Really didn't want to have to participate in this but whatever.
Now before I get into your other points, I do want to say I can agree with your stance on losing a home game to Allianz and that is a very fair criticism to have. I would assume, just like Magic Round, there is a financial incentive for clubs to play a home game at Allianz instead. We are one of the poorest clubs so our CEO has decided that this is going to be financially beneficial in addition to potential social benefits. This is why we always play home games at Magic Round as well. Anyway, it's certainly not ideal for the fans or players but sacrifices have to be made sometimes and at the very least how many Manly fans are gonna leave the insular peninsula?
"Plus we'll be the 3rd game in 3 days there...you saw the state of it in the rain the other day."
- Given the speed of Manly's outside backs and our typical form in sub-optimal conditions this will be an advantage for us if anything.
Now onto the more "I can't see the point of Indigenous round" posts.
Your perspective is too individualistic. No one is celebrating one persons race, but it is a celebration of a culture, the oldest living culture in the world. A culture that has been severely diminished following colonisation and the general public has very limited knowledge about.
The Australian population is approximately 3.2% Indigenous, but around 10% of NRL players are Indigenous. This is probably the sport of choice for Indigenous Australians (AFL is popular as well but there are not as many % wise) and means a lot to them, particularly in NSW and QLD. Indigenous Australians have the worst outcomes out of any demographic in Australia and for a lot of them rugby league is a way out, similar to running in Kenya. A beacon of hope to many youngfellas across the country. For a lot of them seeing their people celebrated and cherished and seeing that they can succeed is vital in breaking the chain of disadvantage. Additionally, when laypeople watch they might learn something about the culture or how Indigenous Australians have shaped Australia, because it certainly would not have progressed as rapidly or effectively without the help of Aboriginal people. All these reasons and more are why we have Indigenous round.
Your comparison to the EPL is irrelevant. We are a completely different country from the UK. The UK doesn't have a maligned Indigenous population. But also what's this the EPL has a pride round? https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4178744
Secondly, it took me less than 2 minutes to find this.
www.weststigers.com.au
And I'll explain it to you why they have 3 games at Allianz. By situating a multitude of games over a weekend at the same venue they can create a festival type feeling to it with stalls and whatever centred around Indigenous culture. It also provides the fans a unique opportunity to actually interact with Indigenous culture and learn something. Additionally, there is a drawcard for Indigenous fans to come to celebrate their own culture and learn some things from people with other tribal affiliations, while watching the footy (although apparently at a higher than average price unfortunately).
The philosophy in a nutshell is to create a Magic Round type event but with a real purpose. Pretty freaking obvious I thought.
And while I'm at it.
You have perpetually pushed this motte and bailey fallacy. You keep making points whining about having to have an indigenous round and women in league round then every time someone talks about these specific points you bring up you just go "hey this is just me talking about losing a home game". Below are examples of such:
Clearly in both of the above you've made a point about losing a home game, but then also start talking about your disdain for indigenous round.
Then in this post somebody alerted you to how Indigenous round has the capacity to start conversations and you brush it off with a poor example and retreat to your "we lose a home game" motte.
Now before I get into your other points, I do want to say I can agree with your stance on losing a home game to Allianz and that is a very fair criticism to have. I would assume, just like Magic Round, there is a financial incentive for clubs to play a home game at Allianz instead. We are one of the poorest clubs so our CEO has decided that this is going to be financially beneficial in addition to potential social benefits. This is why we always play home games at Magic Round as well. Anyway, it's certainly not ideal for the fans or players but sacrifices have to be made sometimes and at the very least how many Manly fans are gonna leave the insular peninsula?
"Plus we'll be the 3rd game in 3 days there...you saw the state of it in the rain the other day."
- Given the speed of Manly's outside backs and our typical form in sub-optimal conditions this will be an advantage for us if anything.
Now onto the more "I can't see the point of Indigenous round" posts.
I know I've already quoted a couple of these but these are the most relevant ones and the ones I will respond to.
Your perspective is too individualistic. No one is celebrating one persons race, but it is a celebration of a culture, the oldest living culture in the world. A culture that has been severely diminished following colonisation and the general public has very limited knowledge about.
The Australian population is approximately 3.2% Indigenous, but around 10% of NRL players are Indigenous. This is probably the sport of choice for Indigenous Australians (AFL is popular as well but there are not as many % wise) and means a lot to them, particularly in NSW and QLD. Indigenous Australians have the worst outcomes out of any demographic in Australia and for a lot of them rugby league is a way out, similar to running in Kenya. A beacon of hope to many youngfellas across the country. For a lot of them seeing their people celebrated and cherished and seeing that they can succeed is vital in breaking the chain of disadvantage. Additionally, when laypeople watch they might learn something about the culture or how Indigenous Australians have shaped Australia, because it certainly would not have progressed as rapidly or effectively without the help of Aboriginal people. All these reasons and more are why we have Indigenous round.
Your comparison to the EPL is irrelevant. We are a completely different country from the UK. The UK doesn't have a maligned Indigenous population. But also what's this the EPL has a pride round? https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4178744
Firstly, it's "Gadhu" gathering not Gadigal gathering, although it is on Gadigal land.
Secondly, it took me less than 2 minutes to find this.
Clubs come together to launch inaugural Gadhu Gathering
On August 17, Wests Tigers will host NRL and NRLW matches at the inaugural Gadhu Gathering; a new marquee event on the rugby league calendar.
www.weststigers.com.au
The philosophy in a nutshell is to create a Magic Round type event but with a real purpose. Pretty freaking obvious I thought.
And while I'm at it.
Nope. Indigenous round goes for 2 weeks, which anyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention would know.
Bit of a strawman here. The reality is female sport is neglected in Australia (and across the world) and needs targeted promotion to help improve audience levels (while boosting revenue for involved entities as well). Sure, females obviously don't have the same physical attributes as males, but they should be able to participate in sport and have opportunities to make a career out of it, which is starting to happen and it's great. This is purely a way of promoting the sport to young girls as a lot of them drop out of sports in their teen years due to stigma and other social pressures. This is a significant health issue, whereby a higher proportion of women will not be getting the recommended amount of weekly exercise required leading to further issues down the track. Are you all of a sudden gonna start dissing on Beanies for Brain Cancer round? And don't say "well it's a significant health issue to provide awareness for", because both Indigenous Round and Women in League round actually have the capacity to improve health outcomes for these groups of people and reduce health inequality.
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