Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Mon Oct 29, 2018 1:57 pm  

Rugbyreddog - what made you go to Wembley rather than Hull?

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Mon Oct 29, 2018 3:24 pm  

Having read the last few comments I conclude that society is no longer interested in content, just the thin veneer of glitter. X factor,Trump, Love Island, Premiership football, NFL...I despair!

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Mon Oct 29, 2018 3:35 pm  

Kevs Head wrote:

Rugbyreddog - what made you go to Wembley rather than Hull?

Several things as I said; a complete event. It's always a good event . For those that have never been to one it is a bit like going to the GF. Not wanting to waste time watching the usual 5 drives and a kick. And at the risk of upsetting neighbours I would have to add that as a Bulls supporter I have never felt relaxed or comfortable in the KC.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Mon Oct 29, 2018 3:45 pm  

silver2 wrote:

Having read the last few comments I conclude that society is no longer interested in content, just the thin veneer of glitter. X factor,Trump, Love Island, Premiership football, NFL...I despair!

You may be right but to paraphrase 'Field of Dreams'; give the people what they want and they will come. Obviously the opposite is also true. I would suggest that people are interested in content and that RL needs to alter their content. Five drives and a kick, messing about at the play the ball and an increase in kinds of play best described as gamesmanship are killing the game. AS they say figures don't lie. A game not played in this country get 85k for 3rd successive week, Eng v NZ in a city with 2 SL clubs gets 18k. Whilst we will all despair with you the game needs a serious shake-up if it is to continue.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Mon Oct 29, 2018 5:00 pm  

silver2 wrote:

Having read the last few comments I conclude that society is no longer interested in content, just the thin veneer of glitter. X factor,Trump, Love Island, Premiership football, NFL...I despair!

Despair all you like, that's the reality. But fighting that reality is probably not in the best interests of the sport if it is ever going to get out of this rut.

The Working Mens Club analogy that a previous poster used is probably accurate. RL is currently the WMC which is dead on a Saturday night, despite the cheap drinks, with crap decor, and the only people in there are the pensioners waiting for the bingo to start. Other sports are the trendy wine bars, serving expensive cocktails, where all of the good looking people go. Trends change, expectations change and unless RL changes with them, it will go the way of those working mens clubs.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Mon Oct 29, 2018 10:13 pm  

silver2 wrote:

Having read the last few comments I conclude that society is no longer interested in content, just the thin veneer of glitter. X factor,Trump, Love Island, Premiership football, NFL...I despair!

How condescending a comment is that?

I'd say 10/10 in terms of dismissing something more popular that RL as Trite and "empty".....Rugby League is a niche sport "predominantly" played in a couple of Aussie states and along an English Motorway.......the NFL is played across a nation of 200+ million people and has being laying down roots in the UK for 3 decades or more....Premiership Football is the #1 division of the #1 team sport i the UK, X-factor used to smash viewing figures........but because it's not 5 tackles and a kick, you attempt (and fail I will add) to take the high ground.

The people by what is marketed to them in terms of their disposable income.........the RFL and NRL have little concept of how to do anything than try and sell new hymnals to the same, shrinking choir and it has little to do with content, because that "test match" at the weekend was average at best and if England had lost it would have been considered dour.

If you want to see the power of marketing and perception at work, glance at the International Union results and crowds over the next 6 weeks or so...they're polishing a similar turd yet will smash us to bits.....it's not the lack of content, but how you sell it!

Your condescending remark is purely your stance that RL is TGG and people should e happy to rock up.........how's that panned out for us of late?

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Tue Oct 30, 2018 12:53 am  

Kevs Head wrote:

Rugbyreddog - what made you go to Wembley rather than Hull?

I went to Wembley rather than Hull too - tickets bought a long time before the test series dates were announced. Wembley was virtually sold out long before the RFL decided to even announce fixture dates.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Tue Oct 30, 2018 7:45 am  

who ever made the decision to put ENJOY THE GAME on the match officials shirts should be sacked, something you'd see at Blackpool cheapo market

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Tue Oct 30, 2018 9:41 am  

Call Me God wrote:

How condescending a comment is that?

I'd say 10/10 in terms of dismissing something more popular that RL as Trite and "empty".....Rugby League is a niche sport "predominantly" played in a couple of Aussie states and along an English Motorway.......the NFL is played across a nation of 200+ million people and has being laying down roots in the UK for 3 decades or more....Premiership Football is the #1 division of the #1 team sport i the UK, X-factor used to smash viewing figures........but because it's not 5 tackles and a kick, you attempt (and fail I will add) to take the high ground.

The people by what is marketed to them in terms of their disposable income.........the RFL and NRL have little concept of how to do anything than try and sell new hymnals to the same, shrinking choir and it has little to do with content, because that "test match" at the weekend was average at best and if England had lost it would have been considered dour.

If you want to see the power of marketing and perception at work, glance at the International Union results and crowds over the next 6 weeks or so...they're polishing a similar turd yet will smash us to bits.....it's not the lack of content, but how you sell it!

Your condescending remark is purely your stance that RL is TGG and people should e happy to rock up.........how's that panned out for us of late?

I tend to agree with the poster - but I don't think its necessarily condescending; you're right of course that in this modern era of connectedness, short attention spans and diminishing disposable income, people will choose to spend their money on what they think will deliver the best bang for the buck - and it's absolutely the case that many sports have eclipsed RL in their efforts to deliver that - not least NFL, which I maintain is a triumph of marketing over content - but that's partly a personal view of a game that I simply can't get into.

What is for certain, is that RL is light years behind when it comes to marketing, promotion and engagement with people outside the 'traditional' fan base; the WMC analogy is a good one, with the added jeopardy that oversight of the sport is handled by similar people, with a similar attitude - a committee of dinosaurs who can't understand why the function room is empty, whilst the cocktail bar in town is rammed.

It doesn't look good for the game in the long term - and I don't know the answers - but it's fairly clear that the sport is being held back; partly by the governing body, and partly by some clubs - and maybe by a broadcast deal that does next to nothing to promote the sport to new fans.

Re: NFL sell out Wembley *again* ! : Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:26 am  

silver2 wrote:

Having read the last few comments I conclude that society is no longer interested in content, just the thin veneer of glitter. X factor,Trump, Love Island, Premiership football, NFL...I despair!

Agreed, there’s a lot wrong with SL that seriously needs addressing, but the truth is commercialised crap for the short attention span is winning. 11 minutes the ball is in play in NFL but who cares, there’s hotdogs,fireworks,cheerleaders,commercials and the drone of an organ (or is that big rounders) for the other 2hrs 49 minutes. Call it condescending if you like but the things that become popular in modern culture are far removed from my values.

The game would be more popular if we had some boxing/WWE style staged drama before a game, instagram selfies of the players with rabbit ears on the big screen at half time, the officials having stand offs and colourful managers like Mourinho who act like sulking teenagers...sod it let’s go for it. The modern world, where words like vlogger, YouTuber, Facebook famous,instagramable and flossing exist, your music is mass produced and voted for in a popularity contest and there’s an online platform for narcissists to give themselves the name Call me God.