Joyless fun sponge writes some more words

[gingerjon]

Not me. Well, not on this occasion.

The doomladen groupthink in the RL media gets another airing: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/feb/08/bright-lights-of-las-vegas-cannot-dim-the-dark-clouds-over-super-league

Comments on the original bowel movement are sadly closed.

[JonNgog]

Professional sport requires investment from various wealthy benefactors to be viable. Who knew?

[langpark]

Bright lights of Las Vegas cannot dim the dark clouds over Super League... Bright lights.... "cannot".... "dim"... the (already) dark clouds?  His attempt to be clever and witty actually makes zero sense.

[Damien]

Talk about spinning what are positives into negatives. Lets also just bring up anything that sounds bad that we can think of.

That entire article could have been written with a really positive slant, that a Rugby League is a sport on the up with well backed clubs. Writers from other sports would have done this.

Edited February 9 by Damien

[gingerjon]

4 minutes ago, Damien said:

Talk about spinning what are positives into negatives. Lets also just bring up anything that sounds bad that we can think of.

That entire article could have been written with a really positive slant, that a Rugby League is a sport on the up with well backed clubs. Writers from other sports would have done this.

We get so few media articles.

If this was one out of a bunch then I'd barely notice it. Football, even RU, have their dour columns, after all. Cricket practically revels in misery. But this will likely be the only real article for several days.

[Damien]

3 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

We get so few media articles.

If this was one out of a bunch then I'd barely notice it. Football, even RU, have their dour columns, after all. Cricket practically revels in misery. But this will likely be the only real article for several days.

Yeah if it was one of many with their fair share of positives it wouldn't be an issue. The trouble is it's not.

It does grate though that every RL journalist seems to have an agenda and looks for any opportunity to stick the knife in.

[Rugbyleaguesupporter]

I'm mixed- i think there is a balance. 

Ultimately we are over £10m from being 'sustainable' 

As someone who is fortunate enough to have some disposable income, I'm amazed at how little RL wants it. 

I'm in east Yorkshire on Friday 21st Feb. Quick glance at Hull FC website- hospitality is £100. I see 2 tickets for £10 but nothing between £30 (standard ticket) and £100? 

You get plenty of options at League 1/2 football. 

I'd happily pay £60 for Super league plus, but not over £100 

I'd pay to be an RFL member and you could probably flog me a shirt/ international tickets

So merit in highlighting how RL needs income, but agree that for season preview it's negative 

Edited February 9 by Rugbyleaguesupporter

[Lionheart_merged]

This guys churns out articles for Love Rugby League.  He definitely fooled me!

[Archie Gordon]

Agree with the thrust of the OP.

But against this hostile environment, you'd get Salford sorted before Christmas, get 2x Ashes series on, launch a new SL website, all sorts of stuff. If the game's not driving the agenda, we surely know by now that all this negative stuff fills the vacuum.

[gingerjon]

Just now, Rugbyleaguesupporter said:

I'm mixed- i think there is a balance. 

Ultimately we are over £10m from being 'sustainable' 

As someone who is fortunate enough to have some disposable income, I'm amazed at how little RL wants it. 

I'm in east Yorkshire on Friday 21st Feb. Quick glance at Hull FC website- hospitality is £100. I see 2 tickets for £10 but nothing between £30 (standard ticket) and £100? 

You get plenty of options at League 1/2 football. 

I'd happily pay £60 for Super league plus, but not over £100 

I'd pay to be an RFL member and you could probably flog me a shirt/ international tickets

We've had quite a tough off season after a few difficult years. But the start of this Super League season actually hits at an optimistic time in the sense that the clubs within it look stronger than they have been for a while, we've just had/are having a surprisingly lovely Challenge Cup round, and we've got rid one of the problems of previous years, that of overlapping kick off times.

All that *and a trip to Vegas*.

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Archie Gordon said:

Agree with the thrust of the OP.

But against this hostile environment, you'd get Salford sorted before Christmas, get 2x Ashes series on, launch a new SL website, all sorts of stuff. If the game's not driving the agenda, we surely know by now that all this negative stuff fills the vacuum.

It's probably the double whammy of his recent pre-written, "This Challenge Cup format has failed" before a game in the round had even kicked off, followed by this, that got me. I'd probably normally let it slide.

But, yes, RFL/SL need to be a lot better at leading the narrative.

[Hopie]

Article worked, journalism is made to generate clicks, OP read it, had an emotional response and shared it.

 

On the subject of the article, a lot of denial and copium around this board about how positive everything is right now, when those clubs with the highest incomes are struggling to keep their heads above water, and we are struggling to keep enough clubs in the semi pro leagues to get enough fixtures. The international game has effectively disappeared at this point. But yes, it is the journalists who are the problem.

[JohnM]

It's not as if there aren't genuine issues to report on, investigate etc. without being so intercoursingly miserable.  His RL offerings in the Guardian (click on his name to see what else he's written across sport) are much more negative than his offerings on other sports. 

 

[JohnM]

7 minutes ago, Hopie said:

Article worked, journalism is made to generate clicks, OP read it, had an emotional response and shared it.

 

On the subject of the article, a lot of denial and copium around this board about how positive everything is right now, when those clubs with the highest incomes are struggling to keep their heads above water, and we are struggling to keep enough clubs in the semi pro leagues to get enough fixtures. The international game has effectively disappeared at this point. But yes, it is the journalists who are the problem.

It didn't work. It didn't inform. It didn't entertain. It did flag the reporter as "one for laying down and avoiding" ( Monty Python Australian Wine reference).

For clarity, which clubs with the highest incomes are struggling to keep their heads above water?

Edited February 9 by JohnM

[gingerjon]

10 minutes ago, Hopie said:

Article worked, journalism is made to generate clicks, OP read it, had an emotional response and shared it.

 

On the subject of the article, a lot of denial and copium around this board about how positive everything is right now, when those clubs with the highest incomes are struggling to keep their heads above water, and we are struggling to keep enough clubs in the semi pro leagues to get enough fixtures. The international game has effectively disappeared at this point. But yes, it is the journalists who are the problem.

It didn’t work. The idea that journalism pays the bills by clickbait and/or rage shares has long ago been somewhat disproved by those who pedal it consistently losing money.

[unapologetic pedant]

2 hours ago, langpark said:

Bright lights of Las Vegas cannot dim the dark clouds over Super League... Bright lights.... "cannot".... "dim"... the (already) dark clouds?  His attempt to be clever and witty actually makes zero sense.

It's a bit dark over Bill's mother's.

Any better?

[Angelic Cynic]

The journalist has gone to the trouble,and time,and patience,to interview 3 individuals involved in the ownership of 3 Super League clubs and printed their quotes;plus the quotes of a former Super League club head coach.

It is their factual,lived in experiences that is the core of the article.

Happy clappers will continue to clap.

Salford followers complained about a Yorkshire based journalist informing them,and others,about the problems their club was experiencing. Without that journalist doing his job,those Salford supporters would still be in glorious ignorance about their club.

It isn't just football/soccer supporters.

It's a national thing.

I quite like the truth.I then know where to stand.

[DoubleD]

Ah the guardian, I’ll give that dross a miss 

[LeeF]

3 hours ago, Rugbyleaguesupporter said:

I'm mixed- i think there is a balance. 

Ultimately we are over £10m from being 'sustainable' 

As someone who is fortunate enough to have some disposable income, I'm amazed at how little RL wants it. 

I'm in east Yorkshire on Friday 21st Feb. Quick glance at Hull FC website- hospitality is £100. I see 2 tickets for £10 but nothing between £30 (standard ticket) and £100? 

You get plenty of options at League 1/2 football. 

I'd happily pay £60 for Super league plus, but not over £100 

I'd pay to be an RFL member and you could probably flog me a shirt/ international tickets

So merit in highlighting how RL needs income, but agree that for season preview it's negative 

And if we got another £10m we would probably still be £10m short of being “sustainable” such is the nature of professional sport

The other comment about ticket prices is spot on

[JohnM]

Given what we think, say or do on the forum, it makes no difference to the state of the games finances. Therefore, we might as well be happy-clappy. It's much more enjoyable than being miserable onquisitors.

[Exiled Wiganer]

I didn’t think it was that bad in and of itself. The happily resolved Salford debacle over shadowed the off season. Had their perilous financial state lead to Toulouse getting ready for a new season, there might have been something more positive to write about. But that didn’t happen. 

What annoys me is the scarcity of coverage of our game, and so the lack of balance. Every other sport seems to have writers who spend time talking up the brilliance of the players who participate in it, and draw out their characters. If this piece was followed by one about Bevan French, another about the strides our women’s and wheelchair games are taking, another about who will take advantage of any chinks in Wigan’s armour, then it would be a perfectly reasonable piece. 

[JohnM]

Someone mentioned "the truth" earlier. Nor THERE is an abstract concept worthy of discussion.

[EagleEyePie]

Aside from the headline being a bit embarrassing I didn't think the article was that bad. It's just stating that the game has some big issues at the moment and finances aren't in a good place for quite a few clubs. I know it's focusing on negatives but I think some people are confusing journalists for cheerleaders. It's not their job to promote the sport.

The article doesn't actually focus on Las Vegas as the headline might suggest, but there is a stark contrast between the difficulties some clubs face and the fact that two of the top clubs are off to Vegas.

Edited February 9 by EagleEyePie

[Damien]

11 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Someone mentioned "the truth" earlier. Nor THERE is an abstract concept worthy of discussion.

When people spout this the truth is always conveniently the same as their opinion.

Edited February 9 by Damien

[gingerjon]

22 minutes ago, EagleEyePie said:

/I think some people are confusing journalists for cheerleaders. It's not their job to promote the sport.

Yes.

This is their excuse every time they write this article.