DC77 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 22 hours ago, Rupert Prince said: 100% correct. Likewise there are fewer community cricket clubs. No one is going to create a rugby league club in Leyton, which has 36% white population, of which half is British. Anyone with sporting ambition will play football. I think cricket is (largely) doomed, certainly the five day version. Life is much more fast paced than previous. Everything is instant. And a game rooted in the slower, genteel Victorian era is incompatible with that. Those old fellas in the pavilion are from a different era. Baseball (a game as a kid I played as rounders) is also in trouble for the same reason. Slow paced, drawn out (though the version I played was very fast paced). The numbers are there as evidence, while there have also been books written on this subject. Cricket will have to evolve, which it’s trying to do with with 20-20, the bash, etc. That will very likely be it’s future. Not a cricket devotee by any means, but I do enjoy the Ashes (properly got hooked in 2005), so that may be the sole survivor of the long format. RL needn’t be in such trouble. At the minute it is and as I say it has correlated with the change in the way the game is played. A more attritional, defensive, grinding, wrestling Aussie style game. As well as society becoming more fast paced, putting slower sports in trouble, kids today are far less likely to accept being battered from pillar to post in sports. There’s a greater emphasis on health, safety and well-being. With RL (and RU) becoming more attritional, with an emphasis on players now bulking up to the heavens, spending hour upon hour in the gym and downing protein shakes as opposed to enjoying yourself with a ball, and with the greater focus on defensive strategies and stopping/stifling attacking play, it’s a much less attractive option/spectacle for kids. A Rangi Chase moment of eye catching skill sparked interest, went viral, but those moments are few and far between amongst today’s 80 minutes of play. Would Offiah/Hanley get the space to routinely make those eye catching runs today that sparked the interest of the like of a young Robinson? Absolutely no chance. “Moments of skill, amazing runs”, that should be written large on the chalk board of any RL committee that meets to discuss the future of RL. All those other changes (shot clock) are window dressing. It’s putting a bit of sticky plaster over a crack in the dam. The stupidity (and that’s what it is) of RL authorities not to see what is popular, and what is not, is mind boggling. Can’t just blame Robert Elstone (and he is hopeless), it’s all of them. RU is in the same boat. It hasn’t had a star in 15 years, again correlating with the change in how it’s played. Stars cannot be created because they can’t stand out like before. Without the stars (that Elstone and co. cluelessly taking about “needing to create”...while completely ignoring what creates them), there’s no-one for kids to want to emulate (like Robinson with Hanley), so less participation (44.9k in 2017, down 39% in 10 years), similarly small/less viewership, resulting in stagnation/fall. English RL could be more popular than ever by having Ellery Hanley type runs a common occurrence. As I said before, what works in Australia (biff, aggression, wrestling, scraps) does not work here, it’s a different culture. The result of the infiltration of the Aussie style in England has been very damaging. RL in England has a proud history when it comes to racial tolerance, so unless there’s been some hidden reversal of that (which I highly doubt) this subject is a red herring. It’s the fall in numbers across the board, with the decline in black participation being part of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunbar Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 A few months ago some of our most prominent black players such as Vinny Finigan, Ashton Golding, Michael Lawrence and Jordan Turner spoke out in the media about their experiences of racism in Rugby League. Since then, I have heard zero, squat, diddly from their clubs and their fellow players about how their treatment was outrageous and plans would be put into place to ensure that it would never happen again. Now, here is a little thought experiment for us all. The next time you watch a game of Rugby League just imagine that every white face you see in the playing, coaching, medical and back office staff were black and every black face you saw was white. Now imagine that the few white players you saw had recorded emotional videos describing the racism they had witnessed in the game. And then you see that nothing became of that and no-one was called out or punished for that behavior. As a young white man would you seek out your local Rugby League club and knock on their door and ask to join in? "The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby. "If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMEGA Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 32 minutes ago, Dunbar said: A few months ago some of our most prominent black players such as Vinny Finigan, Ashton Golding, Michael Lawrence and Jordan Turner spoke out in the media about their experiences of racism in Rugby League. Since then, I have heard zero, squat, diddly from their clubs and their fellow players about how their treatment was outrageous and plans would be put into place to ensure that it would never happen again. Now, here is a little thought experiment for us all. The next time you watch a game of Rugby League just imagine that every white face you see in the playing, coaching, medical and back office staff were black and every black face you saw was white. Now imagine that the few white players you saw had recorded emotional videos describing the racism they had witnessed in the game. And then you see that nothing became of that and no-one was called out or punished for that behavior. As a young white man would you seek out your local Rugby League club and knock on their door and ask to join in? You make a good point and illustrate it well but racism is punished in Rugby League when the scumbags who perpetuate it get caught! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blind side johnny Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 20 hours ago, Poower Lad said: The RL doesn’t have the resources to promote the game as it is . My point is if Jason Robinson feels there is an issue with grassroots rugby league , he’s in a better position than anyone to help . Just lumping the problem an the government or the RFL is not going to solve it . I’m not being rude to him I’m just saying with his profile he could make a real difference . And if you actually read the article it refers to the work that he is already doing with the Jamaica squad and in spreading the word through the schools in Leeds. Is that OK or should he just shut up? Sport, amongst other things, is a dream-world offering escape from harsh reality and the disturbing prospect of change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blind side johnny Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 On 11/10/2020 at 15:15, Rupert Prince said: 100% correct. Likewise there are fewer community cricket clubs. No one is going to create a rugby league club in Leyton, which has 36% white population, of which half is British. Anyone with sporting ambition will play football. Why not - don't "they" like RL? Sport, amongst other things, is a dream-world offering escape from harsh reality and the disturbing prospect of change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Click Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 2 hours ago, OMEGA said: You make a good point and illustrate it well but racism is punished in Rugby League when the scumbags who perpetuate it get caught! Are they? Did you watch that video Dunbar was speaking about, I seem to recall them speaking about a Huddesfield coach who quit the game as no action was taken against a supporter of his club for being racist towards a London opposition player. It has been awhile since i viewed the video, but I seem to recall that specific example being spoken about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Prince Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 3 hours ago, Blind side johnny said: Why not - don't "they" like RL? No. Not everyone likes or gets RL. When I was born in 1950 there was only one TV Channel. When it was 1960 we actually bought won. The sport on TV was Cricket. I aquired a score book and a game of "Howzat". To go anywhere and to see a home game we went on the bus. My dads mate took us to some away games. Every now and then we went to the pictures. Such were life's many diversions in those days. Hmmm. Reel forward to today... how far down the list is rugby, never mind cricket or hockey or, well do you get the drift? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Frisky Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 6 hours ago, Dunbar said: A few months ago some of our most prominent black players such as Vinny Finigan, Ashton Golding, Michael Lawrence and Jordan Turner spoke out in the media about their experiences of racism in Rugby League. Since then, I have heard zero, squat, diddly from their clubs and their fellow players about how their treatment was outrageous and plans would be put into place to ensure that it would never happen again. Now, here is a little thought experiment for us all. The next time you watch a game of Rugby League just imagine that every white face you see in the playing, coaching, medical and back office staff were black and every black face you saw was white. Now imagine that the few white players you saw had recorded emotional videos describing the racism they had witnessed in the game. And then you see that nothing became of that and no-one was called out or punished for that behavior. As a young white man would you seek out your local Rugby League club and knock on their door and ask to join in? Bit like UK Athletics, specifically the spirit events? Plenty of none white faces in the GB team with almost no white faces in the sprint events - I still enjoy Athletics but what I dont want to see is a white person pushed into the team because of their skin colour. I used to play cricket around Harrow but it was hard to find a none Asian team to play for as everytime I enquired about playing the Asian teams said I would not fit in because of my culture..... because I was white - what did I do? I kept trying and despite some opposition from some I pushed on through and played the game I love for a number of years. RL is still one of the best team sports in the UK that includes everyone no matter of their skin colour. When someone asks me who is the best UK Rugby player I say Hanley, if they ask for the Best English Footballer I say Gazza..... not bothered what colour their skin is I say their names and skin colour doesn't even come into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poower Lad Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 17 hours ago, Blind side johnny said: Why not - don't "they" like RL? Just a quick one , I only have to turn on Netflix of the BBC to openly be refers to as “They” in a daily basis openly in the media . Are you as quick to jump on that I wonder . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poower Lad Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 17 hours ago, Blind side johnny said: And if you actually read the article it refers to the work that he is already doing with the Jamaica squad and in spreading the word through the schools in Leeds. Is that OK or should he just shut up? Great Carry on Jason use your profile . I also help coach in a non heartland region . We have lots of Eastern European kids that we need to work to engage with . Lots of minority groups to think of so let’s all crack on and spread TGG to everyone . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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