A world famous Australian comedian who counts Brad Pitt, Jay Leno, Russell Crowe and John Cleese among his A-list mates will invest in the Bears’ history-making bid for re-entry into the NRL.
And that’s no joke.
Jim Jefferies — who has established a massive following in the US — also wants to promote his much-loved Bears to the rich and famous throughout the States.
A comedian, writer and actor, Jefferies has 1.81 million social media followers through Facebook (one million), Twitter (458,000) and Instagram (354,000). He grew up in St Ives and followed Norths after his older brother and father cheered for fierce rivals, Manly.
Jefferies has a remarkable network of stars throughout the world.
Crowe cheekily sends Jefferies boxes of South Sydney caps. Jefferies wants the Bears back so he can send Crowe some red and black hats.
“It would be a lifelong dream (to have the Bears return). It truly would,” Jeffries said. “There’s nothing in my life that I would rather spend my money on than seeing the red and blacks run back out onto the pitch.
“I remember the moment Russell bought Souths and I said to myself: ‘If I ever have any money then the first thing I am doing is getting the Bears back in the league’. Now, I have that opportunity to help a little bit.
“The Bears are everyone’s second team but for me they were my first, second and third team. It would mean the world to me to have the Bears back. I’m keen to be involved as much as possible.
“I’ve been a Bears fan my whole life. They broke my heart when they kicked them out. I was devastated. I thought the pain would go away but it never really has. I went to a Bears game when I was four or five years old and was hooked.
“While most kids at that age had a poster on their bedroom wall of the A Team, I had Martin Bella. Could there be anything scarier to wake up to?
“Hands down, (my favourite player was) Greg Florimo, he was my number one. The fact (Laurie) Daley kept him out of the (rep) teams the whole time, he was just born in the wrong generation. He was the best player ever.
“I’ve got some deep dives for you. I was fanatical about Les Kiss. David Hall was a bit of a battler who always got in the team. That era with (David) Fairleigh, (Billy) Moore, (Gary) Larson, Peter Jackson, I loved that guy. Matt Seers when he first came in. Mark Soden was a great player, Chris Caruana.”
Based in California, Jefferies flew out this week after touring Australia, also finding time to attend the annual Bears luncheon at Norths Leagues Club in Cammeray late last month.
Jefferies was given a bag of Bears supporters’ gear which he will hand out to his high-profile celebrity pals in the US.
“This could put Brad Pitt in a Bears cap,” Bears chairman Daniel Dickson said.
Jefferies is now performing in New Zealand before heading back to the US through Hawaii.
“Jim will be a financial backer of the Bears, it’s awesome,” Dickson said. “There is nothing more he wants than to get the Bears back into the competition. He is a mad Bears fan.
“He is keen to get involved. And, more importantly, this is going to raise the profile of rugby league in the US. Russell Crowe has done a great job getting various celebrities involved and this will be our contribution.
“Jim is Australia’s biggest comedian. Having the likes of him on board with the Bears brings together the deep love and passion for the Bears heritage and it’s great to have Jim now wanting the US to get behind the Bears.
“It’s great to have high-profile people like Jim involved with the Bears. It is spreading our whole de-risking process to the NRL. For us, it’s about having people on board who are fans of the brand as well as people who can contribute financially and offer corporate nous.
“It’s unbelievable the people Jim is connected to. He can help bring in PR and corporate awareness to the Bears abroad and will raise the Bears’ profile.”
Jefferies has appeared in multiple US comedy shows and also hosted his own show, The Jim Jefferies Show. In 2019, Jefferies helped develop an NBC sitcom called Jefferies, where he starred as a fictional version of himself.
