Anonymous
Years ago

Basis for mainstream media coverage (sports)

Watching the sports news the other night, it was loaded with stories of Women's AFL and women's cricket. These were the lead sports stories. What struck me is when they showed the highlights, there didn't look to be very many people in the crowd.

Which leads me to the question: on what basis should AFLW and Women's cricket be getting more coverage than say, the NBL? Sure, the equivalent men's competitions dwarf the NBL for audiences so to have their stories dominate the sports news makes sense - there are a lot of people interested in it.

I suppose the other argument is that the mainstream media wants to help grow and promote women's sport. Which is fine, but to which my counter is - where has the coverage of the WNBL been? Which by the way, is of a higher standard when compared to the men's game then when you compare AFLW to AFL men's.

I guess the other argument is that whilst the women's AFL and cricket comps still are growing their audience, we know that those sports in general are popular. Again, I could counter that basketball "generally" is a very popular sport in Australia too. Isn't kids participation right up there with footy?

Can someone with media nous explain this to me?

Topic #46920 | Report this topic


Zodiac  
Years ago

Who owns the AFLW and Women's cricket? There is your answer to why they get more media coverage than the NBL.

Reply #793778 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

T-20 cricket for men had less spectators than nbl but that don't stop the bias. I never understand it.

Reply #793783 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

No one cares about the AFLW. The AFL, channel 7 and fox just ram it down everyones throats to be politically correct and diverse.

Honestly pisses me off how much media attention AFLW gets. Because A no one cares, and B there are so many more sports (male and female) in Australia more deserving of the attention that garbage gets.

I don't mind the media women's cricket gets, it doesn't seem to get quite as much attention, and personally I think it's much more well earned. They've built themselves up over the last few years to become a respectable aussie sport imo.

Reply #793784 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

When you get $1 billion or $2.5 billion for TV rights, you can push the vanity projects (unless you stupidly put it against your own men's and the rival code's men's finals, then you get no where, NRLW).

I actually enjoy watching AFLW (my team winning 2 premierships in 3 years can do that), despite the quality being overbloated by inventing an "elite" competition out of nothing then expanding to 420 players in 14 teams within 4 years. And it is disgraceful that the idea of renaming the AFL to AFLM because AFLW exists, gets 100 times more coverage than the WNBL finals (thanks ABC).

Reply #793786 | Report this post


Haz  
Years ago

Mainstream media will only cover the sports which are shown on their channel. It doesnt have to be news worthy either. A puff piece will do. If there's a commercial interest in it - eg they have invested in the sport and advertisers are funding it, then to keep advertisers happy, they need to promote thier investment.

Womens AFL and cricket are essentially products of the AFL and Cricket Australia, and there's plenty of commercial interest there, thats why they get covered.

Its BS - news should be news regardless of the sport. But with mainstream coverage, especially with sport, its all to do with advertising $$$.

Give up on mainstream news and follow your sport online. You'll be happier for it.

Reply #793787 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

Should news be based on attendance?
I was at an AFLW game on Saturday. There were 35k+ other people there as well.
How many were at all of the weekend's NBL games combined?

Reply #793788 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"Should news be based on attendance?"

That's what I'm asking. I'm not a journalist, so I don't know what the standards are. I thought "public interest" would be one for news, but I guess that's subjective. The amount of people watching would be one indicator of public interest.

If AFLW games are attracting 35k, then all power to them but the highlights I saw had mainly empty seats.

Reply #793789 | Report this post


Haz  
Years ago

The 35000 at the Freo-WC game was an outlier. 1st derby match and I think first West Coast game in their existence. Plus admission is either free or a tiny admission cost (I heard $3 but I think games are free usually??)

Yes an impressive crowd, but absolutely not sustainable. When the season is done, all teams will be scraping for a few thousand a game, as interest will have waned by then.

The NBL on the other hand has had an average crowd of 7500 all season - for an indoor sport with limited capacities and competitive ticket prices, and with at least 3 teams that dont play in venues that are even that big, thats impressive, and it deserves better from the media.

Reply #793790 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

The 35000 at the Freo-WC game was an outlier. 1st derby match and I think first West Coast game in their existence.

2nd game. 1st home game.

35000 went to a game. You can call it an outlier but it's still proof that there are people interested in it.

Reply #793791 | Report this post


Jack Toft  
Years ago

TV is just a marketing device and sport is just "bread and circuses" on the small screen.

So, TV stations buy the rights to show sport and as such the TV station has effectively got something that gives them a platform to sell adverts. Selling advertising is the name of the game and news broadcasts are the way to get people watching via promotion.

The sports sections of TV news are just advertorials for future game, ie advertising. Thats why they have so many puff pieces.

The AFL is broadcast on 7, so that is why 7 goes all out in the sports and every segment has at least one AFL story, and why there are so many puff pieces on AFL players across all of their programs.

It is all to do with advertising. The push for women's sport is promoted under the guise of "let's give these girls a go" - ie the whole victimhood sob story, but in reality women account for 80% of consumer spending, so trying to get women watching sport is important as it means that marketing departments can now target FMCGs that women want to buy as opposed to "men's products", which is basically beer.

So, the OP asked the question regarding why the sports section had so many female sports reports? Say, just follow the money. If you get people watching women's sport, you can get more advertisers.

Reply #793792 | Report this post


D2.0  
Years ago

"35000 went to a game. You can call it an outlier but it's still proof that there are people interested in it. "

A lot more people than that turned out to watch a giant puppet piss in the street.
Should we make that a national sport?

I'm not a huge fan of WNBL, I think there are better Women's sports around. But compared to the AWFL, its world class.

The AWFL really is just a sick joke. Seriously, you'll see more skills watching the local juniors.

Reply #793794 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

No shit. The league didn't exist a few years ago and even today half its players are poaches from various other sports.
It'll be a decade before the ALFW is full of players who grew up playing the sport. That's when it's at least got a chance of looking like normal football.

None of that changes the fact that there is still a lot of interest in it today though. You can mock it all you want but as long as people are turning up and/or tuning in, it will keep getting coverage.

Reply #793795 | Report this post


Haz  
Years ago

Would 35000 turn up if they had to pay to watch? Or at least a fraction of the cost of a Wildcats game (which was just about a sellout as usual, played at the same time in a meaningless game from a standings POV)?

Would 20,000 turn up to watch a non-derby or a low profile match?

Im not trying to be aggresive against the AFLW, but I feel the coverage and interest it has is a bit blown out of proportion.

You could say there is interest in womens footy (no doubt there is), but there's also interest in the NBL and NBA too. The mainsteam media will continue to give it token coverage until it can generate revenue for them.

Till then, have to deal with sitting through segments of womens AFL, cricket, tennis, surfing, golf, AFL offseason, soccer etc etc... or just follow it online and save yourself 5 minutes if your not interested in the sports that the media wants you to follow!

Reply #793798 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

I'm team NBL here, I just don't see the problem with other sports being included in the sports news too. I don't gaf about rugby, soccer, surfing, horse racing, golf,... so I hardly ever watch the news live. I record it and skip over what I'm not into.
I think the NBL gets a pretty good run in the sports news though. In Perth at least - I can't speak for other places.
The AFL has immense marketing power and it's using it to push the women's version. Which is smart of them IMO. No one is forcing people to watch or attend games so I don't get why people can't just ignore things they're not into. What is it about women's sports that seem to make some people become so irrational?

Yesterday on Offsiders they started the show gushing all over LK & the NBL for how it has grown while other major sports were going backwards. I'm pretty happy with how the league and basketball in general is tracking. Let's not pretend it's on footy's level though. How many workplaces run an NBL tipping contest?

Reply #793799 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

It's simply because the NBL doesn’t have team sponsors that spend on TV advertising

Not one team has a tier 1 NRS

Reply #793800 | Report this post


Perthworld  
Years ago

Not enough - there was a Townsville law firm that ran one and even made it public on the internet (lol) so got reamed by us diehards. Memories.

Reply #793801 | Report this post


Perthworld  
Years ago

There were cash prizes.

Reply #793802 | Report this post


UseTaHoop  
Years ago

"So, the OP asked the question regarding why the sports section had so many female sports reports? Say, just follow the money. If you get people watching women's sport, you can get more advertisers."

Money Talks
It's the root of all evil

Reply #793804 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Money Is not the root of all evil.

Reply #793809 | Report this post


Pug50  
Years ago

So glad to have all of your thoroughly male perspectives in this chat. Particularly the comment that "AFLW is a sick joke"

To criticise what the AFL is trying to do by properly promoting AFLW is to look your daughter (real or hypothetical) in the eyes and tell her, "Don't bother honey, your dreams aren't as important as the dreams of young boys who are more athletic than you".

You should know better.

Reply #793813 | Report this post


Cool Howie  
Years ago

Sexist crap from incels! You're running down women to make yourself feel better about your pathetic life.

Reply #793814 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Charge AFL average admission to AFLW games and see how many people you get

Most sports dont have the luxury of taking a massive loss to fire up a arena/stadium and fund marketing like the AFL.

If thats sexist thats on you.

The old "the men didnt play at a high level the first decade +" argument;
The men also had full/part time jobs for 80-90 odd years
We are a few years in of AFLW and already complaints about working part time or pay.





Reply #793815 | Report this post


sixtiesrockstar  
Years ago

Very difficult to gauge with AFLW crowds as they don't pay. The AFL and Cricket Australia use their money and media rights to get on the news. Use their leverage to control everything as they hold a lot of media junkets, press conferences, etc. If you don't show their stuff on the news, you don't get your press pass and invites to their junkets, presentations, award shows, etc, etc. The government is also getting in on this as they give huge sums of taxpayers money to cricket and AFL and are also lobbying television stations to show womens sport.
Can't believe they don't charge for AFLW admissions yet but they are going to have to soon to start covering some costs as the Mens games and sponsors is paying everything at the moment. Be interesting to see what happens when people have to pay.

Reply #793820 | Report this post


Haz  
Years ago

FWIW women's sport is huge, there's an equivalent womens league to every mens league all over the world. Then theres specific female only sports like netball, which is also taking off here.

This conversation shouldnt be about about sexism. The OP was debating about the level of mainstream coverage the AFLW was getting and why the NBL (and also other summer leagues) seem to be moved down a notch to accomodate it.

Here's a question for you - would the AFL move the AFLW to winter so its inline with its season, or are they satisfied keeping it in summer, so it goes up against basketball, soccer etc. Good to see women play football professionally, but is there an agenda the AFL is pushing also? And is this what irritates the critics?

Reply #793822 | Report this post


ME  
Years ago

The AFLW and most womens sports are just a charity case. The men's side of the sport subsidises them and then the media over-inflates their importance as to not ever find themselves in a Clementine Ford article. The reason for the crowds is because the tickets are free and because the women's game is still a novelty. From the perspective of trying to make it sustainable they're doing the right thing to try and put eyeballs on it but the product just isn't very good so it wont be sustainable, their successes are being overinflated, and even though the AFLW makes absolutely no profit, the calls for "equal pay" despite not bringing anywhere near equal revenue are already being heard. It's a Pandora's box I almost wish they didn't open because the whinging from now until forever will never cease. But on the other hand, I am jealous on behalf of the NBL for the "helping hand" they're getting. They're getting an absolute dream introduction from the media and the AFL into the sporting landscape. Don't expect for a second for any of them to appreciate it though.

"To criticise what the AFL is trying to do by properly promoting AFLW is to look your daughter (real or hypothetical) in the eyes and tell her, "Don't bother honey, your dreams aren't as important as the dreams of young boys who are more athletic than you""

This is ridiculous. No one for a moment said the AFLW doesn't deserve to exist or that little girl's dreams are rubbish. We're talking about the AFLW getting way more media attention than it warrants for the quality and interest the league actually has. I mean I am sure there are little boys who grow up wanting to be netball players, but did you even know there's a men's professional netball league? Well there is. It's allowed to exist but the media isn't blowing up our arses because it fills a stadium on free tickets.

"Sexist crap from incels! You're running down women to make yourself feel better about your pathetic life."

I am just going to bet that most of the guys who speak ill of the AFLW have actually had sex, and probably have it regularly, so this "incel" slight is you running people into the ground to make yourself feel better about your pathetic life.

"The old "the men didnt play at a high level the first decade +" argument;
The men also had full/part time jobs for 80-90 odd years
We are a few years in of AFLW and already complaints about working part time or pay."

Yep, there is absolutely no interest on the part of female journalists and players when it comes to building the league. They want the AFL to basically gift them a fully functioning, fully paid league, from the revenue of men, simply for existing, and then they want to call that equality. They are in no way thankful that the AFL put their hands in their own pockets and gave them money from the goodness of their own hearts. It's not enough to be given the prototype to build from, they want more, and for free, and if we don't give it to them, there will be hell to pay. It's basically a bad marriage already.

"FWIW women's sport is huge, there's an equivalent womens league to every mens league all over the world. Then theres specific female only sports like netball, which is also taking off here."

Yeah, netball takes off here. It's a popular game for girls, and it is a game girls actually watch. If you're talking TV audiences, those girls aren't directly translating to TV audiences for AFLW, but sure, if they have nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon, they might check out a game for free. Shit, I have no interest in the sport and even I might go see a free game if I am in the area with nothing to do. And I am not sure there's an equivalent women's league to every men's league. Is WNBA REALLY the equivalent of the NBA? One is a global behemoth, the other is a basket case. Is WNBL really equivalent of NBL? Just because a female counterpart exists, I don't believe that means it is of any equivalence.





Reply #793826 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

I've been to 2 AFLW games and neither of them were free entry.

Reply #793830 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"I've been to 2 AFLW games and neither of them were free entry"

OMG will you shut up Clementine?!

Reply #793833 | Report this post


Haz  
Years ago

'Equivalent' was not the correct description, sorry. Theres a female version league to every mens league. Even if they are polar opposites from a popularity point of view.

Lets not forget the WNBL has been around for a long time. The AFLW comes in and its hailed as some kind of pioneer for womens sport. This is mot true, but the media and AFL makes it out to be something unique.

Also, this is a winter sport, football is not really suited to being played this tine of year (unlike basketball and soccer which can be), so if the AFL really is serious about growing its own sport, it should be played in winter. And they can figure out how to market it and get crowds there rather than using it as a tool to go up against its summer competitors.

Reply #793834 | Report this post


PeterJohn  
Years ago

Follow the money is a good answer, with respect to media sports coverage. If sponsors are paying for adverts and media exposure, or the sport is, then the media folks will run with it.

In the case of women's sport, there's also a strong public interest, driven by the groundswell of support for various forms of social equity. I'm sure media folks are focus group testing and finding people are more likely to click on a headline or stay tuned to watch an article about women's AFL than one about NBL. Even though they may not be prepared to go to a game or watch one on TV.

Novelty also helps to generate media coverage. e.g., the public interest generated in NBL due to Lamelo Ball's arrival in NBL this season and Andrew Bogut last season. AFLW has had a lot of novelty to trade on, as the league adds teams and players and is still developing. AFL's aim would be to convert some of that novelty driven interest into entrenched, intergenerational support

AFLW crowds don't justify the weight of media exposure. The average crowd for Round 1 this season was 6,165, with one game getting a crowd of 15,337 (Richmond vs Carlton). Lowest crowd was 1,540.

Average crowd for Round 2 was 9,447, with one game getting a crowd of 31,835 (West Coast vs Fremantle). Lowest crowd was 2,102.

Entry was free to all games in Round 1 and to all games except West Coast/Fremantle in Round 2. The two large crowd games were outliers in that they marked the entry of new clubs to AFLW and were heavily promoted. Past history with AFLW has shown that these firsts usually draw good crowds and ratings, which have then been followed by significant decreases.

Couldn't find much on TV ratings but did find that the three AFLW games last Sunday rated 27,000-33,000 each on Foxtel (live coverage). None of the other games in Round 2 rated in the top 20. So I'm guessing they have similar ratings to NBL games.

No idea what live streaming numbers for AFLW might look like.

Reply #793835 | Report this post


Reality  
Years ago

Networks & large advertisers are invested in certain products/sports so they'll push those products/sports even if they are run on other networks in highlights packages etc.

The NBL for all the chest beating doesn't et enough interest in the 35+ age bracket which is where most TV advertising (particularly news programs) are aimed at thus meaning why run it when the demographic with money have no interest as opposed to the traditional sports even if played by women are more palatable to the target market.

We need to face it NBL at this point is a long term project to engage the under 35's and the grow/age with them when the spending/advertising dollar and demographics shift.


Reply #793837 | Report this post


Bear  
Years ago

@Jack Toft probably hit the nail on the head with this! When it comes to crowd numbers I would place more credibility on percentage of seats filled than anything else. If you are at 100% capacity of seating available, you are doing as well as you can be, any other comparisons are irrelevant.

Good news for the NBL I guess is another 3 year commitment from Hungry Jacks, also if the grass roots level of our game from NBL1 down takes off and gains a real foothold, that could be a catalyst for a more broad level of media or TV interest that may spill onto the NBL.

While advertising is crucial and the dollar is king, getting the kids hooked on a sport and keeping their interest in it with so much international competition in this media space is the real key...

Reply #793839 | Report this post


ME  
Years ago

"We need to face it NBL at this point is a long term project to engage the under 35's and the grow/age with them when the spending/advertising dollar and demographics shift."

As much as I've already spoken about the limits of women's football, NBL in Australia has similar limits. I don't actually see the NBL becoming a top 5 major sporting code in this country. I think the best we can hope for is maybe average crowds across the board of around 10,000 and viewership top average of 80-100K at absolute most. We are going to fill a niche in the market and that's it.

Reply #793841 | Report this post


alexkrad  
Years ago

Leverage

Reply #793846 | Report this post


Reality  
Years ago

Also don't for a minute think NRL/AFL/Cricket don't have off record conversations about challenger sports (Soccer/Bball etc) to media organisations that cover/broadcast it is a business and dominating the opposition is the end game!


Reply #793848 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

It costs the AFL a million dollars a round for the AFLW. How long that is sustainable without charging patrons is the question.

Reply #793850 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

So many fragile male egos in one thread!

"ram it down everyones throats to be politically correct and diverse."

"Honestly pisses me off how much media attention AFLW gets."

"that garbage."

" "let's give these girls a go" - ie the whole victimhood sob story"

"The AWFL really is just a sick joke. Seriously, you'll see more skills watching the local juniors."

"have to deal with sitting through segments of womens AFL, cricket, tennis, surfing, golf, AFL offseason, soccer etc etc.."

"We are a few years in of AFLW and already complaints about working part time or pay."

"The AFLW and most womens sports are just a charity case"

"the media over-inflates their importance"

"It's a Pandora's box I almost wish they didn't open because the whinging from now until forever will never cease"

"Don't expect for a second for any of them to appreciate it though."

"if we don't give it to them, there will be hell to pay. It's basically a bad marriage already."

Reply #793854 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"I don't actually see the NBL becoming a top 5 major sporting code in this country."

I can see that happening, but that's mostly because of A-League and Super Rugby falling more than the NBL growing

Reply #793855 | Report this post


Hoopie  
Years ago

All the above is correct - the AFL and cricket have (or had) the money to force it on us and to demand media coverage in order to get a share of the media events. They're also generally run by traditional white males.


I’d also suggest that we look at the audience bias:

Footy - we rule the world
Cricket - we rule the world a lot of the time
Swimming - we ruled the world ages ago, and frequently do really well
Netball - we rule the world most of the time
Tennis - we ruled the world ages ago, and occasionally another great hope comes along
Basketball - we did it once with the Opals, and otherwise we’ve come close a lot of the time, but the NBA is way ahead of us
Soccer - we’re usually competitive, but there are so many better competitions to watch

What do you think traditional (white) males who have time to watch will choose to watch? I reckon they’ll watch what Aussies are good at (when we’re world-class), or just go for the best quality they can get (like the NBA) or Premier League.


And the audience especially loves an 'Aussie battler’ story, such as an Ash Barty or a Don Bradman or a Shane Gould or a Mark Viduka. Apart from Delly and Patty in their early days, who in the NBL or NBA could be classed as an Aussie who battled against the odds to reach the top? Jingles had to battle, and has had a very respectable career, but still hasn’t quite reached the top. Bogey and Ben were born tall, which already gave them a huge advantage to casual viewers, but again ... not quite THE TOP.

How many women in our fairly traditional society have time to sit down for at least 2 hours to watch sports?

I’d also suggest that another reason NBL doesn’t get a huge viewing audience is because the game seems a lot more complicated than most other sports, with so many subtleties in the rules and how they are called. Unless you’re a true fan, if you’re getting frustrated because you feel you don’t understand it, then you’re probably not going to watch it much.

Reply #793856 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"So many fragile male egos in one thread!"

ikr!
Women are getting attention Waaaahhhhhh! Its making my life so unbearable Waaaaahhhhh

Reply #793858 | Report this post


Reality  
Years ago

@Hoopie bit of a crack at White males re the coverage of AFL/Cricket but in the end thats where the real spending power is and will be for the foreseeable future.

Think you might find the changing face of Australia is going to assist cricket greatly with India being the largest source of new immigrants to Australia since 2016 and the number is only going to grow, lets face it despite Vivek (4on5) Ranadive's best efforts Indians don't like basketball as a general rule.

Reply #793863 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

^ Wow this is a sh:t fight ^
This is partly the reason the NBL started the next star program, more viewers from the USA were people actually follow and like basketball because they live it and love it every day even the WNBA.
Same thing works in Australia but only with the younger generation of new fans.

Reply #793864 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Add this to the list!

"bit of a crack at White males"

Reply #793866 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Once you can criticize the game without being called names, then, and only then does it have a chance.

I hope it succeeds and support the sport it self. All the politics and poor me stuff is where I struggle to keep supporting it.
Ll

Reply #793886 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"Once you can criticize the game without being called names, then, and only then does it have a chance."

Can you please elaborate on this? Are you saying the codes success depends on your ability to be able to criticise the game without having your fragile ego dented at the same time? What sort of criticism's are we talking? The ones above like "its a joke and the skills are better at junior footy"? Or how its been rammed down our throats for the sake of political correctness?

Reply #793888 | Report this post


Jack Toft  
Years ago

Sadly, the degeneration of this threading the name calling/labelling is why women's sport can't be discussed openly and honestly.

The original OP question related to why news sports segments push/promote one sport over another. The basis of that is not some evil planning by the patriarchal illuminati implementing some UN agenda. The bottom line is $.

If Channel 9 had the TV rights for one eyed tidily winks, then every news story would be on the sport of tidily winks to gain interest in the sport to get the advertisers in.

The unique issue with women's sport is that it has been politicised. If you don't follow or take it seriously, then you are labelled a sexist misogynst pig, usually with mummy issues or some inability to form meaningful relationships with members of the opposite sex. However, at the same time if a group of guys actually supported and went along to watch a game of female sport (without a female in the group) then they are seen as a group of perverts only going along to leer at women. As a consequence of this toxic attitude, women's sport is marginalised. And yes, it's always the "affluent, middle aged, cis-gendered white Christian male"'s fault.

However, back to the original Q. Bottom line with everything in life "follow the money"

Reply #793890 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

This sums it up! Well said.

The unique issue with women's sport is that it has been politicised. If you don't follow or take it seriously, then you are labelled a sexist misogynst pig, usually with mummy issues or some inability to form meaningful relationships with members of the opposite sex. However, at the same time if a group of guys actually supported and went along to watch a game of female sport (without a female in the group) then they are seen as a group of perverts only going along to leer at women. As a consequence of this toxic attitude, women's sport is marginalised. And yes, it's always the "affluent, middle aged, cis-gendered white Christian male"'s fault.

Reply #793892 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"If you don't follow or take it seriously, then you are labelled a sexist misogynst pig"

Thats simply untrue. I have zero interest in women's sport and I've never been called those things. Its the people that unfairly criticise the sport or that go on the attack for no reason that get those deserved labels.

If you want to read some of the moronic comments so far in this thread and can tell me they don't come from a place of misogyny, I'd be surprised.

"As a consequence of this toxic attitude, women's sport is marginalised."

Wrong again. It is marginalised because people have got shit attitudes towards it. Don't pretend those with the toxic attitudes are the victims here.

Reply #793895 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

^So who is the victim here?

Reply #793898 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

^The NBL or the wnbl?

Reply #793899 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"^So who is the victim here?"

As always, fragile men.

Reply #793900 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"The AWFL really is just a sick joke"

Calling it the AWFL must be a real hit with your friends at kindy what a classic

Reply #793902 | Report this post


D2.0  
Years ago

"So glad to have all of your thoroughly male perspectives in this chat. Particularly the comment that "AFLW is a sick joke"

To criticise what the AFL is trying to do by properly promoting AFLW is to look your daughter (real or hypothetical) in the eyes and tell her, "Don't bother honey, your dreams aren't as important as the dreams of young boys who are more athletic than you"."

Oh Pigs Arse.

I have more daughters than sons. I encourage all my kids to pursue healthy exercise via organised sports. None were particular athletic, but ultimately I found the girls more appreciative of my efforts.

And for what its worth, in the sports I've been actively involved in, I have vigorously pushed the interests of girls in sport. In one sport, at levels above our club, I argued fiercely for better support for the girls.
BUT I always did it based on FACTS and not on rhetoric.
Many clubs only fielded mixed teams, because girls only made up around 10% of their enrolment.
What I pointed out was that at our club, with separate girls teams, the enrolments averaged out around 2:1. Which meant that whilst boys could be organised on a yearly basis, girls had to be done on 2 years. eg u7, u9, u11, etc.

End of the day, complaining about money in sport is literally insane.

If you want to make a lot of money in the music industry, learn guitar or keyboard, and how to sing and write popular music (bet that "pop", hip=hop, rap, etc)
Don't learn to play the Clarinet, then complain that Elton John makes more money than you.

I commend all athletes, and some, such as Marathon runners, I truly admire. Doesn't mean I want to watch it for entertainment.

I would literally rather watch Lawn Bowls than Golf. Yet billions disagree with me, which is why you make squillions if you are good at hitting that little ball with a stick.

I think part of the problem lies with the women's sports themselves and their desire to compete on equal terms with men.
I'm not a huge tennis fan, but if forced to watch will choose women's because I actually think it is better.
Yet in say basketball, they play with the same height hoops even though women are demonstrably shorter and weaker.

Reply #793904 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"BUT I always did it based on FACTS and not on rhetoric"

"The AWFL really is just a sick joke. Seriously, you'll see more skills watching the local juniors."

Ok.

Reply #793906 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

#900
What? I'm asking a question, the op ask about why the NBL wasn’t getting as much coverage on tv news as wafl w cricket so why can’t I ask a simple question without your accusations of being a fragile man?
If anyone should be pissed off here it should be wnbl and it’s players the league is full of Olympians yet it doesn’t get the coverage of the other two w sporting codes.
Don’t be so quick to judge people’s comments.

Reply #793909 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

D2 you have to explain your self, all good
We should be able to discuss this with out pointing fingers and making silly accusations.

Reply #793910 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"BUT I always did it based on FACTS and not on rhetoric"

"The AWFL really is just a sick joke. Seriously, you'll see more skills watching the local juniors."

Ok.

classic dazz
then tries to backflip with the daughters crap lol

Reply #793914 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Someone ask what Matt Richards thinks.

Reply #793924 | Report this post


ME  
Years ago

"So many fragile male egos in one thread!"

Yeah, I love when these feminist types hit you with the same cut-and-paste insults. "Fragile male egos". Women's football isn't an attack on anyone's ego. No one is intimidated by the fact that women have a professional league now. I think people are just sick of everything else that has surrounded it, the fact that there is an entire can of worms that has come with the league. The calls for equal pay despite not making revenue. Having the league promoted to us way above the actual interest level. No one is attacking netball for this. No one is attacking sports that actually have carved a niche for women. But I think we all realize that there is a certain unearned entitlement (and yeah, I use the world entitlement) about the AFLW that pisses people off. There is also a bit of a "support us or you're sexist" narrative that seems to permeate the zeitgeist that we're all just sick to the teeth of. Realistically, AFLW has enjoyed some small successes, supported directly from the men's league, yet it has eyes bigger than its stomach for what it thinks it deserves from sponsors, TV, supporters and media. It's basically GIVE IT TOO ME NOW! A lot of these feminist charity cases (and yeah, I am happy to use that term because that is what this is, and what the WNBL is) are the same in that regard. You've got that boofhead Liz Cambage asking why she isn't paid like Lebron James now. I mean.... how many times does THAT need to be explained? (or mansplained).

Reply #793928 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"Women's football isn't an attack on anyone's ego."

No you but you and others are treating it like one.

" You've got that boofhead Liz Cambage asking why she isn't paid like Lebron James now."

When did she say that?

Reply #793929 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Here, via a sarcastic tweet

https://www.forbes.com/sites/doylerader/2018/08/15/dallas-wings-star-liz-cambage-may-not-return-to-wnba/#a59068275680

Reply #793933 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"In the wake of LeBron James' four-year, $154 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, A’ja Wilson, the Las Vegas Aces’ All-Star rookie, took to Twitter saying, "154M ........... must. be. nice...," noting the wage disparity between the two leagues."

Reply #793936 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Yes. Check Liz' Retweets.

Reply #793937 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Its an absolute stretch to suggest that is Liz asking why she isn't paid $154 million.

Reply #793939 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Its an absolute stretch for wnba players to be asking for more $$$.
Supply and demand already show they are over paid.
NBA propping up their pay u

Reply #793940 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

It wasn't even Cambage who tweeted that but male trolls have never let facts get in the way of posting something sexist

Reply #793941 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Sexist?? ??? Wow

Reply #793942 | Report this post


ME  
Years ago

"t wasn't even Cambage who tweeted that but male trolls have never let facts get in the way of posting something sexist"


Even if it wasn't Cambage it's a prevalent sentiment across the WNBA. They all lack basic understanding of economics. The league and their teams have never made anything resembling a profit. Crowd numbers and viewership is actually at its lowest in history despite being highly promoted via the NBA. And in any league where women are paid less than the men's equivalent, regardless of how much more viable the men's league is, these questions of pay parity persist. They don't understand that they're a seperate business to the men's version, and they want men to subsidise them, "because equality" and because taking the rightful earnings of one group and just giving it to another is apparently justified today

Reply #793945 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"In the case of women's sport, there's also a strong public interest, driven by the groundswell of support for various forms of social equity. I'm sure media folks are focus group testing and finding people are more likely to click on a headline or stay tuned to watch an article about women's AFL than one about NBL."

But why then doesn't the wnbl get any coverage

Reply #793949 | Report this post


KET  
Years ago

because taking the rightful earnings of one group and just giving it to another is apparently justified today


Why does giving to one assume taking away from the other? Why couldn't it simply equate to higher total expenditure?

What if sponsors acatually find value in broader market or particular values to increase goodwill such as diversity or increased female participation? (Such as BHP with AFLW?) So that they are likely to sponsor both male and female leagues?

You're arguing "basic lack of understanding of economics", however you're conveniently ignoring a basic economic concept called a "loss leader". Loss leaders are big in sports - including sports broadcast revenue which is the fundamental revenue base of sports leagues.

It's possible that part of the sports rights being a womens league for instance is a good value-add for a network, especially if it assists with licensing regulations AND provides a synergy between men's & women's leagues for potential advertisers.

It may well also assist with increasing general membership numbers, particularly for the Men's league clubs by attracting the female market.

There's lots of value-adds which may well justify the economics behind having a well-funded (including pay) female league.

Reply #793950 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"They all lack basic understanding of economics."

Its not purely an economic decision.

Reply #793951 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

If the men vs women thing is complicating the discussion then let's simplify it.

Why does afl women's get lead sports story coverage and wnbl get absolutely nothing?

Reply #793952 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

I wonder if wnbl was afforded the same coverage as aflw whether we would've lost the great Erin Phillips from our sport. Hard for wnbl to compete

Reply #793953 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"To criticise what the AFL is trying to do by properly promoting AFLW"

Fair play to the AFL for promoting aflw. But I didn't think it was news bulletins job to be promoting particular leagues as well. I guess money does talk

Reply #793954 | Report this post


KET  
Years ago

Because of the AFL

Same as cricket

Reply #793955 | Report this post


KET  
Years ago

110% money does talk - importance behind LK investing capital - it opens up a huge amount of confidence investment and a network of people who otherwise wouldn't touch the NBL

Reply #793956 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Afl womens get lead sports stories as the AFL will screw them over with access if they don't when it comes to the AFL season. All their commercial deals now encompass aflw getting access either by way of advertising, media, stadium access discounts etc etc

The loss aflw is giving the afl could be made up by more female fans down the track, not necessarily aflw fans.

Smart gamble by the afl. Even tho it can be overdone and over glorified at times. See: Tayla Harris statue

Reply #793957 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

But why then doesn't the wnbl get any coverage
This is a forum predominantly about basketball in Australia. There is more discussion this week in a thread about AFLW than there has been about womens basketball in weeks. The WNBL Finals thread has three comments. The WNBL MVP discussion got three comments and I don't know that it would've been started if I hadn't been sent the press release. The topic for WNBL team awards is up to four, the same as a fresh topic about hairstyles in the NBL.

You can say what you want about the technical or cultural side of the forum, but if people on a basketball forum barely discuss it, why expect the media to care?

I don't follow any form of AFL at all these days, but I'd guess you could consider the AFL and AFLW a package deal. Or loss leading. Or working towards broader societal health benefits. But holy crap does it get people worked up!

Reply #793959 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

sounds like people aren't really upset with the fact women's AFL gets coverage - more that the AFL gets 12 month a year coverage by pretending to have pioneered women's sport which is a crock of BS.

women have played other sports to a higher level than the highest level AFLW player. And they've done it for a long time.

It's the fault of Basketball (especially Basketball), Olympic sports and even soccer that they were unable to capitalise on women playing their sport long before AFL got involved.

BA should be ashamed of themselves. They've had a great product and a fantastic national team they've been unable to market - because they haven't made enough people care about it.

Reply #793960 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

You could argue that they failed to get people caring about the NBL either. Got offside with media many years back and it's hard to win them back as (presumably) those writers now enter senior editorial positions.

Reply #793964 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"There is more discussion this week in a thread about AFLW than there has been about womens basketball in weeks. The WNBL Finals thread has three comments."

Is it the chicken or the egg? I.e. Aflw is in everyone's mind because it gets a lot of coverage.

If I was fed wnbl stories every day I'd probably click on the topics more too

Reply #793965 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

By the way, this isn't intended to be a thread about Aflw. It was about on what basis news channels choose what to report on

Reply #793966 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Don't mistake people expressing a view about the over saturation of Aflw as people being interested in Aflw as an entertainment product

Reply #793967 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

The media doesn't care about that distinction. Hate-reading is still a click. Pretty much the only women’s basketball topic I can think of that consistently gets replies is hating on Cambage.

Reply #793977 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

ME, what was the point of your post? It really was pure shite from start to finish. Are you trying to assist the women by being a parody of what they are up against?

Even if it wasn't Cambage it's a prevalent sentiment across the WNBA.

What exactly is a prevalent sentiment across the WNBA? Thinking that it must be nice to sign a $154M contract? I'm pretty sure that's a prevalent sentiment across just about everywhere on the planet, yeah? So why single out a WNBA player? Is there anything remotely wrong about them or anyone else having that opinion? Or if you're claiming that across the WNBA they're expecting salaries with values comparable to the NBA then you're full of it. (Actually you clearly already are, as I will point out in a second...) But feel free to show me some quotes or evidence that backs it up the claim. I follow the league pretty closely, the upcoming salary negotiations were a talking point all of last season, and yet I saw no evidence of those types of demands or expectations. What I have seen plenty of is ignorant dudes with strawmen, you being the most recent.

They all lack basic understanding of economics.

This is pure gutter crap and you should be ashamed to even put your name it. Seriously. It's below trolling. It's pretty much a big "I am a fuckwit" sign.

The league and their teams have never made anything resembling a profit.

Not true. Some of the teams have been profitable in recent years. You've completely made that up.

Crowd numbers and viewership is actually at its lowest in history despite being highly promoted via the NBA.

Again untrue. Do you think it somehow helps your argument to post bullshit? Anyone who followed the league last year would know that viewership was up significantly. Anyone who didn't could quickly find out via Google. What are you doing, man? And why?

They don't understand...

They they they... these imaginary idiotic women who are running around with their $154M demands... What they really need is some mansplaining from a heap of random trolls without the slightest actual clue.

Just FYI these dumb whiny women, 100% of whom lack even a basic understanding of economics, just recently got done negotiating their new CBA, which included a sizeable increase in the team salary caps, individual min & max salaries, and improvements in other allowances & conditions, as I posted here at the time. It was by far the biggest CBA change since the league started. Imagine what they could have got if just one of them wasn't an entitled ditzy moron hey?!

Reply #793979 | Report this post


Zodiac  
Years ago

Don't get ME started on Cambage soon he'll work Simmons into this and then rjd will arrive to bang on about eugenics wink wink nudge nudge grrrr get back in the kitchen grrrr sammich.

Reply #793984 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Far out Luuuc is smug. Agree w him on a lot things but just so damn smug

Reply #793987 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Lol sjw's and red necks having an argument how ironic.

Reply #793992 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Why shouldn't he be smug? Did you read the pile of horseshit he responded to?

Reply #794005 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

(The media doesn't care about that distinction. Hate-reading is still a click. Pretty much the only women's basketball topic I can think of that consistently gets replies is hating on Cambage.)

Yeah but 98%of that is Bogut

Maybe depending on how the bat person flu goes this is an Olympic year and that is the best time for Australian basketball (boomers and the opals)
The news loves following them over that time, so hopefully Australian basketball will see a bit of news time from the major stations and a little love from the public in the leed up to the games.

Reply #794015 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

(Just FYI these dumb whiny women, 100% of whom lack even a basic understanding of economics,)

Gee your saying some horrible things about women mate, why don't you lay off.

Reply #794016 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Another interesting thing is the idea that the media, when it comes to sport (or many things, really) should cover things based on public interest metrics or cover all things equally or only profitable things. Each publication can do whatever it wants. I swear I overheard someone heavily involved in sport at this state's main paper say that their AFL fantasy comp coverage was obscenely popular. Obviously a few of these publications in AFL states have determined that hitching their sports wagon to all things AFL (including AFLW) can pay off. Trade coverage for access and vice versa.

Reply #794023 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"Another interesting thing is the idea that the media, when it comes to sport (or many things, really) should cover things based on public interest metrics or cover all things equally or only profitable things. Each publication can do whatever it wants."

Absolutely they can do whatever they want, similar to how viewers can choose whether they want to watch or not.

I thought news was probably one program treated more "neutrally" though in terms of what they cover. i.e. matters of public interest rather than pure revenue driving activity. I guess it's no different to tabloid newspapers that look for the catchy stories rather than the true news stories.

Where does one go for proper news coverage these days?

Reply #794060 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"Hate-reading is still a click."

It might be a little oversimplying things to call those who aren't fans of the coverage AFLW gets as "haters".

I can really see where it comes from as a NBL fan who follows a league that has struggled to get coverage. Long-time NBL followers have probably heard every theory under the sun as to what they need to do to get more coverage: Have more personalities, have more controversies, have a team in Sydney and Melbourne that is more successful etc etc. And they've done well to build up their fan base over the past few years, but it's been a tough grind.

Meanwhile the AFLW comes in from scratch, without a real viewer base or following and immediately commands prime media coverage. I can see why that feels unfair, but I guess life isn't fair.

Reply #794061 | Report this post


proud  
Years ago

We are in an Olympic year and I think we can all agree that Olympic medals are worth the same whether it be male or female, team or individual (but go the Boomers/Opals) yet we are getting zero puff pieces about our best Olympic chances as our news networks focus on AFLW.

The NBL and WNBL are in their post season and yet we have to hear of AFLW trying to make household names out of players that haven't crossed over from other sports...

I actually like that Women's cricket tries and makes household names out of our girls but they are playing for Australia... if you don't like a club in men's AFL then why are you all of a sudden gonna care about the women that play for that club.

WNBL definitely deserves more love than it gets

Reply #794066 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

I thought news was probably one program treated more "neutrally" though in terms of what they cover. i.e. matters of public interest rather than pure revenue driving activity. I guess it's no different to tabloid newspapers that look for the catchy stories rather than the true news stories.
This is about sport though. Is that really a matter of public interest in the same way as corruption in local government or restaurant sanitation or public transport planning?
Meanwhile the AFLW comes in from scratch, without a real viewer base or following and immediately commands prime media coverage. I can see why that feels unfair, but I guess life isn't fair.
See my comment about considering AFL and AFLW a package deal. i.e., not so much from scratch from the perspective of the media.

Reply #794082 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Today on the abc news is the first time I've seen a peace on wnbl, it was about the finals with plenty of video on the game and player interview. Then it went on to talk about the opals and the Olympics, Lis Cambridge also got a mention, the whole segment was about 2 mins of air time.
The Olympics are the best tool for Australian basketball.

Reply #794112 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

The ABC always give the WNBL finals a bit of love. Kudos to them for that, because not many other places do.

I didn't see today, but yesterday they had Jenna O'Hea in the studio talking Opals

Link

Reply #794119 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Nice ....the Olympics is the time for Australian basketball to shine.

Reply #794130 | Report this post


ME  
Years ago

If we look past AFLW, the AFL is bad enough anyway. It's off-season, but if some obscure port or crows player has a big enough shit today, you'll surely hear about it on 7 news.

Reply #794135 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

It's almost as if AFL has a much bigger following than other sports

Reply #794136 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

^Wouldn't know I’ve never watched it, not my cup of tea

Reply #794137 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

I wonder if that is the type of attitude the NBL is up against as it tries to grow. People who write it off because it is not their cup of tea even though they have never actually even watched it. Can only laugh.

Reply #794139 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

The abc used to cover one game a week live, it was good coverage with Rachel Sporn commentating. The liberal government kept cutting there funding so the had to give it away, in the same time they gave Foxtel 30 million to cover women's sport, no questions asked. Nbl never been same since. You work it out.

Reply #794146 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

^Yep. Why does it bother you so much? I have the Wright to watch what ever I like,
I haven't written anything off, I just don’t enjoy the game, is that ok by you?
Australia is full of sports that I don’t follow, is that ok by you?
If it’s not my cup of tea it’s not my cup of tea I don’t care what you follow.

Reply #794148 | Report this post


sixtiesrockstar  
Years ago

The AFL is one of our biggest business. It employs a lot of people. It has a big corporate world where everyone wants to be. Lots of A-listers and hangers on. They control a lot of the media and require them to get their accreditation to get inside. Without it you get no interviews, no free tickets, no invites to events, no inside information and no favours. It has massive corporate sponsorship with lots of corporate events of which certain media organisations get invited to. It's not too hard to work out why AFLW and womens cricket get a golden ticket.
The AFL and Cricket Australia are pushing the womens side of it on TV as the contract for TV rights will be up for renewal. They want more money for the rights so they need the womans side in the media to get that money.

Reply #794156 | Report this post


D2.0  
Years ago

Wow, there are just some really illiterate people posting in this thread. Can't we impose some kind of basic English Comprehension test?

If I had to choose only one sport to watch, tough call, but I would pick NBL. Like I said, I don't like golf even though billions do. It's not sexist, because I don't like men's golf any more than women's. Does it make me somehow evil because I don't like watching all sports equally?

Yes it annoys me the way the AFL has gone about their women's competition. But the thing that annoys me most, is that rather than trying to promote and grow the sport from the grass-roots level, or even draft women already playing footy at WAFL level, they have splashed cash poaching elite athletes from other sports.

And I would ask this; who's more sexist? Me for not liking the lack of skills, or those who watch women's sport purely for the perv factor?



Reply #794187 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"Does it make me somehow evil because I don't like watching all sports equally?"

I don't know that anyone even came close to suggesting that. Are you sure its not you who needs a comprehension test?

Reply #794189 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

The AFL is very popular, the AFLW is not yet.

Saying they deserve big coverage because AFL is popular is like saying there should be big coverage of the G league because NBA is popular and they are owned by NBA.

It doesn't make sense

Reply #794206 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

All I want to see is that things will be judged on their merits rather than sports getting coverage because it involves women or influential owners.

Is that too much to ask

Reply #794207 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

There's only two ways to change the way the networks and media as a whole broadcast.

1) have a ratings box and switch the channel.

2) bombard the network with complaints, written fairly and with facts. Enough feedback and they will change out of fear.

Anything else is a waste of time. The AFL own the sporting airwaves for all the reasons stated here. People power is needed to convince a safe business like MSM to change their behaviour.

Reply #794209 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

(And I would ask this; who's more sexist? Me for not liking the lack of skills, or those who watch women's sport purely for the perv factor?)

Is it sexist to perv? What if that person is single?
I know plenty of women who watch men's sports to perv on the players.

Reply #794213 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Here's my view on women's sports:

I'll occasionally watch when it is a big match and there are big stakes on the line. Like the opals playing for a Olympic medal or the wnbl Grand final. There's added drama because of the stakes.

I actually think Aflw would really take off if there was more drama and rivalries, even of a frivolous nature. Say for example if one of Tayla Harris' opponents said she didn't rate her kicking style. Then you'd be keen to watch the next match to see them clash. It is like how married at first sight is a really popular show.

Otherwise Id prefer to watch the men's equivalent because the quality of play is better.

Reply #794214 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

(married at first sight)

Do you watch that?

Reply #794216 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Saying they deserve big coverage because AFL is popular is like saying there should be big coverage of the G league because NBA is popular and they are owned by NBA.
Not sure if you're misreading me or responding to someone else, but I've said they're getting coverage because they are part and parcel with AFL, not because they "deserve" it. And even then "deserve" is wrapped up in profitability/attention only. The news (and certainly not sport coverage) isn't decided on merit. It's usually a commercial enterprise not a public service. These are private companies doing whatever makes them money. In this case, part of it is likely that staying friendly with the AFL helps them.

Reply #794241 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Hang on, all channels are pumping up Aflw on their news but not all of them broadcast the AFL games so it can't be all about just promoting their own shows

Reply #794272 | Report this post


Red84  
Years ago

As the Godfather said "It's nothing personal, its business"

The commercial case is strongly affected by the fact that the AFL has a dedicated cable channel on foxtel which is content hungry, particularly in the otherwise dead part of the year - just after the Aussie Open, but before the round one of the mens season. ESPN does the same thing - televising of all things - bass fishing contests to Asian/Australian audiences, so as to fill out their programming schedule. It has nothing to do with consumer demand. If they were not televising AFLW matches, they will be televising contrived sports like AFLX or replays of past matches.

As regards to the astro turf media hype - well - I'm old enough to remember the media buzz around the Opals, which emerged as a global force in the early 1990s.

If you listen to the mainstream media hype you would think that AFLW invented women's empowerment in elite sports. The WNBL and BA should get onto the front foot here and push the message to younger generation that it basketball elevated women's participation as an elite team sport in this country almost 3 decades before AFLW came onto the scene.

Reply #794299 | Report this post


hoopie  
Years ago

"The WNBL and BA should get onto the front foot here and push the message to younger generation ..."

Agree completely - BA and the WNBL are remarkably timid, aren't they?

Are they scared of getting into a pissing contest, where they don't have the money to compete? I hope not - all they'e done by being so quiet is handed the initiative to the AFLW to influence the youngsters or those with short memories when the facts show otherwise.

Reply #794321 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

BA needs to push basketball to all young Australians it's the best way to get long term NBL supporters, that’s where Lamelo has payed dividends.

Australian basketball also needs more places like hoop.com and shows on YouTube to keep the fans informed and up to date and to advertise relevant products and advents.

It’s a little disappointing seeing advertising for the Westfield Matidas v Vietnam soccer game and nothing on the upcoming boomers v tall blacks game in this thread. But I guess you have to pay the bills some how and Australian government is throwing money at women’s sport atm except the opals.

Reply #794324 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"BA needs to push basketball to all young Australians it's the best way to get long term NBL supporters, that's where Lamelo has payed dividends."

Slow your roll, chief. There is nothing yet to indicate whether the LaMelo experiment has had that sort of long-term grassroots impact.

Reply #794326 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

I know for a fact that Lamelo presents worked.

Reply #794329 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

Sounds legit. Can't argue with facts.

Reply #794330 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"I know for a fact that Lamelo presents worked."

Oh ok then. Sorry to question you.

Reply #794335 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

My son is 24 years old and has never wanted anything to do with the NBL because it was a bunch of old hacks that couldn't cut it in the real basketball world of the nba, not even RJ could sway him until Lamelo ball signed up and came to town. Not only my son but a few of his friends jumped on board as well, now my son knows more about NBL than the nba, he knows all the players Australian and imports all the teams all the coaches. So now he has favourite players (Cotton and Machado) and has purchased jerseys hats and been to games in Brisbane, we went to the last game of the season and when we were on our way home he told me it was an awesome game and now he wants to see more games next year.
So don’t try and tell me it didn’t work.

Reply #794337 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Are you sorry now ?

Reply #794338 | Report this post


ME  
Years ago

I think the LaMelo experiment paid dividends and that can be proven by the rise of away crowds everywhere he went, the sales of his jerseys, the uptick in TV ratings (whilst modest), the international interest (we had 2 million viewers for one of his games).

Indirectly, LaMelo has been a part of a package that the NBL has presented that has given the league relevance in the eyes of many basketball fans who never really gave a second thought to the league. And while at the end of the day, it cannot all be contributed to LaMelo - and in a few years, the direct link to LaMelo will be a bit diluted - the fact remains that he has been a part of a sweep of initiatives that have seen the NBL gain some respect in the sporting landscape.

Reply #794340 | Report this post


Red84  
Years ago

"...My son is 24 years old and has never wanted anything to do with the NBL because it was a bunch of old hacks that couldn't cut it in the real basketball world of the nba..."

We are blessed to play/follow an international game and see great overseas talent play locally. In his prime, the presence of David Campese or Jonah Lomu would greatly increase the gate in the UK and France. Same goes for the attraction of big soccer stars when they appear.

That said, it is a pity that the writer described the nba as the "real basketball world" when there are many worlds in the great game - the international game, college, and - dare I say it - local leagues like the NBL.

References like this suggest a certain lack of cultural confidence - that one needs the public affirmation of the likes of Stephen A Smith to acknowledge what is valuable and what is not.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

(That said, it is a pity that the writer described the nba as the "real basketball world" when there are many worlds in the great game - the international game, college, and - dare I say it - local leagues like the NBL. )

Why it's the truth. NBA is the pinnacle of basketball. My son does followed the boomers, College, American high school, and now thanks to Lamelo the NBL with a flow on effect that has him now interested in -date I say it - the nbl1.

Reply #794348 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"So don't try and tell me it didn’t work."

No one said that.

Reply #794349 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

(Indirectly, LaMelo has been a part of a package that the NBL has presented that has given the league relevance in the eyes of many basketball fans who never really gave a second thought to the league. And while at the end of the day, it cannot all be contributed to LaMelo - and in a few years, the direct link to LaMelo will be a bit diluted - the fact remains that he has been a part of a sweep of initiatives that have seen the NBL gain some respect in the sporting landscape.)


No Lamelo = my son and his friends wouldn't of cared less about the NBL this season,
No amount of flashy lights and smoke machines would have got him to like the NBL not even RJ.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

(Sounds legit. Can't argue with facts.)

Mate there hasn't been an argument on you didn’t like, are you feeling ok?

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ME  
Years ago

"No Lamelo = my son and his friends wouldn't of cared less about the NBL this season,
No amount of flashy lights and smoke machines would have got him to like the NBL not even RJ"


Ever consider the thought that your son isn't the only kid who likes basketball in the world? lol. Jesus Christ. We get it, yes. Out of all of the things the NBL did, LaMelo was the thing that captured him. But he is one individual and the NBL has done other things, and the attendance and viewership was steadily raising before him, with Bogut coming here, NBA/NBL games, etc. So... yeah... it's not only LaMelo, regardless of what got four or five kids you know to jump on board.

Reply #794353 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago


(No one said that.)

It was implied.

(Slow your roll, chief. There is nothing yet to indicate whether the LaMelo experiment has had that sort of long-term grassroots impact.)

Well my son and his friends prove this + my son and his friends are making a team for the local basketball comp.

The NBL didn't bring in lamelo for us old crusty fans, they already have us as fans of NBL.

Reply #794355 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

(Ever consider the thought that your son isn't the only kid who likes basketball in the world? lol. Jesus Christ. We get it, yes. Out of all of the things the NBL did, LaMelo was the thing that captured him. But he is one individual and the NBL has done other things, and the attendance and viewership was steadily raising before him, with Bogut coming here, NBA/NBL games, etc. So... yeah... it's not only LaMelo, regardless of what got four or five kids you know to jump on board.)

Gee I never considered that, thanks for your input.
Do you think I've never tried to get him into the NBL before now?
My son feels Bogut is old and crusty and way past his best, he feels NBL/NBA is a good idea, and one of those young men (you call a kids),his mum played state basketball in Victoria in the late 80’s and early 90’s and was quite good, still couldn’t get him into the NBL only LaMelo.
Odds are more young people have done the same thing all over the country, not only Australia but America too.

Reply #794357 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"Well my son and his friends prove this"

The initial comment said that Lamelo has paid dividends in getting long term supporters out of young fans. I said its too early to say whether this is true or not. You said your son now likes NBL because of Melo.

Can you not see how there is a disconnect there?

Reply #794362 | Report this post


Red84  
Years ago

What we have here is a tale of an individual's experience. I don't doubt that the person is telling the truth. The issue is whether one can use that tale to project truth at a big picture level. Anecdotal tends to be of lesser value than system wide data, unless it tells a very different story, that chimes with a story that top down data ignores/overlooks. (Think of how the polls got the Brexit vote so wrong ; where anecdotes and qualitative testimony indicated that the polls were wrong).

Reply #794373 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Hang on, all channels are pumping up Aflw on their news but not all of them broadcast the AFL games so it can't be all about just promoting their own shows
The AFL games themselves aren't the only thing that draw people in. If you're an online media presence not showing AFL games, you can still draw people in with analysis, stats, fantasy footy or tipping comp info.

In my earlier example, the sports editor talking about fantasy footy popularity didn't necessarily work for a conglomerate that had broadcast rights. (I don't know who has the rights these days or who had them then.) The key was that anything AFL was very, very popular.

If the media are regurgitating AFLW info about being some groundbreaking thing for women's sport, it's because the AFL is pushing that line as it serves their interests. It's not like they'd want to say "Like netball and basketball established many years ago..."

I don't see AFL press releases to compare, but the BA ones are pretty matter of fact. Very practical and utilitarian. Not sure if they do anything dynamic beyond that to pump up personalities and rivalries and push players out into other media appearances to build individual brands.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

(What we have here is a tale of an individual's experience)

And the NBL and LK will love to hear this tale.
From little things big things grow.

Reply #794381 | Report this post


Hanging Round  
Years ago

AFLW gets great promotion on 'free' TV and newspapers to create interest.
Make the attendees pay to attend and see numbers drop.
$35 for AFL men to $0 for Women makes a difference for a family day out.
ADELAIDE Lightning struggle to get a ‘match report’ despite a fantastic season which will hopefully continue past this finals series

Reply #794389 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Interesting the abuse here and elsewhere the Lightning copped for having Free Entry last season, yet AFLW with all the money of the AFL behind it have always been free with no negativity.

Reply #794394 | Report this post


Luuuc  
Years ago

No negativity?? The AFLW having free entry for most of its games is a constant criticism of them. 3 people mentioned it in this thread alone.
And it's a valid point too, except that AFLW's rich uncle is paying the bills so they are free to do whatever they want. The WNBL doesn't have that luxury.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Where did Red84 come from? A few quality posts here!

Reply #794447 | Report this post


UseTaHoop  
Years ago

Isaac

NBL tries to do something "dramatic beyond that" ie factual game reports. Corey Williams. He's arguably good for generating publicity, but is he a 1 trick pony? The purists here seem to hate him, and is there enough substance in what he does to maintain or deepen a new interest in the sport?

WNBL is struggling to just survive. In my opinion, each WNBL team should align with an NBL team. Share resources and pr.

To the best of my knowledge, Every AFL team has a media manager and their own “tv” show streamed from their own studio. One very big team employs an ex ABC editor and experienced sports reporter as “Media Manager”. In the case of the Manager I know (relative) he answers to the Marketing Manager, with whom he worked at a commercial tv network. At least 2 experienced sports journos on staff. Experience. Contacts. Communication skills. What have the NBL and WNBL got to compete with this???

MU advertised for a multimedia manager. That’s a start, but MU has the biggest market and best junior program/s in Australia (Sydney sports market is so fickle, and their regular season NRL crowds are probably the source of AFL Christmas party jokes).

Basketball will never be as big as AFL (or NRL) in Australia. It’s a matter of getting casual fans, leveraging the bigger sponsors for cross promotion and also trying to convert casual fans into regular fans.

Reply #794580 | Report this post


UseTaHoop  
Years ago

"Money Is not the root of all evil."

Not a JJ Cale fan then?

Reply #794581 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Sports items in the news are given to the highest bidder. Most of the news is paid for these days. AFL have deep pockets. They did buy a public holiday.

Reply #794591 | Report this post




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