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Posted

Eddie Hearn has been in Australia this week for the boxing and he was asked about the NRL and DAZN's purchase of Foxtel (much longer interview somewhere). He then moved on to why he believes SL is struggling and does make me wonder if, with his previous comments/interest in SL and his relationship with DAZN, whether this could be the catalyst for this all to fall into place? Not sure if this has been discussed elsewhere - couldn't see an obvious thread. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEokvPzB9Jn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

 

 

  • Like 1

Posted (edited)

He is dead right! We have become insular. Surrendering to poor TV contracts. It is nothing to do with being a northern  sport. We just do not project our stars and personalities. Look at look littler. A Warrington lad and fan. But nobody cares where he is from, just that he has reinvigorated the sports appeal. 

Get rid of IMG and bring in the Hearns!

Edited by sheddingswasus
  • Like 3
Posted

I think Hearn could do a lot for RL and he's not wrong about players becoming 'stars' helps build the profile of the sport overall. I do however think he's coming at that from an individual sports point of view, which is of course his background eg. Boxing, Darts, Snooker. He's a smart guy and i'm sure he'd have people around him who can guide how best to raise the profile of RL but I do think giving him/matchroom our events (Magic/CC) could be a good experiment for both RL and Machroom to test what is possible with the right promotion etc. 

  • Like 2
Posted

IMG, in fact everyone really, knows the issue about players being stars. That's not some amazing insight.

But as with so many things it's a lot easier said than done.

  • Like 3
Posted
14 minutes ago, M j M said:

IMG, in fact everyone really, knows the issue about players being stars. That's not some amazing insight.

But as with so many things it's a lot easier said than done.

If I were to write a sociology essay about it, I’d say Littler himself is defined almost by an absence of “character” in the sense that marketers and nostalgics usually mean.

  • Like 1

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

Posted

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️

Stars twinke

Stars shine.

Stars light up the sky at night.

Stars supernova eventually.

We currently only have one: Kevin Sinfield.

Unless of course, people know differently.

 

Posted (edited)
10 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

If I were to write a sociology essay about it, I’d say Littler himself is defined almost by an absence of “character” in the sense that marketers and nostalgics usually mean.

This is a good point and shows why just saying "create some stars" is easy to say but much harder to do. You need people to pay attention, then to care, then to have the players who might get people interested - and even then just being a zany character might not hold people's interest.

Littler, and Sinfield, do not exactly have what could be considered particularly conventionally winning or exuberant public personas.

Edited by M j M
Posted
44 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

I think Hearn could do a lot for RL and he's not wrong about players becoming 'stars' helps build the profile of the sport overall. I do however think he's coming at that from an individual sports point of view, which is of course his background eg. Boxing, Darts, Snooker. He's a smart guy and i'm sure he'd have people around him who can guide how best to raise the profile of RL but I do think giving him/matchroom our events (Magic/CC) could be a good experiment for both RL and Machroom to test what is possible with the right promotion etc. 

Hearn has already said that he isn’t will to take on a single event, it’s either the whole league/sport in the UK or nothing

Posted

 

Bang goes my exhaustive list of people in our game  with star quality.😀😀

At least Sinfield has a degree of national recognition for his efforts. True, he's not exactly exuberant, extrovert etc.  

 

 

  • Like 1
Posted
29 minutes ago, JohnM said:

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️

Stars twinke

Stars shine.

Stars light up the sky at night.

Stars supernova eventually.

We currently only have one: Kevin Sinfield.

Unless of course, people know differently.

And Sinfield isn't one for his exploits as a Rugby League player.

  • Like 2
  • Confused 1
Posted
5 minutes ago, Damien said:

And Sinfield isn't one for his exploits as a Rugby League player.

It that's the criterium, we don't have anyone at all.

Posted

The other problem we'd have is, lets say we make some players stars and that does capture the imagination of a new audience - what they'd quickly come to realise is that all the best/highest profile players are on NRL radars. 

Off the top of my head right, Hearn gets SL tomorrow and goes with this notion of building player profiles, he'd start with the younger SL based England players I reckon 

- Welsby 

- Mikey Lewis 

- Nsemba 

- Harry Smith 

 

I'd say 3 out 4 of them will be in the NRL in the next 2 years. 

 

  • Like 1
Posted
58 minutes ago, JohnM said:

 

Bang goes my exhaustive list of people in our game  with star quality.😀😀

At least Sinfield has a degree of national recognition for his efforts. True, he's not exactly exuberant, extrovert etc.  

 

 

He’s also no longer involved in rugby league. 

Posted

There is literally zero chance of the Hearns getting involved in Super League, if they do I’ll eat my Saints bucket hat on a TRL live stream. 

  • Like 1
Posted

Like I said, on that basis, there's no one.  But then, he is irrevocably connected to our sport and I feel (subjectively) known by the general sporting public..as is Billy Boston, Martin Offiah and Ellery Hanley and Eddie Waring.

Welsby, Mikey Lewis, Nemba, Harry Smith  not exactly charismatic. Great guys, great players but stars? 

 

Posted

I couldn’t name you a single RU player, 30 years ago I could name most international ones. Love cricket but couldn’t name Lancs players that don’t play for England. We simply need regular top drawer internationals on terrestrial TV

  • Like 5
Posted (edited)

Agree. We ..... need regular top drawer internationals on terrestrial TV...but on its own, it's not enough. 

My take on "stars" I'd that they are stars in another field  sport, music, entertainment, crime , with huge followings,  but leave no stone unturned in promoting say , rugby union, at every opportunity.

Edited by JohnM
Posted
6 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

I couldn’t name you a single RU player, 30 years ago I could name most international ones. Love cricket but couldn’t name Lancs players that don’t play for England. We simply need regular top drawer internationals on terrestrial TV

Or, and I can't say for sure this is being considered at all,(cough, cough, IMG) using the social media platforms, that make nobodies without any discernable talent into household names, to get the players into the public psyche 

Posted
15 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Like I said, on that basis, there's no one.  But then, he is irrevocably connected to our sport and I feel (subjectively) known by the general sporting public..as is Billy Boston, Martin Offiah and Ellery Hanley and Eddie Waring.

Welsby, Mikey Lewis, Nemba, Harry Smith  not exactly charismatic. Great guys, great players but stars? 

 

Stars relates more to what they do on the field, rather than sparkling personalities off of it. Nathan Cleary isn't very charismatic and in football, Rooney definitely wasn't but they're undoubtedly stars. 

  • Like 1
Posted

Funny how history repeats itself.  The challenges the game has now are similar to that of the late 70s and early 80s.  Anthony Broxton's excellent book covers it all.

 

Back then we had the great Des Drummond as first of a new breed of stars.  His performances on BBCs superstars kicked things off.    Then the likes of Henderson Gill and Ellery Hanley came through with Schofield and later Offiah.

  • Like 2
Posted
1 hour ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Stars relates more to what they do on the field, rather than sparkling personalities off of it. Nathan Cleary isn't very charismatic and in football, Rooney definitely wasn't but they're undoubtedly stars. 

My view is that being s star inside the game is not the point, that's preaching to the converted just to make existing supporters feel good.  Being a star (from inside the game originally or not) outside the game is what gets the attention that raises our profile , attracts interest etc from the wider community.  Unless I'm mistaken, Nathan Cleary is unlikely to appear on mass-viewing progs such as Strictly Come Dancing, I'm a Celebrity..Get Me out of Here,  Would I Lie to You, Match of the Day etc. 

 

Posted
44 minutes ago, sheddingswasus said:

Yes he is, he coaches at Saddleworth

Fair enough I stand corrected 👍. But still an NCL coach is hardly the nationally recognised character that the game needs to grow. 

Posted (edited)
46 minutes ago, Vyvyan said:

Back then we had the great Des Drummond as first of a new breed of stars.  His performances on BBCs superstars kicked things off.    Then the likes of Henderson Gill and Ellery Hanley came through with Schofield and later Offiah.

 

2 hours ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Off the top of my head right, Hearn gets SL tomorrow and goes with this notion of building player profiles, he'd start with the younger SL based England players I reckon 

- Welsby 

- Mikey Lewis 

- Nsemba 

- Harry Smith 

 

 

Bingo!

Edited by Yorks Tim
Shorten quotes for visibility of key details

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