This isn’t a debate about whether politicians just need to suck the criticism up, it isn’t about whether haka are supposed to be challenging.
This is a debate about money. Super Rugby is financially stuffed, and even more so the women’s side of it.
Did you see the crowd in the background of the footage of the haka?
That's right- there was no crowd, there were just empty yellow seats. That's not a good sign.
Super Rugby cannot afford to lose any more viewers or any sponsors from the game, and what the rugby bosses will probably be worried about more than anything right now is that there are viewers of the women’s game who are so annoyed by the politics of that team that they stop watching.
Or worse, that it infects opinions of the men’s Hurricanes team as well. Or even worse, that it taints their perception of New Zealand rugby altogether.
Also, they’ll be worried about the prospect that enough annoyed people will email sponsors demanding that they take a position.
More than any time I can think of, consumers on both sides of the woke debate are making their dollars talk.
For ages, there was a time where brands could get away with being a bit wokey for a bit of street cred.
But not anymore, particularly since the Bud Light debacle where the company used the transgender actor, provoked a backlash and then suffered a 25 percent fall in sales.
Consumers who don’t like the wokey stuff have started punishing brands for it. So quite rightly, the rugby bosses want to stay right out of politics and not annoy either side- and who can blame them?
And it’s worth pointing out, they are not taking a side here.
Three years ago, former Hurricanes shareholder Troy Bowker made some comments opposed to what he called the ‘left Māori agenda’ and he ended up having to sell his shares and step down as a director. So it's cutting both ways.
There is no indication yet of what those women in the team will do, but judging by the haka leader’s comments yesterday- there is a chance that they feel very righteous about this. And if they do, they to need get real.
They are clearly heavily subsidised by the men’s game at the moment, and if they want that to continue, if they want the money to keep coming in so they can keep playing their game, they’re gonna have to understand this isn’t about politics and having your say- it’s about money.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show.
9 comments:
Now that the haka has become political, it should be removed from.all rugby games. I no longer feel pride watching the all blacks doing it.
Since all the women's teams acquired maori names I have no idea who the teams are when I read the sports news. If I knew Canterbury was playing in Christchurch I would go to the game but having no idea who the teams are I don't bother. I returned my Crusaders season ticket when wokeness forced the team to change our logo. Kiwialan.
It certainly is a cut your nose off to spite your face moment.
The fact that almost no one watches is a result of the fact that they never win and when they never win and no one watches they lose their sponsors who seek winners and watchers.
The fact that they have played the race card in a political power play will send them to viewer, supporter and sponsor oblivion.
The usual apologists sit on the side lines telling use as white people we are guests in NZ and eventually they themselves will wonder what went wrong because they are too stupid to understand how the world and human nature actually works because they live is a vacuous echo chamber.
The upside of this happily has shades of the teacup storm in Australian Netball who in the face of bankruptcy had Gina Rinehart come to their rescue because she loves netball.
Then of course one netballer with a chip, a grudge and a political agenda brought up some ancient history about Rinehart's father and all hell broke out.
The entire team (bullied by the social contract not to look like a racist) decided this player was right and the money was dirty so Rinehart pulled her entire sponsorship. One person destroyed the Netball for the team for the sake of her personal agenda.
Let us hope that the Sponsors of the Hurricanes send the management a very clear message of expectation because without their cash their would be no womans rugby team to have their 'platform' let alone any income they may derive and infact jeopardising any future of their 'team' game....
Heather, spot on. I indirectly fund the canes (through a business in wgtn). I have pulled that funding, effective immediately.
Those proceeds will not be there to pay for these men or women any longer because of the actions of this women's team.
The lack of any meaningful response by Avan is telling and (with benefit of hindsight) Troy was bang on. There is no remorse from this team and they have no ability to fathom who is paying them. ( minus me now)
I used to say to my kids as they were growing up - never bite the hand that feeds you, and if you don't know who is feeding you stop biting immediately as you don't have a grasp of the situation.
Avan, over to you.
Young sports players, and it seems particularly prevalent in women these days, seem to think they're there to inform the crowd on political and social issues, rather than entertain.
Encouraged by our Left-biased MSM, who coax these woke after-match comments from the players, it's a dangerous game to play.
And like our MSM, who are financially struggling due to declining audiences and advertising revenue, the players need to keep their opinions to themselves before they find themselves out of a job.
Go woke, go broke!
I went to Eden Park several weeks ago to watch the New Zealand cricket team play Australia.
On the bus to the ferry terminal each stop was announced first in Maori then
English. At the ferry terminal the signage was more prominently in Maori. At the railway station the signage was more prominently in Maori and the public announcements were in Maori first. I doubt if any one on the bus, the ferry or the train could speak Maori but not English. I saw people shaking their heads in total disbelief at the railway station.
At Eden Park I noticed Walters Avenue, named after the original owner of the land, has been renamed Mattiu Walters Avenue after the drummer in a local band, no relative. I wonder why each of the other band members doesn't have A street surrounding Eden Park named after them.
And various players think that before the game starts they can now tell us our Government and by implication Europeans generally are redneck racists.
And during the game various events were announced in massive Maori signage on the scoreboard.
Auckland public transport and Eden Park are both hugely subsidised by the taxpayer and the ratepayer. What makes them think they are entitled to or need to spend those subsidies on Maori signage and announcements ? How many people in the last 50 years have spoken Maori but not English ? Probably none !
And what makes them think publicly subsidised operations have the right to apply soft sell Maori indoctrination techniques on us ?
Auckland Council has $12 billion in debt. The Government is massively in debt . Eden Parks a financial basket case. And we spend money worthlessly vertue signalling .
As a nation we can't heal the sick, feed the hungry or house the homeless, But hell we lead the world in vertue signalling. And wasting money. It's as if some collective madness like the Salem Witch Trials has gotten hold of this country.
All I can say is how much longer can we keep calling the New Zealand cricketers the White Ferns or the Black Ferns? Hell what racist and insensitive people must be.
New Zealand has suddenly found what Americans found, back in 2017 when the Gay Community along with other zealous left leaning socialites started doing, by antagonizing business re their advertising, who they conducted business with - the 'normal American' came back with - "go woke go broke' - BUT sadly New Zealand will not know this, being the first 4 years of The Trump Presidency and NZ MSM lent toward Left leaning American MSM (Anna Burns Francis TVNZ News being a predominate figure) - we did not get to see what mainstream America did to those 'go woke/go broke business' Anheuser-Busch Brewing using a Trans Person in advertising a popular beer' - saw an unprecedented backlash against the brewing giant - think pallets of beer that were returned. Another business that suffered, in America was an internal Airline as well as Coke a Cola.
We need to adopt the same strategy here in NZ and sadly the NZ Rugby Union should feel the first blow, then the Management of the Hurricanes Franchise and any other sport group that rise to "point political fingers' - sport is sport, not a domain for political point scoring.
And yes - DeeM - spot on, along with other comments that also "say no, not in this paddock'.
Kiwialan, I am a born and bred Cantabrian. I don't live there anymore but I stopped supporting the Crusaders with their stupid logo change. I decided to support the Hurricanes as I lived in Wellington for a while. With this latest event perhaps I'll have to swallow a dead rat and support Auckland!
Heather what's your take on this situation now? The canes women have come out again and doubled down.....perhaps a follow up article is required?
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