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I recently came across a classic bit of tongue-in-cheek, Channel Nine-resistant magic from Chris Chard called ‘How the NRL should help Channel Nine‘ on The Roar.
I was late getting to it, as it was posted on July 27. But like all classics, it doesn’t age and is still as relevant now as it was then.
I particularly liked the miked-up Phil Gould on field, calling the action and making up rules as he wants. I thought that this was happening already? Hard to tell with that puffed-up goat what is actually real, from the paranoid rantings that he likes to call commentary!
But for me, the really disturbing part of this whole episode on the new league broadcast rights deal is the usually even-handed David Gallop (sounds disturbingly like David Gyngell doesn’t it) saying that they would have to take the Nine offer as where else could they go?
I know Dave – how about the other three networks that would be salivating at the new vamped-up competition that the NRL has grown into. Forget the past deals Gallop. You don’t owe Nine anything in loyalty terms. Nine very much got the better of the partnership in paying a fairly low compensation for the last contract.
Just because there weren’t a lot of competing offers in the past has no relevance now. Especially now that David Gyngell has the gall to try and dictate how the course of the game needs to be changed to allow ad breaks.
Gyngell’s total motivation is profit. The game has to pay its way; but progress in this great traditional contest should not be at the sole behest of business.
Wrecking this wonderful game for advertisements turns a hitherto pure contest into a contrived, commercial mutation. This is not some Big Brother reality sham here – this is the greatest game of all!
The sheer fact that Gyngell has put up these “terms” should count against the Nine bid on grounds that it would detract from the game and denigrate its spontaneity, integrity and the actual fabric of the game.
So stand firm Gallop and dismiss this commercial threat to our great game and negotiate with an alternate network – Stokes has said he wants the NRL in the past.
The absolute most money for the broadcast rights isn’t the critical criteria here. The only criteria that is of importance is protecting the game into the future. The fabric and structure of our game to those that play, officiate and enjoy its spectacle must be paramount to us now and must honour those past players who have created that tradition.
We are not a target audience (even though we may well be). To treat us like we are (in Gyngell’s mad master plan) will only further distance ourselves from the game and thereby destroy what the mad Gyngell is trying to coup anyway.
Our sport is not a franchise! It’s up to you David Gallop as appointed custodian of our great sport to protect it from the sorts of threats and denigration that awarding the future broadcast rights to Nine would bring about.
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