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Imagine all 48 Rugby World Cup games shown live and in high definition around Australia. If you’re a football fan, you’ve got it, courtesy of the Australian taxpayer.
If you’re a rugby fan, you will have to make do with Channel Nine showing standard definition Wallabies games only. If you’re really lucky, they’ll hire a shock jock rugby league fan to commentate on the semi-final.
If you’re a football fan, you’ll get $44 million to talk to the most corrupt punters in the world in Zurich. If you’re a rugby fan, you’ll get millions taken off your high performance centre at Ballymore.
This isn’t a go at the round-ball game, of which I am a fan. It’s a go at the allocation of resources from the Australian government. It cost SBS $40 million to acquire the rights to the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. So where is the ABC’s bid for rugby fans? Where is our taxpayer support?
Thousands of rugby fans pay taxes to the Australian government, effectively subsidising accessibility of the FIFA World Cup.
The national broadcaster should be acting in the national interest. The Rugby World Cup is a big event, thousands of people want to watch it. So why doesn’t the ABC make a bid?
At a time when rugby is struggling to attract media coverage, being shafted by sponsors, with dwindling crowds and revenues, the government has left it out to dry. When football encountered a similar scenario, the government not only kept the organisation afloat, but subsidised the increased interest with grants to set up the A-League, and the continual purchase of broadcasting rights.
So where is the equivalent treatment? Where is the ABC’s Rugby: The Gentlemen’s Game site, presented by Gordon Bray? Years ago when the ABC had rugby it did a great job of showcasing it to the public. It seems grossly unfair that only football gets that treatment now.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.