Serious Question: Do some of you even like Rugby League?

[unapologetic pedant]

4 hours ago, Johnoco said:

Ah, now I can help you on this one. It's because if something close to action breaks out, they are terrified that stopping it for trivial reasons like forward passes etc might mean they never get another chance to witness anything resembling a running game. 

HTH

You`ve elicited a mostly amused emoji reaction, but many a true word is spoken in jest.

There`s an additional and related explanation of the RU relaxed view of possible forward passes and knock-ons. They know their refs will be unavoidably and regularly calling ruck infringements. So if they were also halting the game for knock-ons, forward passes, obstructions with the same compulsive enthusiasm as a League ref, their game wouldn`t go more than a few seconds without a stoppage.

I still think we urgently need an examination of our own culture in this area, because after decades of crowd and media pressure our officials have acquired a RU impulse to stop the game. And there`s a ghastly correlation with negative RL reactions to off-field matters.

A League ref calling a phantom knock-on, forward pass, obstruction to cheers from the crowd and approval from commentary teams is like a RU player booting the ball off the park to similar acclaim.

[DOGFATHER]

On 24/10/2021 at 10:53, The Daddy said:

Do you even want Rugby League to do well? Do you want the sport exposed to millions of people with a vibrant grass roots section?

I have to ask these questions because I do think there's a very vocal group of posters on this site and on social media that are very opinionated about not wanting the sport to be played or watched by broader audiences. They want to keep Rugby League as a sport played in the same 'heartland' communities as it has done for over 100 years and these people tend to express negative views on anything that could lead to more people playing, watching or even investing, that's because they see Rugby League as something that belongs to them and their communities and it's not to be shared with any new audiences.

Bearing in mind, this is all against a backdrop of declining TV revenue, crowd declines and a real lack of blue chip multinational sponsorship. Does that not concern these folk?

I read some of the comments on here and it's clear that some posters are taking great joy when efforts to broaden the appeal of RL fails, even after watching an exciting test match yesterday France v England on a Saturday afternoon on the BBC where France debuted a number of young players and despite defeat managed their best result against England for a number of years, there are the same posters that come on here pushing the same narratives, 'Oh the game was terrible', 'Both teams will get thrashed by Aus, NZ', 'France were terrible, there's no point in playing this game'. They loved it when Toronto was booted out of SL, they were overjoyed when Ottawa packed it in, they wanted Toulouse to fail in promotion and Featherstone promoted instead, they wanted England to paste France by 50-60 points so they can say I told you so. 

Also, it's not just foreign clubs that are the target of the small mindedness (coz the argument they use now is that the UK league should only be for UK clubs) several years ago London Broncos copped a lot of negativity because many didn't want them in SL league either and I can already see that now Newcastle have turned full time and showing some ambition negativity is being turned towards them. 

I do think now that people like this don't even like Rugby League and for them it's become political and the behaviours around this are partisan in nature, for a lot of Canadians I know who got involved with the sport and wanted to promote it they found this culture to be very toxic and off putting.

Is this how we want RL to be seen by new volunteers and audiences?

Perhaps a more pertinent question is, do the clubs/owners of the club's want the game exposed to millions, or are they happy being relatively big fish in a small pond?

The SL club's run the sport, they decide what happens in the game. From what I've seen, there seems to be a very toxic split of self interest behind every decision.

1. Those at the bottom of SL voting to keep teams below out to ensure they stay afloat and in the top division.

2. The teams at the top, quite happy with the scenario, knowing that the teams below are never going to challenge them long term. As they will never have the financial clout to challenge long term. Should one of the lower teams put a good side together/uncover a few gems, the top club's can pick the players off of them at will the following season. Those at the bottom end of SL are far better off than those outside, and do the same to the club's in the Championship below them. 

In this scenario, if you ran a top SL, why would you risk putting your almost guaranteed annual place in the playoffs in jeopardy? 

[DOGFATHER]

On 24/10/2021 at 10:53, The Daddy said:

?

Dupe post

[Dave T]

On 24/10/2021 at 15:21, Dunbar said:

These are all fine but they don't move the dial in any significant way.

If my initial post was overly negative about the British game then I will hold my hand up... what I am essentially saying is that the shape of the game here will not significantly change in the next 20, 30 or even 50 years (I do think protectionism is a big part of this) but the game has the chance to thrive in new countries. 

I think some of them could - but with the weak leadership, it was possible for some of them to be completely overturned within a really short period of time!

For me the most positive period of leadership was with Richard Lewis - not that I agreed with everything he did. Unfortunately, his 2nd, Wood (who also had strong influencing skills) then backtracked on plenty and tried to make his own mark on the game. 

Strategy and leadership is the problem - a great leader would pull those top clubs into line, and tbh, the top 6 could probably very easily be swayed to make radical changes that move the dial an awful lot - they just need a bit of nudging. I think their self-interest (which everyone has) could easily be used to drive the game forward.

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

15 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Strategy and leadership is the problem - a great leader would pull those top clubs into line, and tbh, the top 6 could probably very easily be swayed to make radical changes that move the dial an awful lot - they just need a bit of nudging. I think their self-interest (which everyone has) could easily be used to drive the game forward.

It would be useful to have some evidence on which to base decisions, in order to encourage longer-term thinking. For example, there must be some evidence out there that we can use from other sports as to the indirect benefits of international competition to the club game. E.g. does a successful international side translate to greater interest at club level? Does having more international players at your club translate to more bums on seats? Certainly with the case of RU and cricket there is obviously a financial benefit due to the broadcasting rights for internationals that gets filtered down to the clubs. It would be great to have a leader who could see the value in the international game and help to convince clubs of the need to support it.

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

I absolutely love RL. As an Oldhamer, I have it in my soul. Now many, out there, will say yeah but no one else in the town does, just look at the pro cub. The pro club was let down in 1996 by the then "owners" and maybe, it can be argued, the council. The population is 237,000. We have an excellent amateur set up and heritage. The town was, as I keep telling people, the first home of the breakaway code. The biggest changes occurred in Oldham, the name Change, the rule changes, 13  aside, play the ball. I am proud of what happened in the town.

I'm all for expansion, but it does anger me when people say that Newcastle, London  should take precedence over the likes of Oldham. Look at the number of players from Oldham in SL and the championship. We have the DNA, what we now need is investment. Build it and they will come.

[Dave T]

12 minutes ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

I absolutely love RL. As an Oldhamer, I have it in my soul. Now many, out there, will say yeah but no one else in the town does, just look at the pro cub. The pro club was let down in 1996 by the then "owners" and maybe, it can be argued, the council. The population is 237,000. We have an excellent amateur set up and heritage. The town was, as I keep telling people, the first home of the breakaway code. The biggest changes occurred in Oldham, the name Change, the rule changes, 13  aside, play the ball. I am proud of what happened in the town.

I'm all for expansion, but it does anger me when people say that Newcastle, London  should take precedence over the likes of Oldham. Look at the number of players from Oldham in SL and the championship. We have the DNA, what we now need is investment. Build it and they will come.

Some people may say that, but we have a pyramid where Oldham can make it to SL if they get that investment and have the right facilities etc. 

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

6 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Some people may say that, but we have a pyramid where Oldham can make it to SL if they get that investment and have the right facilities etc. 

Yep totally agree.but it's getting in the investment that's the problem.

[Wigan Riversider]

34 minutes ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

Yep totally agree.but it's getting in the investment that's the problem.

I used to love going to Watersheddings and have watched amateur RL in the town. Oldham is steeped in RL tradition.

Returning to the original poster, do I even like RL now, nope.

I detest SL but do still love the amateur game.

[Swansea Jack]

For me it is a great game.

I have supported Rugby League in South Wales since 2006. (Celtic Crusaders). My friend Keith and I support West Wales Raiders although we are still seeking a winning team.

This must show that we love Rugby League.

[Tommygilf]

15 hours ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

Yep totally agree.but it's getting in the investment that's the problem.

One of the reasons the investment is so hard to get is linked to why people want Newcastle and London etc to succeed and grow.

[dkw]

39 minutes ago, Swansea Jack said:

For me it is a great game.

I have supported Rugby League in South Wales since 2006. (Celtic Crusaders). My friend Keith and I support West Wales Raiders although we are still seeking a winning team.

This must show that we love Rugby League.

Don't be fooled into thinking supporting a winning RL team will make you any happier 

[Just Browny]

18 hours ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

I absolutely love RL. As an Oldhamer, I have it in my soul. Now many, out there, will say yeah but no one else in the town does, just look at the pro cub. The pro club was let down in 1996 by the then "owners" and maybe, it can be argued, the council. The population is 237,000. We have an excellent amateur set up and heritage. The town was, as I keep telling people, the first home of the breakaway code. The biggest changes occurred in Oldham, the name Change, the rule changes, 13  aside, play the ball. I am proud of what happened in the town.

I'm all for expansion, but it does anger me when people say that Newcastle, London  should take precedence over the likes of Oldham. Look at the number of players from Oldham in SL and the championship. We have the DNA, what we now need is investment. Build it and they will come.

Do Oldham still play on a roped field or are they playing at a ground miles away from the town? Lost track a bit.

Don't get me wrong, the recent history of Oldham RL is a tragedy, but it is a tragedy that has been occurring for the whole of the 25+ years I've been watching the game. Over that timeframe, Oldham RL has got to take it upon itself to change the course of history, not sure anyone else can help much.

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

1 hour ago, Just Browny said:

Do Oldham still play on a roped field or are they playing at a ground miles away from the town? Lost track a bit.

Don't get me wrong, the recent history of Oldham RL is a tragedy, but it is a tragedy that has been occurring for the whole of the 25+ years I've been watching the game. Over that timeframe, Oldham RL has got to take it upon itself to change the course of history, not sure anyone else can help much.

At the moment we have no idea where we are playing. Number of rumours going around, but nothing definite. You are right it is in our own hands. Many of us feel we should start with the basics, a ground in the town, and work from there.

[Just Browny]

2 minutes ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

At the moment we have no idea where we are playing. Number of rumours going around, but nothing definite. You are right it is in our own hands. Many of us feel we should start with the basics, a ground in the town, and work from there.

Thanks for the reply, really hope something sensible gets sorted out.

[jacobus]

I love it, but sometimes that love isn't easy to retain.