It's amazing Rugby League's hatred in parts of the media means that everythime there is a latest atrocity, some journo I have never heard of uses it as a justification to rehash every scandal over the past 10 years...
Does this happen in any other sport?
I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's unashamed classism. Most criticisms leveled at rugby league and its
culture are thinly veiled attacks on the working class.
It happens to predominately working class sports in all countries. In England, it's football that draws criticism as a thugs game because that's the working class sport of choice. In Canada, I'm sure hockey is seen as a thugs game. In America I'm sure it's somewhat similar but at the same time slightly different on account of racism being the big social issue - I would guess sports with high black participation, namely American football and basketball, are regarded as the knuckle dragging sports for thugs and scumbags.
I would be surprised if you can find a popular working class sport in some country that doesn't have a similar reputation for thuggery. I'm sure there are a couple but I bet they're an exception rather than the rule.
If badminton was the most popular working class sport in Wales I bet it would get a bad reputation :lol: