Today on sports station 1116 SEN, I managed to catch an interview with a Queensland University lecturer on the topic of the NRL and how the recent spate of off-field incidents could potentially have a devastating effect on the future of the game.
It has been a year to forget for the Rugby League code. The latest scandal involving allegations of spousal abuse in which star Melbourne Storm player, Greg Inglis, is said to have struck his girlfriend, is only one of a number of bad news stories for the NRL this season. Take for example the drunken antics of two Sydney Roosters’ teammates who were charged over a bar scuffle that left a woman’s face bruised or the Four Corners expose on the Matthew Johns group sex debarcle. Not even coach Brad Fittler was immune, fining himself $10,000 for being found drunk and half-naked at a team hotel.
According to the lecturer, the NRL run the risk of losing the crucial “mother segment”. After all, what self-respecting mother would want to expose their child to a violent sport, whose own ambassadors are embroiled in crimes of such an insidious nature?
Should they off-side this segment, future talent and attendance is likely to be severely hit. The ramifications may not be felt immediately but they will be felt.
So what can those at NRL HQ do to manage the fallout? How do they safeguard the integrity of the code?
In posing this question, I can’t help but be reminded of the Show Jumps controvercy which surfaced earlier this year. Those in charge remained tight-lipped as the media ran with the animal cruelty angle. The sport very nearly ceased to exist in this country because those at the helm refused to present an equally compelling story in their defence. Instead of hearing about how the sport in many cases actually helps prolong the life of these horses, we were exposed to shouts of animal cruelty.
Hopefully, the NRL doesn’t follow suit.
Managing people’s perceptions of your product is an essential part of marketing. That’s what the NRL must do if their code is to overcome these challenges and continue to remain a dominant force among Australian sport. They need to atleast appear to have stamped out the bad boy culture which seems to have permeated every corner of the game.
It’s going to make for fascinating viewing.
