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The other night, millions of people sat down expecting to watch a football match, but what they got was a trip down memory lane: big hits, brawls and guys standing toe to toe.
Many people in the rugby league world were excited by this and much has been written about State of Origin living on.
What I saw was the slow painful death of a professional sport.
The game was tough, exciting and enjoyable for the millions who watched it. But then in the 78th minute, it was all undone, with two baboons going toe to toe with each other.
The crowd roared, the commentators loved it. Origin was back! Back to the good old days of the 80s. Maybe so, but wasn’t the good old days a time when the sport was semi-professional, wasn’t broadcast on television, and when players could drink and do what they wanted outside of the game?
If a game is a success because of two blokes belting each other, then the game is doomed to fail.
The NRL and their half-wit administrators need to stop living in the ‘good old days’ of the 80s and wake up and see that this is a professional sport, watched by millions of people every year (well for now anyway).
It is no longer acceptable to belt someone and knock them unconscious. That’s not what they are paid to do.
I don’t like bringing up the old “mothers wont let kids play” story, but if the game is only successful because of boxing sessions on the field, then mothers and fathers won’t let their kids play.
It’s as simple as that.
I am a fan of rugby league and a fan of most professional sports. I am worried though about the future of this game.
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