British "Superstadiums"

Timbo · Post by **Timbo** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:59 am

To be honest, I'm glad the GAA doesn't allow other sports in. I'm a big believer in tradition in sport, and Landsdowne Road is one of the most tradition enshrined rugby grounds about. For them to move out of there would be a sad thing IMO.

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:11 pm

Sandyhill, I am a Rugby League fan. I can sympathise with RU and the English elite trying to eradicate a sport particular to a certain class of people.

But history changes. People reconcile. IF there are ground for reconciliation ($$$$$$$) and there is no longer conflict, I think they should do away with that divide.

sandyhill · Post by **sandyhill** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:07 am

So here we are on the British Superstadiums thread discussing Croke Park. Meanwhile, on the Croke Park, Dublin thread, the discussion is about .... British stadiums of course.

Yes, Jeffles, as a RL fan, you would know some of my points very well. You forgive too easily! There is much debate in Ireland now about Croke Pk. Soccer has a better chance than rugby, as there's still lots of resentment of the GAA sports being still excluded from elite private schools in Dublin due to contacts they have with rugby board (kinda like in Sydney).

GAA built up Croke Pk to what it is, and they're OK financially - Croke Pk is used year round (Hurling & football) and being amatuer, they use their funds purely for the GAA sports developement, rather than enriching its participants. Of course, this means they lose a quota of their better players to the rival professional codes (even AFL) so theres even more debate over that issue (though even if they went pro, they couldn't compete against soccers inflated salaries, so maybe they should stay as they are).

Anyway, I still like Croke Park, because of its uniqueness compared to the rest in Europe. I know its heretical in this day'n'age, but I prefer cultural and community connection to sport, over mindless mono globalisation of a few major sports (or products as they're now being called) - designed not for participation, but as an entertainment product used to extract dollars from comsumers. Croke Pk (or more specifically the GAA) still stands out as a beacon of light against this globalised trend. God bless the Irish.

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:03 am

sandyhill wrote:You forgive too easily!

Not really. Perhaps this is a sign that my deep resentment for Rugby Union is not being displayed enough. The gloves are off!

sandyhill · Post by **sandyhill** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:29 am

Yeah, Jeffles, keep the gloves off. The following I copied from a RL fan in another site. It was in a thread that outlined the dirty tricks RU got up to in late 19th century to keep Australian Football out of Sydney (by denying them any enclosed grounds to play on. Anyone who know the histories of both Australian Football and Rugby League should go along with these sediments!

I read on another site a while ago about Rugby Union and it's dirty tricks with regards to AR, i always thought it was only RL that got the short end of the stick from rugga.

RU likes to tell everyone how good they are and how everyone can play, but they don't like to play by the rules, one day they will get whats comming to them.

If only RL was allowed in the armed forces in England back in 1895, RU would not exist today, the only sport in the British empire that you could not play was Rugby League, thats why union spread throughout the world.

Rugby League was baned but soccer wasn't, Weren't they both pro

You could play AR in the Aussie army but not League until 1995, 100 years after the ban took effect.

Noticed how union never had a go at soccer or Gridiron.

I hope there game dies, it would be justice, they black listed thousands of RL players, the supported the NAZI's in France, they used there influence (religous and political) to get where they are.

Union didn't kill off League in 1995 when they went PRO, they breathed new life into an old enemy, and since then, League has grown and grown and grown.

Maybe League and AR should gang up on those bastards and give em a bit of there own back.

I mightn't follow AR, but i damn well have no problem with it being played, anyone should have a right to play what ever sport they like when ever they like

The biggest hypocrites on earth.(the world in union )

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 4:20 pm

sandyhill wrote:If only RL was allowed in the armed forces in England back in 1895, RU would not exist today, the only sport in the British empire that you could not play was Rugby League, thats why union spread throughout the world.

This (along with Vichy) are two very big factors that prevented the expansion of RL around the world.

I don't want to get into another big RL v RU debate. Suffice to say that your post outlined the reasons why RU should not claim the moral high ground it frequently does in various debates. The ramifications of RU tactics are still being felt in England today. Media bias is appalling. When it stops, I'll stop holding my views.

tom · Post by **tom** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 5:38 pm

What is this bias you speak of?

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 6:33 pm

Tom, I assume you are asking me about the media bias.

There is a relative lack of coverage of Rugby League in the British media in proportion to the popularity of the sport. The main offenders are the newspapers and the BBC. Many believe this is attributed to two factors

1) RU elites in the upper echelons of these organisations.

2) London/southern bias.

tom · Post by **tom** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:31 pm

I see, the reasons you mentioned are strong. Is it just in national news though, I get the feeling that AFL is favoured over the NRL in the Australian such as its weekend fixtures and sumaries normally being put before but maybe thats just Perth additions? Anyway I'm sure Manchester, Lancaster and Yorkshire local media would be doing the right thing be the code.

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 3:00 pm

tom wrote:I see, the reasons you mentioned are strong. Is it just in national news though, I get the feeling that AFL is favoured over the NRL in the Australian such as its weekend fixtures and sumaries normally being put before but maybe thats just Perth additions? Anyway I'm sure Manchester, Lancaster and Yorkshire local media would be doing the right thing be the code.

National news is the most important news. And RL misses out despite having a large following in the South (RFL website claims that half of all Superleague viewers live in the South).

As for local media, coverage is better but a lot of media is being centralised so that local newspapers etc up north are using more standardised national copy. This means more and more new coming out of London.

BBC Sport is moving to Manchester I understand. I wonder if this will do anything positive for RL.

britishspud · Post by **britishspud** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 5:45 am

the bbc screen 2 games from each round of the challenge cup from this round on ( 4th round) they also show highlights from each round of super league on sunday mornings, but it's only shown in the north...test match highlights are shown nationwide.....other than that it's all on sky, live