It’s all too familiar - another boozy football event, another drunken footballer, allegations of a serious incident with a woman, a player suspended, a club fined.
When do sporting organisations – in this case the National Rugby League - start looking in their own backyard and reviewing their own behaviour?
The NRL gladly promotes beer and spirits in exchange for lucrative sponsorships. On television their matches are littered with advertisements for booze.
The NRL apparently sees no problem with this arrangement, even when it suspends a player for four weeks and fines a club $100,000 for “abuse of alcohol in the aftermath of a club function that has led in some part to the game being placed under enormous pressure.”
Tackling the behaviour of players and clubs is important and should be encouraged, but who addresses the behaviour of the NRL?
When will major sporting codes recognise they are hopelessly conflicted: on one hand they attempt to portray their sport as a community minded, family friendly environment that respects and values women, but at the same time have their other hand in the cash tills of the booze industry?
The misuse of alcohol and, the lack of respect for women shown by high profile sportsmen damages the brand of sports - among women, parents, and fair minded people who are sick of the drunken parade of bad behaviour that is often demeaning, aggressive and even violent towards women.
Sports will always be an irresistible lure for alcohol companies – with the enduring appeal of young sports stars undertaking inspiring, skilful and brave acts on the field. When the bulk of the alcohol market is made up of young drinkers, alcohol companies find sport a perfect mix and a great way to reach their young target markets who account for the bulk of the alcohol industry’s revenue.
Those responsible for managing many of our sporting organisations are sadly forsaking the wonderful community appeal, physical activity, camaraderie and friendship that go with sports, for the cash of the beer, wine and spirits industries.
There would surely be a long term benefit for the credibility of our most popular sports by freeing them from the clutches of the alcohol industry and assist in restoring the tarnished brand of such organisations.
The value of the NRL brand has already taken a hit with reports of NRL sponsors including the Federal Government, Telstra and Harvey Norman voicing their displeasure at the image of NRL in the wake of this latest incident.
Other sports face a similar challenge – the closer the ties to the alcohol industry, the less appealing the brand is likely to be for sporting fans and for families in particular.
Currently, there is an unfair playing field – some sports find it hard to resist alcohol cash. Those with the courage to say no shouldn’t feel as though their sport may suffer in the short term. They should in fact be rewarded for their commitment to the game and not sacrificing their sport to the booze industry.
The rules of the game need changing.