moto748 wrote:
Well, you say that, and you might have a point, compared to, say, the last World Cup. But nevertheless, if rugby league was treated with half the fanfare that rugby union is by the BBC, the national newspapers and so on, how the sporting scene would change! Rugby league is *still* a largely unknown quantity to many outside the North of England, a fact that I often think is underappreciated. And I hear a lot of "I liked what little I see of it" type comments around. What I would say is that the coverage of union is very good, both on BBC and ITV. Compared to JJB jabbering on.
I've always been hopeful that the more Union was exposed, the more the viewing public would get wise to what a poor game it is. But I agree with you that intense publicity can often override that (football is an even better example). When the establishment is behind you, the odds are always in your favour.
But the landscape is changing a little. Domestically, I hear that RU is in a bad place, so maybe their reliance on the international game is becoming over-reliance. I live in hope.
Not, of course, that RU's demise would switch everyone's attention to us. I'm sure the Beeb would find prime time spots for Tiddlywinks before upping their coverage of RL.
