media on almost a daily basis, particularly in the gossip columns.

Does League have to re-claim this city or just like all pieces of fashion, can it just hang tight until the cycle makes it chic once more?

 

[drake]

As a bloke that has been called a dag all his life, due to a complete incomprehension of fashion, I'm glad to going against the trendy and supporting the greatest game of all.

 

[Estoboy]

isn't there already a thread about this called the "Why the NRL marketing department should be executed"???

 

[c_eagle]

isn't there already a thread about this called the "Why the NRL marketing department should be executed"???

The 2 might be relevant but they aren't the same thing.

 

[dubby]

I think you have a very good point there. But lets not forget that traditional Sydney teams did not fare very well this year (Roosters/Tigers/Souths) and teams like Sharks and Penrith were down the ladder a fair way as well which impacts crowds.
Clubs like the Bulldogs don't draw big crowds anymore (nobody likes the hoodlums at their games) . That leaves 3 Sydney teams in the 8 (not counting the Dragons who live at Wooloongong sometimes). No wonder attendences were down a bit.
Overall, I'm sure that this years total attendence is still very high, better than most years. (Maybe someone has a figure).
On the international scene, I think that the lack of a tribal feel leaves most fans feeling a bit apathetic about the whole thing. Most people dont care about International RL due to the Aussies being almost unstoppable. The same thing was happening to cricket until the Poms won the Ashes, now its exciting again.
If the players showed some enthusiasm about the International game, (they seem to me like they are acting about the passion. SOO seems to be their preference) and if the likes of GB could rise to the level of us, then maybe a bit of interest would come back in.
QLD is rising high on RL fever; they won SOO, The Premiership and lets face it, QLD doesnt get many high level games and SUncorp is a great place to watch the footy (unlike Telstra).
The media bashing and constant misbehaviour by various players is something the NRL will have to combat. Publications like the Telecrap and Rebecca WIlson are inflicting heaps of damage to the code which has survived many a bleak season by covering the greatest game of all.
THey should get their priorities straight.
Bashing RL is getting as boring as hearing about the ARU trying to sign our players.

 

[Angry_eel]

The NRL season and the origin are the limelight of the year for the sydney crowd. Once the Origin and the grand final is over, most watch cricket after that.

 

[ali]

On the back of a drop of 10% in attendances amongst Sydney teams in 2006 and what can only be described as very mediocre attendances during the final series, Sydney has once again confirmed it's growing apathy towards rugby league.

Tomorrow night's attendance will be disappointing at best, especially when you consider that last year's final will probably have attracted more, played in a neutral country.

Nonetheless, results on the television were great this year and it seems like there's still a very healthy following in the codes' world headquarters.

With the limelight given to the soccuh, the ashes, the growing Swans' profile and the ever present scandals surrounding our sport, RL is not a very fashionable item to have hanging in your wardrobe at the moment. It's ok to indulge from the privacy of your own home as a guilty pleasure but less and less people want to associate themselves with the implied thuggery of Rugby League. This stereotype is re-inforced by the media on almost a daily basis, particularly in the gossip columns.

Does League have to re-claim this city or just like all pieces of fashion, can it just hang tight until the cycle makes it chic once more?

The NRL needs to do something about the way Rugby League is reported in the media. Way too much emphasis on the negative. I'm no media expert, so I don't have the solution. But I do believe the negative reporting surrounding Rugby League must have negative consequences. Just look at the Union world cup and what effect all the positive media (and bullsh*t spinning) had on the crowds. And the way Union and AFL have been reported in Sydney over the last 10 years. I honestly don't care if we have to buy out the papers like other sports are doing. If the biggest media player in town owns half the game and we still get such negative reporting, then something needs to be done. It's like a plague that is spreading. Finding media organisations interested in reporting positive interesting Rugby League news is very rare at the moment. It's almost turning me off the game, so I wonder what it is doing to lesser fans. The actual product is what keeps me interested, not all the so-called scandals surrounding the game.

Also in terms of crowds, I think we've gone wrong by going down the American route of making our sport more of a TV game. They have the population to maintain crowds, we don't. Watching sport on TV is cool, actually attending appears to be seen as a hassle.

 

[seajay23]

i tend to disagree, there are a number of factors affecting crowds and even 10% fluctuation (off an incredible 12% rise the year before) probably doesn't mean much. I have teenage kids and the interest in league among their friends is still very strong. As one kid who goes to a poncy school told me "we play union but we all follow league". The difference these days is that they also follow the AFL and the socceroos and they find my passion for league and hatred of other winter sports wierd. I also overheard one boy saying to his mate "yeah, NRL is best to watch, then AFL and soccer, union is s***"
As for fashion; it comes and goes but league is definitely number one in Sydney and if we can survive the past 10 or so years the game is secure.
If i was a union administrator i would be very worried, i think support is collapsing (except amongst the GPS types, but they have too much money and not enought sense)

 

[t-ba]

It's been a problem since Super League.

In Fact, you can pin-point it to 1996. f**king Plugger and the f**king Stupor 12.

 

[dubby]

Thats 10 years ago Eagle. THe Media should get over it by now; its a totally new playing register and mostly new people involved on all points.

I think certain factions of the media find it easy to dig up dirt on RL players because they are the highest profile players in the highest profile code on the eastern coast. I mean who cares if some Waratah is involved in some controversy, because the public wouldnt know who he was and couldnt care less anyway.

It is always different with RL as it is the biggest and the best code in AUstralia, and as such it suffers from the Tall Poppy Syndrome.

Rival codes fear the game of RL. They loathe it. Such evidence is proof of there treatment of the game.

What is the answer? I dont know. But we need someone to stand up and start publishing some good stories and painting the game in a new brush. If this keeps up, it does detract joy from certain supporters.

You can only have sh*t shoved down your throat so long before you get sick of it.

 

[LESStar58]

The NRL GF still outrated the Ballerinas playing in the aerial pingpong on tele in Sydney did it not?

 

[cainen]

It's unfashionable because it's seen as a boofhead sport. The NRL isn't doing anything to help change the image.

 

[gaterooze]

Yes, with two out-of-state teams, and don't forget the Swans had a massive drop in viewers for their 2nd GF in a row (to the tune of 200,000+ less viewers this year).

You want to see Sydney go League-crazy once more? Watch the Bunnies get into the 8...

 

[wittyfan]

It's unfashionable because it's seen as a boofhead sport. The NRL isn't doing anything to help change the image.

Players could make more of an effort to look presentable for staters. The Dally M's were a fashion catastrophe.

 

[Misty Bee]

All good points raised. All through the Tri Nations, League has not risen higher than third on the SMH sports or Foxsports pages. Collectively, Cricket, Horse Racing, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, Cycling and basketball have all been given higher priority at some stage.

Cricket is being given massive hype for the first test of a long and very tedious Pommy tour, and their side is as poor as their league side.

With the tri-nations final upon us, and the Kiwis defending champions, League should be No. 1.

The whole problem is that the same things exist in Brisbane.

I guess if the media don't give a sh*t, the public won't.Having said that, if Sydney's crowd doesn't exceed the interest in Brisbane or Melbourne (it won't), then the Sydney knockers will be right to criticise for once.

 

[joshreading]

I think the Rugby League people are often part of the problem. One of our strengths is our working class background but it is also our nemesis. We need to encourage a new view of RL, and that is the sport of the people. We need to make it SEEN and HEARD that the Super Rich are passionate about League, that the yuppies can be passionate about league, that RL is the game of the people. And that does not mean they have to become blue collar in culture. Let them sip their champagne, so long as they are watching the great game of all.

OUR GAME !!!

 

[ali]

I think the Rugby League people are often part of the problem. One of our strengths is our working class background but it is also our nemesis. We need to encourage a new view of RL, and that is the sport of the people. We need to make it SEEN and HEARD that the Super Rich are passionate about League, that the yuppies can be passionate about league, that RL is the game of the people. And that does not mean they have to become blue collar in culture. Let them sip their champagne, so long as they are watching the great game of all.

OUR GAME !!!

I also agree with this. I was thinking today that my view on our media seems to have coincided with me finishing Uni and moving into a professional job in the city. As Moffo has pointed out before, the NRL doesn't appear to be too interested in attracting the professional types. For instance, look at the scheduling. 2 Friday night games and 1 Monday night game next year. This does not make life easy for people who work in the city and want to attend these games. Ok if you a tradey knocking off at 4pm.

Furthermore, I thought today imagine if the Kangaroos were signing autographs in Martin Place. I think maybe the Origin teams have done this before, but as long as I can remember, Martin Place has been associated with other sports.

But the big nut to crack for the NRL needs to be the private schools. Someone needs to get stuck in to them and kick up a fuss about the blatent sport discrimination going on in these schools. It's sporting apartheid. Getting them playing some Rugby League will help break down the union mind washing going on in these schools. Then I'm assuming it will become slightly cooler to follow Rugby League in the white collar industries that these private school graduates often dominate.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Put a team in the massive black hole once occupied by Norths and watch the support for the Waratahs and Swans dilute.
The game certainly needs to improve it's image, as has been shown with the current tri-nations, the media is concentrating on violence. I believe as Australian society changes the media is trying to portray league as part of the old style Australia ie larrikanism, macho etc. There is definiately an agenda against the game and it is not wanted by big players.

 

[LeagueXIII]

I don't think the NRL give a rats really their agenda is about selling pay TV and that's all they care about. The media could easily attack private schools but choose not to, makes you question what RL has really done to people for it to be treated the way it has.

 

[LeagueXIII]

The 10% drop is not a problem as I am sure we have had season's in the past when we have had drops similar. If it happens 3 or 4 years running then I would question it. Remember in 1983 we averaged less than 7000.
The real issue is where the nRL are taking the game and the fact it is no longer getting the supporters who follow the "in" game.