One day last week, I found myself sifting though an entire room full of rugby league replica jerseys; 15 boxes of the blighters.
And since I can’t bring myself to take anything at all in life at face value, from a sunny day to the concept of schadenfreude, I found myself pondering a couple of things.
One, despite all the whining in columns like this about what officials should and shouldn’t do and how much more prosperous another sport might be, rugby league is big business. This stuff flies off shelves.
Jerseys in Australia are almost $200 (in the UK the same thing is less than 50 quid) and people don’t waste a minute parting with their cash.
Can you actually conceive of the figure that the NRL TV deal is worth? Two billion dollars? Can you imagine how you would spend that … responsibly?
Each one of these neatly packaged jerseys represents a fan who is keen enough to buy one. Here they are, maybe 100 in a box. That’s an amazing thrall you are holding over someone’s emotions with a tangible commercial return. When you think about it, you handle the merchandise a little more devoutly.
Secondly, there is the entire idea of sports merchandise itself.
These are bits of material with some embroidery and some printing. Why do they mean so much to us? Why do companies pay so much for licensing from leagues and clubs? How can they be sold at massive mark-ups?
Why do we care so much about the indigenous shirt or this year’s Marvel Superhero design? We can even argue about these things….
(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
To me, a team’s colours are a bit like a song we first heard when we were 13. It’s apparently called the reminiscence bump; you love things you first encountered in your teens and 20s when your brain was maturing.
Our attachment to club colours is not completely explainable and not completely linked to the obvious, the same as we don’t like a song because of the chord progression and style of drumming.
Sports merchandising makes money out of these subconscious human tendencies.
I’m new at working in this industry but when we sold Toronto Wolfpack and other gear outside Halliwell Jones Stadium on Sunday, and a little boy or girl asked their dad for a cap or a jersey, I did find myself questioning whether we were selling something real or if we were just flogging an illusion.
Toronto Wolfpack CEO Eric Perez fronts the press.
Is this business moral?
Like I said, bits of material with printing and embroidery. In themselves, nothing special.
I could only look to myself for an answer. I was one of those kids; went to Peppers Sports Store and bought one of the first Illawarra Steelers jerseys ever put on sale in 1981 after begging my parents for it.
Things were very different then. In their first season the Steelers weren’t on TV much and at the 1982 grand final a Manly fan looked at the already-fading scarlet and asked me what team it was – a team that had been in the same comp as Manly all year.
I once heard Eddie Lumsden say that when he arrived in Sydney to play for St George, he didn’t know what their jersey looked like!
Now we know everything for TV but in 2018 watching games on there is optional for me. I weened myself off treating every game of rugby league as special. On Sunday I snuck in and watched 10 minutes of the first half and that’s it.
But when I stack the jerseys, sort through the caps and hang the training singlets, I’m the 12 year old at Warrawong Shopping Centre again. Back then, the Steelers hadn’t played a game; perhaps they’d signed one or two players. I was wearing an idea, something that bestowed upon its wearer an identity.
If you’re English or Australian wearing a Toronto Wolfpack jersey, chances are you’re a bit like I was then – full of wonder and keen to get out and see the big world.
The brands your friends are into are not for you.
That might be why we gave the Warrington-following dad a discount when both his sons insisted on a Wolfpack jersey even though Dad reminded them the Canadian team had just been flogged 66-10. Maybe they’ll remember Sunday as an early flicker of individuality.
Maybe one of them might even write a column about it.
Matt H
Roar Guru
The wingers usually got their first taste of mud when shaking hands at the end.
Hanrahan
Guest
" The Bulldogs and Dragons played each other for 80 years and didn’t seem to get confused." And half the time they all looked the same after ten minutes in the mud (except the wingers).
Markie362
Guest
I buy all my nrl merch in bali.fraction of the cost
lesterlike
Guest
Footy shorts are great, go to NQ they are everywhere. Definitely a piece of merch i'm happy to snatch up if I see it on sale somewhere. Comfortable to wear around the house on a hot day and good for the Gym and Beach.
chris
Guest
I loved the jerseys of the 1980s and 90s and also the Super 12 ones but I would not part cash for these roundneck (please bring back the v-neck), tight cycling tops that look like an 6 year old kids scribble with various paint colours YUK.
Mushi
Guest
What! This is outrageous, things cost different amounts in different countries via different sales channels. Call the UN
godragonsgo
Guest
I struggle with teams turning up to play the Dragons in their away strip that is closer to the Dragons strip than the usual jersey. Warriors a couple of years ago wore a silver strip against us instead of the black and Souths this year. Souths normal jersey has black piping down the sides and across the top but to play the Dragons at Kogorah they wore the away strip that has white side sand piping. Very confusing?
Mushi
Guest
Um hasn't commercialism and the need for the "now" been prevalent since at least the 80s and the advent of mass marketing? So only close to 40 years ago this started, way to spot the emergence of a trend. You might want to sound the alarm for pompeii
bbt
Guest
Good one!!
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
I think (by virtue of being less commercially successful though) Rugby in Australia has this a little better. The Rebels appear to just have home and clash. As far as I'm aware the Reds and Waratahs have now just settled on home and away with a heritage jersey for their fixtures between themselves.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Not to be a pedant, but that's quality of the design, not the merch itself. Though I agree.
Nervous
Guest
Steve, I wonder if you have a view on your former newspaper failing to report in the print version unfortunate NRL incidents in the last week. Firstly it was Scott Bolton and then the very tragic death of a Dapto NZ RL player last Saturday. The Tele reported the Dapto tragedy but so far the SMH has failed to put it in its print version despite putting it online yesterday morning. I assume the tele waited till relatives were informed before printing it but the SMH put it online yesterday so must have been cleared. Reminds of the very tragic death of Raudonkus grandson playing RL which was hidden by the SMH at the bottom of page 6 follow on under Page 1 heading quoting some lowly RU official saying that RU should introduce weight divisions for kids (it was March?April during kids sign up season).
BigJ
Roar Guru
Correction the article was never published
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Rebel Sport - NRL Jersey $160, NBA Jersey $200 fanatics.com - NBA Jersey USD70.00, NFL Jersey USD99.00. Plus, if the player you buy switches teams within 90 days of purchase you get a free jersey of equal quality and price We are getting fleeced. As long as people keep paying $160 they will keep charging it. No sympathy for clowns who pay $50 for shorts
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Don't forget Parra wearing the M&M jerseys
Onside
Guest
I wear a Shroud of Turin replica in my club colours hoping it will help raise the side from the dead
Hanrahan
Guest
"Is this business moral?" I think the morality is in question in regard to both price and peer pressure. If the NRL is going to encourage new jerseys every year plus special event ones as well as away jerseys, all at $160 each then yes I believe it's immoral. The other issue I have is the poor quality. The NRL demand $160 for 100% polyester. It is profiteering and it doesn't have to be so. NSW Cup team Newtown charge $120 for cotton jerseys. They can offer that because they are not under the NRL's corporate control.
Nick
Roar Guru
Nah, you see lots of people at the gym in merchandise footy shorts. Ditto lots of people at club footy training are in those shorts. Of all things, they are actually are good buy. Durable.
McNaulty
Guest
I think the NRL should dump footy shorts which are not something people are going to buy because nobody wears footy shorts because they look stupid. The players should start playing in performance pants like those Lorna Jane things every woman on the planet has 5 pairs of. Now that we are pushing into womens NRL why not have them wear something women like to wear and fans of clubs would buy for their ladies to wear. Put some padding in the thigh section similar to American Football and maybe a cup for the front.
elvis
Guest
If you want a jersey at a reasonable price, go to the factory outlet sales, Canterbury for example. Who in their right mind pays over $100 for a jersey? I remember seeing lots of people in Wallabies jerseys as kids, now they are too precious to wear except for games. All that free marketing, gone for a quick cash grab.