Here’s the thing people: rugby league – and pretty much any popular sport – is not going to be killed by the impacts of COVID-19.
They may be paused, hindered or change form.
But they will not be killed.
Why? Because we Australians love our sport. And just like nature abhors a void, a large mass of people in this country will not tolerate an absence of organised sport.
Where there are none, we will create some.
I myself was largely responsible for creating the all-girl junior football leagues in Canberra. I wanted my girls to play but there were very few all-girls teams.
It wasn’t until the under-12 age group that the first all-girls competitions existed. And even then they were small.
So I went about creating all-girls competitions at my local club from the under-seven ages right up. As well, I contacted all the other clubs and encouraged them to do the same. The result was that just five years later there were thousands of girls playing in all-girls teams right across Canberra.
There are people just like me all across this nation who have done or will do the same.
While those people are all through our society, organised sport may face set back but it will never disappear.
What may disappear are the current organisations that run the competitions.
But that void will be filled. Why? Firstly, because that void has always been filled.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
From 1908 to 1982 it was a body called the New South Wales Rugby Football League. From 1983 to 1994 it was the New South Wales Rugby League.
The Queensland Rugby League, Brisbane Rugby League and Country Rugby League were all also running bits and pieces too.
In 1995 to 1997 (with a Super League season in there too) it was the Australian Rugby League.
Only from 1998 has the National Rugby League been the peak body running the game.
Let’s not forget how that came about. It was formed after the Super League war as a joint partnership between the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and Super League, controlled by media giant News Corporation.
Both sides had fought tooth and nail for control of the game from 1995. Why? Because the game was valuable. The crowds were the biggest in the history of the game, as was the viewing audience.
There was money to be made.
However, by 1997 – and after millions of dollars were spent by both sides – it became apparent to all parties that the best way forward was for both sides to unite and run one competition. Channel Nine got the free-to-air rights, Foxtel got the pay TV rights.
The National Rugby League was created as the titular head, above the QRL, NSWRL and CRL. All three of those bodies were reduced in role, responsibility and status.
You could argue that it was a competition created to directly supply the product of rugby league so it would generate income to the new regime through its popularity. They didn’t create rugby league, they just took it over.
And now the new ARLC chairman Peter V’landys is saying that the NRL may indeed go the way of the dodo without government handouts.
(Mark Evans/Getty Images)
“It’s one of the toughest challenges for us to stay viable in the history of the game. I spent all day yesterday looking into our accounts and all I thought was catastrophic,” he said.
“We are asking for an economic stimulus. Rugby league and every other sport should be in consideration. We are asking the government to invest not only in the economic situation but the social benefits of rugby league.”
No freaking way.
There are billions of dollars revolving around the game of rugby league in this country that can and should be accessed long before any other assistance should be considered.
If the parties that have been only too happy to make money off the game suddenly don’t have enough passion for the game to support it now it’s going to be requiring their investment, well then they can go elsewhere immediately and not bother darkening our doors again.
I’m sure the NSWRL and QRL – acting as the peak bodies and partners of the clubs – can quickly fill that organisational void and do it with actual passion for the game and not just because they want to make money.
And they will make money because heaps of us adore rugby league.
As for us – the punters – the best thing we can do is figure out how best to support our clubs to get over this – if they actually have a need. There are quite a few clubs who will need no assistance at all, such is their financial strength. Some will need a bit of propping up.
Some will need a lot of support. One of the best things we can do now is not to try and get our membership reimbursed – acknowledging that there will be some for whom this is a financial necessity.
There are going to be a lot of us punters who are going to be financially hurting due to this crisis. For those of us who can help, our first thought should be how we can help the people in our communities who need it.
And after you’ve done that, if you can send some support to the clubs that are struggling to keep them afloat then that’d be grouse.
With us fans sticking together, rugby league will come through this fine.
Maybe even better.
Aussieinexile
Roar Rookie
To put it in context, my brother in Law is an aircraft engineer and services the QANTAS plane engines he is one of the affected 20,000 Qantas staff that will be on holiday or sick leave from the end of March He has mortgage kids etc and doesn't earn as much as Rugby League Stars or administrators. what is he supposed to do?
Aussieinexile
Roar Rookie
To put it in context, my brother in Law is an aircraft engineer and services the QANTAS plane engines he is one of the affected 20,000 Qantas staff that will be on holiday or sick leave from the end of March. He has mortgage kids etc and doesn't earn as much as Rugby League Stars or administrators. what is he supposed to do?
Aussieinexile
Roar Rookie
NRL is a big fish and small pond and what you are saying has some merits, in real global terms Australian Sports are a small fish in a huge pond and using that analogy the rate of return is miniscule since globalisation became the norm 20 years ago. The call for Government handout is at best laughable, if the NRL had made positive steps maybe the government would have listened or some of the members of the governing body should have taken a pay cut in the interest of social inclusion or as you and other have put it is they are “part of the fabric of Australia culture or the people sports”. The fact that Rugby League cannot survive without TV money or government handout tell me there is something fundamentally wrong with the business and how the money is spent or used. The NRL is still behind the times in terms of the reality of modern professional sport or community sport for that matter. Here in Europe professional and community sports must buckle up as there are more pressing social than money thrown at them. If Rugby League in Australia suffers it might even be good as it will be forced to become a more community orientated again. The competition should never have hinted at asking for money is a professional competition like the English Premiership, it knew about the repercussions when they took the Pay TV Silver. Only in very rare case should the government giving aid to a competition when it makes sense for the community that is affected. The NRL is not a community but a Cartel. Right now, the financial viability of the NRL should not even be a topic. Australia has unemployed, an overburden health system and essential services such as the ambulance, police and fire brigade which require the money not a sports league that barely fill stadiums.
Joe King
Guest
My goodness! We can survive without professional sport entertaining us. Agree with supporting the players, etc in their jobs, but not for the sake of my entertainment. People managed to be entertained before professional sport came along. Arguments saying it is vital for our morale are just silly.
Monorchid
Roar Rookie
I think you're right Tim. All the football codes will survive because enough people want them to. The money side of things interests me. The way RL is administered, structured, could change. No-one knows what state the Australian economy will be in after the crisis, or how quickly things will pick up. For example, it's possible that overseas money, and/or ownership could eventuate, particularly as RL now has an admittedly fledgling competition in America. This could grow and stimulate interest among American sports TV viewers and draw the attention of sponsors to Australia. I really couldn't care less whether national football administrations survive because these people exhibit huge arrogance and get paid equally huge salaries for just running a game. I'm not too sure that the senior clubs and their players are much better. As far as this part of the blog is concerned, the highly paid NRL's first strategy was to tell the Australian Government that it would have to save RL. It may very well be that we may go back to the old days, at least for a while, when our local club scenes are the focus of attention because they're already functioning reasonably well without much income.
deucer
Roar Rookie
If the NRL, or AFL for that matter, get one cent of public money before all those unemployed, those who have lost business or health services are back on their feet, it will be a huge PR disaster and the backlash they've had so far would seem miniscule.
Paulie
Guest
Except for the fact after all this Corona Virus problems of all the other three codes it could send them to the wall financially.
Dave from Mt Druitt
Guest
I read somewhere that Greenberg said they made $30m last year. Now they are broke. Perhaps the players will need to take a pay cut. They are not the only ones effected. 20,000 Qantas staff will be on holiday or sick leave from the end of March and they don’t earn as much as these guys. The only people that I know agree with their request for Government money is persons directly associated with the game or ex players.
Kick n Clap
Guest
At least in Canberra now there’s an “Army of Ball washers“ with the Brumbies just floating around like a RU defence coach. Hopefully, “Ricky” if get away for coaching the big boys can help teach them the skills needed to be successful in the big league?
Malo
Guest
Who’s going to be the first nrl covid19 death. Be a good trivial pursuit question.
robertthebruce
Roar Rookie
FFS! Rugby league won't die nor any other of the major sports around Australia because around the world the majority of people play these games for nothing more than enjoyment and social interaction. No doubt in Australia and around the world sport at an elite professional level will go through some changes over the next 6 to 12 months with players and others involved finding the remuneration, in the short term at least, not quite as exciting as it used to be. By 2021 things will be heading back to normal and by 2022 we will be going "virus, what virus!"
Kurt S
Roar Pro
One positive aspect that might come out of this whole situation is expansion of the game. With limited options for US sports fans, the NRL has the potential to tap into a new fan base the size that absolutely dwarfs their current one. Club's front offices may well get some results by reaching out to NFL and NBL and NHL team front offices right now. Creating a sister team agreement or similar in the US might well work. There is a massive supporter base at US clubland. The Brisbane Broncos tried this with the Denver Broncos years before but they were ahead of their time. Technology to transport the product with ease to viewers wasn't there then. It is now and there are a lot of restless sports fans ready to watch even a competitive game of marbles. Even is the sister team is not deemed viable due to concerns NRL might take funds from the NFL and other sports, by getting the NRL press wheel spinning on Fox US and ESPN will have a tremendous impact. Our product lends itself well to TV. That is a benefit it has over AFL. Add some crowd noise or more music to create some semblance of atmosphere for the US viewers and let the product do what it does best.
JohnnyRipe
Guest
Heapsa old people don’t fall off the perch as a result of the grand children dropping in at Xmas either .
Anon
Guest
Horrible analogy. During Christmas there is an increase in consumer spending. Now there is consumer spending too in some industries but across the board it's down. The increased sales and the holiday off for Christmas also causes a spike in production right before the season starts, whereas now that's not the case except for a few tiny segments. Overall, production is down. Lastly, this coronavirus "holiday" isn't taking place instead of Christmas, it's on top of that. So there is definitely damage being done to the economy and people's livelihood. Bills are stacking up but people aren't making more money.
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Orange actually. They got done recently for 'irregularities" in their paperwork and for tax evasion.
Muzz
Guest
Bootleg from Dubbo?
Wait, what??
Roar Rookie
Jobs will be found for them be like bush footy where job comes with contract
Superspud
Roar Rookie
Best article written on the Roar or anywhere else in ages. I'm tired of the whingers trying to sound clever by dragging the game down. Great stuff!!
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
And only tools make assumptions about who a person supports without knowing them. When using cheap tequila, the difference between lemon and lime is minimal. And I have been guilty of using some questionable tequila.
Nat
Roar Guru
Oh Tim, those days are loooooong gone. Most likely passed with Kerry Packer. Corporate support at the level you're talking about has no emotional attachment to league. Mostly because they are nt allowed too. Making a multi-million investment decisions based on being a fan will get you sacked. Nor is it good business to give ultimatums. A CEO may not be able to make a decision based on personal feelings but they can sure knock one back if they don't like you.