Headline Analysis...

02/04/09 - From Dean Ritchie of couriermail.com.au – With the code in desperate need of some good publicity, Bennett took extraordinary steps to avoid talking about tonight's blockbuster match between the Dragons and the club at which he won six premierships.
"It's just Wayne being Wayne,'' Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen said."I don't think it shows that he's under pressure. He has had a lot of fun with the Brisbane media over a lot of years. I think he is just continuing that. It also takes a bit of pressure off his players if the media are chasing Wayne to the team bus.''

I’ve been a Bronco die-heart since I can remember. I spent years defending Australia’s second most famous sporting Wayne. I defended him because I loved the broncos. They brought me a lot of happiness, and he was a big reason for that.

However, in hindsight (and even at the time I kind of knew), my argument was insane. Bennett was a jerk to the Brisbane beat and NRL writers. He just was. And apparently he still is.

“It’s just Wayne being Wayne”. That’s Bruno Cullen’s and the rest of western civilization’s way of saying you’re an asshole.

And you know what, that’s fine for him. In fact, its probably why he is so successful. If he stays out of the spotlight, he practices what he preaches, and he can run the tight ship which led to six titles at the Broncos.

But what about the NRL?

They’re in a war with the AFL and the A-league and they need all the positive engagement with the market as they can get. Would it kill Illa’Wayne to answer a few questions?

Isn’t he doing himself a disfavor? Think about it.

If he talks to the media, they write a piece that gives Broncos v Dragons some context. Fans read that, suddenly have more reason to care, and end up watching or going to a game they may have missed entirely. The NRL makes more money, the ratings go up, and Illa’Wayne gets more money from a affluent league.
I guess relativity isn’t one of Bennett’s mythical life lessons.

I’m just a fan, but wouldn’t maintaining a good relationship with the people whose job it is to detail everything you do be a good idea? It’s like if a guy is planning on sleeping with hot girl, he doesn’t piss the hot girl’s DUFF (designated ugly fat friend) off, because he knows she shapes the hot girl's perception of him.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESS CONFRENCES

In today’s, globalised, 24/7, saturated sports world, the channels and the relationship an organisation maintains with its fans (the media is the NRL’s biggest and most important channel) is critical, because it allows the league to engage with the fan.

Press conferences are unique in that they relay information/news in real time. They are almost like Twitter and Blogs before Twitter and Blogs. They are immediate, intimate, telling, emotional, and (most importantly to sports leagues) confrontational.

Sports leagues need confrontation. They need to be talked about. Its why in the long run, Shane Warne was great for cricket, and Wendall Sailor has been great for the NRL and the Super 14. If you are the commissioner of a league, your number one priority is to stay relevant.

The reason the NFL is the biggest sports league in the world has little to do with the on field contest, and everything to do with the off-field discussion. The whole game is designed to be scrutinized.

24 seconds between each play. A myriad of replays. Timeouts. TV timeouts. Injury reports. Limited roster space. Mock drafts. The draft. The NFL Network. Hard Knocks. The off-season is as big if not bigger then the actual season.

The NFL is a story 365 days a year because they go so far as to break down press conferences. While the NRL doesn’t even televise all their post game press conferences. The NRL can’t be so myopic in their approach.

BP and Shell aren’t in the oil business, they are in the fuel business. The NRL isn’t in the sport business, they are in the entertainment business. Illa’Wayne and David Gallop need to remember this.

The same goes for Super 14.