Farce! Joke! Disgraceful!

Moan, moan, chuffing moan

Being a Rugby League fan can be challenging sometimes. Not because it's particularly difficult watching highly skilled athletes playing a highly exciting game played at a blistering pace but because of the attitude of some of the fans. For those of us like myself who like to talk about Rugby League through on-line forums and elsewhere it can be a depressing experience.

At any given point there are a number of talking points in the game, many that have come from difficult decisions. We are at the stage where almost any decision made in our game is faced with calls of farce and ridicule from certain quarters. Famously, League Express once had to create a section in its Mailbag purely for positive letters because the editor was fed up with the sheet number of negative letters. This has never been more evident than at the start of this season where there has been a number of controversial talking points.

Whenever this is discussed a number of theories are put forward. For instance some think it is linked to the culture that created the split in 1895 and some think it is do with the innate northernness of the game and the associated stereotypes of moaning northerners.

Why are Rugby League fans so negative?

Some examples

It's important to state that we are not talking about criticism when we say RL fans are negative. There is of course a crucial place for criticism within any organisation or sport. I'm also not talking about in game reactions to referees for instance, which are part and parcel of any sport. The difference is the over-reaction and the outrage that we often see professed about off-field matters. To illustrate my point I'm not going to focus on the obvious examples from the past few weeks like the Stobart deal (called the "saddest day for a medium sized sport" by one) or the I-pitch. Some fans can overreact about the most trivial of things:

Widnes vs Wakefield on Sky - As would normally be the case, Sky chose a promoted club's first game in Super League for an opening weekend game. This didn't go down well amongst some fans who would rather have had a more high profile game start the season. 

"the first half of the season fixtures that Sky have chosen are garbage, my subscription is getting cancelled tonight.
as for Widnes and Salford starting the season, a total joke." (Standee RLfans)

This is a classic example of an overreaction. One made all the more silly the the record opening TV figures we saw at the weekend. 

The Sky advert - An advert made by Sky TV for the new season of RL. They came at it from a different angle for a change. Instead of plenty of action, they went for the funny side. You either like it or you don't. Maybe not...

"It is just about the naffest, least exciting piece of nonsense you could possibly dream up for advertising a fast collision sport. It says nothing at all about the game and in many ways reinforces many stereotypes that non-RL fans have about the game......." (Derwent TotalRL)

He couldn't just not think the advert was funny could he?

The Margin Meter - Now I'm not for one minute going to defend the margin meter as a credible analytical tool and there was plenty of scope for mickey taking. I wanted to show it as an example of just how RL fans can overreact,

"What a load of Sh** this all sounds and even more so what a load of nonsense too. I tune in to watch R/L not some set of infantile idiots playing out their fantasies over playthings that children might even shun. I cannot think that I have heard of anything dafter connected with a serious sporting event." (Petero TotalRL).

We are talking about something that means very little, yet here we have a classic exaggeration. This is while he was talking about cancelling his Sky subscription. The game of RL is apparently damaged by an in-game analysis tool. 

I have just touched on three examples here from the last couple of weeks but I could easily have chosen a multitude of others, not to mention the numerous examples that come up year on year like expansion, licensing, crowd fudging and apparent wrong venue choice. Controversial issues never seem to be far away for people to overreact too. 

Is it a myth?

It's not just my opinion, RL is well known for having fans that are negative. It's worth pointing out that impression can in itself give a false impression and mean we focus too much on the few examples. A quick look at the threads on TotalRL and RLfans shows that in all of these discussions there are a sizeable portion, almost certainly the majority, who are talking reasonably and are actually positive about the decisions or issues. Also, if you were to check out other forums of other sports, say for instance the Liverpool Football forum, they often contain some laughably ridiculous overreactions. 

I would probably have subscribed to this opinion until fairly recently. As some of you are aware, I was involved with the campaign to get fans to use specific game hashtags. During initial attempts to get it off the ground I e-mailed journalists and received positive replies. I also received one reply from a journalist where he stated that whilst he was sceptical about the idea he would still give them a try and wished it the best. However, this is in clear contrast to how a significant number of people reacted. Whilst I anticipated a degree of indifference and disinterest, I did not anticipate how many would actively dislike them to the extent that they were starting their own versions or actively tweeting others telling them not to use them. 

What is important with this example is that we are talking about something that contained no risk. If it was a bad idea then absolutely nothing was lost and all would go back to normal. Yet this didn't stop the vehemence that still continues from some quarters today. Even Liverpool FC fans are usually coming from a position of worry about their team which makes their negativity more understandable, it is an issue they care strongly about. Twitter hashtags or the Margin Meter aren't. Since then I have kept more of an eye on opinion on Twitter and I think that the over-reactive element in RL is still very significant there. They do still crop up on the forums but the difference is that it very quickly becomes difficult to justify that position when it is challenged from many quarters. On a platform such as Twitter they can make their comments knowing they are unlikely to be challenged. 

Here comes the Science bit!

Well not exactly, I'm not a scientist or a psychologist but here is my theory as to why RL has such a strong negative aspect. I think it comes from the apparent fragility of the game. 

Whether we like to admit it or not, Rugby League isn't the most secure of sports. That is to say we don't enjoy a great deal of support or favour and are almost constantly under different pressures to survive. We often pride ourselves on being the sport with the greatest amount of obituary notices written about it. The game continues to have a lot of issues and the RFL are constantly making tough decisions about the future of the game. This is where I think much of it comes from. It's more comforting to imagine that there are a bunch of inept clowns in Red Hall than to think that the game has some serious problems that can not be easily solved. Therefore, I think it is a defence mechanism that certain fans use whenever a decision has been made. Rather than wait and see if the decision is the correct one, they quickly jump and proclaim that it is a pathetic decision. In this way they are protecting themselves from a potential fall if it does go belly up, whilst at the same time making themselves look like they are wiser than perhaps they are. If they are wrong it is relatively quickly forgotten and often it is difficult for them to be proven wrong as it is based on a decision where the opposite decision can not be analysed. There is a large element of game playing going on. 

This has created a culture of sorts around Rugby League where it is OK and almost the norm to ridicule those in charge. This has spilled over from just the authorities to almost anybody involved with Rugby League. People are protective of the game and have become over sensitive to how it will be viewed by others. They have made RL into the Hyacinth Bucket of sports, so worried about how we will be perceived by the outside world and other sports that they don't want us to try anything that could potentially bring embarrassment. So for instance when Sky choose Widnes-Wakefield as the opening game, some instantly worry that it will not give a good impression of RL. The defence mechanism then kicks in and the decision rather than being one they disagree with becomes a farcical one. 

Of course some individuals are just moaners and that will always be the case but I think they have been accepted for too long and it has become cultural. There is also a large aspect of attention seeking amongst these people. Rather than disagree with a decision, if you call it a disgrace you draw more attention to yourself, especially if you are then later proven correct.

So what do you think, is RL as negative as it is made out to be or is it just a myth? Are there other reasons behind the negativity? One thing is for sure, most of those people should try living somewhere where there is almost no Rugby league. We'd see how negative about the game they are then. 

A Wildcat Wake up call

Wakefield once again teach Widnes a lesson

So the big day finally arrived and Widnes are now a proper Super League club once again. Unfortunately for us, Wakefield spoiled the party and in the end ran out fairly comfortable winners. After the match, it was quite easy to be down about the result and the implications it would have for the rest of the season. However, a mixture of continued controversy over the I-pitch and other club's fortunes on the field has taken the focus off the result on Friday. Now the dust has settled and we have seen all the other teams in action the question remains,

What does the result mean for Widnes' season?

History repeating itself?  

One swallow doesn't make a summer. Let me take you back to the 24th February 2002 and it was Widnes' first ever game as a Super League club against Super League opposition albeit in the Challenge Cup. We once again faced Wakefield and it was televised on national TV. Despite being fairly big favourites and tipped to finish above Wakefield we were taught a lesson and lost a dire tussle 12-4. The feeling afterwards was much the same and fans inevitably over-reacted. However we all know what happened next and the Wakefield defeat ended up being one of the best things that could happen to us. The lesson we learnt from that defeat was that we had underestimated the challenge and subsequently we went on a great run and narrowly missed out on the playoffs. Friday night could hopefully prove to be a similar experience.


Maybe not...


That said, I think the manner of defeat was very different. Some Widnes fans after the match were off the opinion that our discipline cost us but I think that the issues were far more fundamental than that. It was evident from very early on that Wakefield were making better yards than us, running with more purpose and looked far more dangerous when they were attacking than we did. Most importantly perhaps we seemed to have little control at the ruck. We did still manage to go in in front and in reality did a very good job to do so but the Sky statistics at half time provided very ominous signs. We had dominated territory and the majority of the play had taken place in their half. The second half was always likely to see this evened up and so it proved. The difference in quality of the sides meant that they were better able to convert and ended up winning fairly comfortably.

All is not lost!


My original opinion was one of worry. Many people had tipped the wooden spoon race to be between us and Wakefield. Therefore the fear was that if we are comfortably behind Wakefield, how far behind Warrington, Wigan or Leeds must we be? Were we looking at a season similar to that 'enjoyed' by Leigh Centurions in 2004? We of course have players to come back, and in some pretty crucial positions, but we are always likely to have some players out and Wakefield seemed dominant in many areas.

However, as the weekend wore on there did appear to be some grounds for optimism. After enduring the dire clash between Salford and Castleford and then looking at subsequent results it started to look increasingly like Wakefield had been underestimated. They certainly looked much better than Salford and Bradford to name two other sides that had bad weekends. We are not likely to make the top 10 this year, but hopefully with those players back and once the players start to gel better we will at least be competitive and maybe not get the wooden spoon. I think this is all most Widnes fans would hope for this year.

You never know, Huddersfield on Sunday might see a repeat of our first away game in Super League in 2002 when we shocked the RL world by going in at half time 30-6 up against Castleford. We can but dare to dream!

Quick word on the I-pitch


As I stated earlier, the result seems to have been overshadowed by the continuing controversy with the I-pitch. Much of this has focussed on Richie Mathers and his knees but I'm not going to criticise him for his opinion. After all, he has played on it and we haven't.

What I will say is that times like this bring out the worst in many Rugby League supporters although it doesn't seem to take much these days. So many people seem to be willing for this new pitch to fail and have been willing to jump on anything that has been said about it, even continuing to blame a broken leg on the pitch despite reports to the contrary.

Like with many new innovations only time will tell and I'd be more inclined to believe that in 10 years time many clubs in SL will have a similar pitch and all this will be forgotten.

Being a Rugby League fan in Ireland

The Emerald Isle is hardly a hotbed of RL

Ireland is a charming place in the eyes of many. Whether you go to the North or the South you are often greeted with a warm welcome, a cup of tea and a smile. The weather might be awful but they make up for it with roaring fires and piping hot roast dinners.
Unfortunately after a pretty exhaustive search (a quick glance) to find a partner from Widnes I had to concede that I would need to look further afield. It was during my University years that I met my wife almost 7 years ago. As we got more serious it was decided that it would be most sensible for us to set up life near her home, the Northern Irish border in County Tyrone. For me personally, this was not a huge deal. I'm not a homebody and I have lived away from home before without getting particularly homesick. However, for most people that knew me one question repeatedly came up.

How are you going to cope without Rugby League?

For anybody that knows me, they know that my greatest passion is Rugby League. It usually doesn't take much of a leap for people to realise that Rugby League isn't played to a great extent in Ireland. I say great extent because most knowledgeable RL fans are aware that the game is played in Ireland, just not in as nearly big a way as the north of England. So really I was left with a few options. 

Giving up Rugby League 

No chance, like giving up breathing or beer. 

Getting involved in Irish Rugby League 

This would of course seem the most obvious route for a fan to take. After all, I left England being involved with an amateur club so it would make sense to get involved with an amateur club in Ireland. The RL scene is pretty small over here and the clubs aren't clubs in the same sense but this is of course not a problem. The bigger issue is the location. Whilst Ulster and Ireland has a small league of teams, I couldn't be further from a team. The clubs themselves tend to be centred around Dublin and Belfast and the closest team to myself is comfortably over an hour away. Whilst I may make a visit during the season, the season is painfully short and the distance makes it impractical. I once made contact with the RLI about the possibility of a team around Derry/Londonderry they mistook my interest for a declaration that I was willing to start my own club! Erm not quite yet I'm afraid. I admire the sort of people that can do this but unfortunately I'm not one.  

Getting Involved in a Different Sport

Many people that move away from a RL hotbed are often reluctantly drawn towards other sports. The most obvious example being Rugby Union. Whether we like to admit it or not the games are similar enough to get enjoyment out of both. Trying my hand at Rugby Union could be classed as a consolation prize. Whilst the profile of Rugby Union is good over here on TV and popular amongst people that you meet, the actual number of clubs is quite small especially in the area I am in. For instance I live in a town approximately half the size of Widnes but it has just 1 Rugby Union club and this is small. So Union is smaller where I am now than it is in Widnes, a RL hotbed. Although I haven't actively looked, I have never seen Rugby being played over here, either officially or casually. If I have children over here I wouldn't be averse to taking them to the local Union club (with a view to their being a high profile switch in later life). Touch Rugby is apparently big in Ireland and this being similar to Touch RL I enquired about it, but it doesn't seem to be particularly concrete and quite informal. 

Following Rugby League From Afar

This is the option I have currently been left with and to be honest I haven't found it that bad. Whilst I haven't met a fan in person over here, the internet makes things a lot easier to still follow the game and as a result I haven't found it that different to being in Widnes. Twitter and the Rugby League forums such as TotalRL.com ensures that it is still easy to talk about RL albeit in a different way. The only thing really missing if face to face discussion about RL, so it's not all bad. Sky Sports is of course a great help and I'm not sure how easy it would be living somewhere where you could not watch RL. I also suspect that in the past many had to largely give up their love for Rugby League due to lack of availability. 

It is of course poignant tonight that the Super League season starts and whilst I will obviously be envious of those attending Widnes' first game, I will still be pretty comfortable in front of the stove and with the TV up loud. The only difference from watching at home is that I'll have my phone in my hand, texting or tweeting away. 

So in summary, it's probably not as hard as you would expect being a RL fan in a distant land. It just takes a bit of adjustment and positivity. The reality is that I haven't had to give RL up so I should be grateful for that and take the opportunity I have now. Plus it will mean those times that I can get home to watch a game will be all the more special. 

 

What's the point of the Super League Hashtags?

#SLWidWak, #SLSalCas, #Nonsense?

Well it's that time of the year again. Excitement and anticipation is steadily growing for the new Super League season. As has become more common over the last couple of years, people are putting their opinions all over Twitter. It's worth saying at this point that if you are unfamiliar with Twitter, this blog probably isn't for you. I'll be using terms that Twitter users will understand but that will sound like utter nonsense if you're not a user.

This year, the RFL has decided to release its own set of specific in-game hashtags. See, if you're not a Tweeter, you're already scratching your head. Anyway, here's a link to the article. The aim is to try and get Twitter users to try and use these specific hashtags when chatting about games. However, this being Rugby League, there has been a good amount of scepticism. The question I most commonly hear is this one,

What's the point? Why don't we just carry on using #rugbyleague? 

This is of course a valid question but hopefully I will go some way to explaining the reasons why the specific hashtags are better than #rugbyleague. The first thing to point out is that using the specific hashtags has two distinct aims. Firstly, it is to improve discussion around individual games and secondly it is to enable the game to trend more often. 

Improving Discussion

As ever with most good ideas, they have been borrowed from somewhere else. In this case Australia took the lead, firstly with Aussie Rules, then the NRL and finally the A-League.  They now all use them as standard during games and enjoy the backing of the media and official organisations. The best of these examples when comparing it to the Super League is of course the NRL. On the RLFans discussion on this topic, a user involved in the NRL campaign (nko11) had this to say about it,

"The main reasoning behind match specific hashtags is that it presents a live stream which can be very handy for someone who can't get any other form of commentary."

The same is true in the UK. At the back end of last season, during the playoffs, these match specific hashtags were trialled and many people enjoyed using them. The reality is that whilst many people enjoy using #rugbyleague for general tweets, they rarely apply it to in game matches and when they do it gets lost in the multitude of other RL related tweets. If you are trying to follow discussion around a specific game this can make it difficult to do. Most tweets about the games have no easy way of being found through a search or they are mixed in with a variety of other tweets from other parts of the world. Game specific tags don't just clean this up but they help to create more discussion around the games. 

Getting the Sport Trending

The use of game specific hashtags has been a huge success in Australia and the games will regularly trend worldwide. Here are a couple of examples where this has happened,

Now the biggest criticism I hear around this subject is that RL is not as big in the UK as in Australia and is less likely to trend. This is of course true. It is then suggested that we should be pooling our tweets into #rugbyleague to give it a better chance of trending. This is not true.

The biggest misconception about trending on twitter is that it is the most popular topics that trend. It is in fact topics that enjoy a spike in popularity that trend. If this wasn't the case then Justin Beiber, One Direction and the days of the week would constantly trend. Put another way, Buzzfeed explained it that,

"Twitter favors novelty over popularity."

This is the same explanation for why #rugbyleague never trends but Steve Ganson, Widnes, Rangi Chase and Darren Lockyer have all trended in this country and worldwide. The #rugbyleague hashtag has a constant level of use and would therefore need a massive spike to ever trend. The same is not true for game specific tags and this is why they trend in Australia instead of the more generic and widely used #NRL. 

Don't They Sound Silly?

At first glance yes they do. However, as with in Australia it is all about standardisation. The hope is that in time people will be able to easily figure out what the hashtag will be as it will be SL plus the two sky shortened names. Some have suggested that people will not understand what they mean. I once again refer to nko11 from Australia,

"The amount of people who were asking what #NRL....... meant, was incredible. As fans of the Greatest Game of All we have the ability and the duty to give something back."

As we can see, if it trends people will click on it and in doing so this exposes our game to a potential audience that would not usually be interested. 

Getting Going

As I stated earlier, this was trialled in the UK at the end of last season with mixed results. League Express newspaper backed a fan led campaign that had a number of media and clubs on board. For the games that they were used people enjoyed them and it briefly managed to trend. Unfortunately due to a mix up the RFL then released their own and this halted much of the momentum, creating a great deal of confusion. League Express have again decided to continue with the tags and importantly the RFL are using the same tags, so everybody is on the page with official support.

It may take some time for people to use them extensively but I am confident that it will pick up pace the more it is used. Hopefully we would then be able to get Sky involved and this would boost our chances even more. So go on, if you're tweeting at the weekend add #SLWidWak or #SLSalCas at the end of your tweets, you might even enjoy it.