Ah, variable pricing. The never-ending possibilities. Let’s talk about it.
Variable pricing is when prices change based on a region, location, date or other aspects. This is also known as ‘real-time pricing.’
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National Rugby League
All posts tagged National Rugby League
Last week I told you about a study I read that analysed the preference for foreign and domestic talent in the English Premier League. I then told you I would apply it to Australia. I did warn you that I don’t have the numbers, but I have a few ideas about foreign talent in the various Australian leagues…
AFL
I am almost positive there would be no significant impact on attendance and that fans would not show a preference for foreign or domestic players. Foreign talents not only makes up a pretty small percentage of players (only 14 current players, total) but even the good ones are not as widely known as the Aussies. And there aren’t very many good ones (can you even name five?). I will make one exception: Jim Stynes. Players like that impact the game, and attendance.
I also think foreign talent is pretty accurately represented. As I mentioned, there aren’t many good foreign players. Even the ones who are good, aren’t that good. I doubt the damage or contribute to the game… they just are.
And actually, while I’m at it. I’m going to go out on a limb and say they do damage the game. In a book I read called ‘How To Play Australian Football’ everyone seems to think that what makes a good player is practice. Knowing the game, knowing your opponent, knowing how to work the space, opposition and your teammates strengths. Since AFL is hardly an international sport (yet) how can you expect that a foreigner (someone who hasn’t grown up playing the game) to do that?
NRL
I’d be interested in seeing this. I can’t seem to find information on the number of non-domestic players in the NRL but I don’t think there are very many (off the top of my head). To me, and perhaps this is a very uneducated assertion, but it seems like this could be the league with the most negative impact. Rugby fans (let me be clear: THE FANS, not the players, clubs or leagues) tend to be a bit… outrageous… and I can see how a foreign player, if they are not performing well, would upset people.
Depending on where the players came from, there could be a significant contribution to the team. Players from South Africa, New Zealand or the UK, for instance, could be beneficial. Players from the US might be a bit more detrimental. That would be an interesting study.
NBL
As you know from my previous post, I don’t think Americans do well in the NBL. I don’t think they would affect attendance at all. After all, the NBL has a rule which limits the number of non-Australiasian players per team (limit of 2). I don’t think the fans would care at all.
But performance… I’d put good money on it that non-domestic players are a hindrance. While they know how to play basketball, and many can play it very well, they don’t play it the Australian way. Look at the Hawks this season: more appearances by the Americans… fewer wins (although I’m rooting for them, since I volunteer there – GO HAWKS! I DON’T CARE WHERE YOU ARE ON THE LADDER OR WHO YOU SELECT TO PLAY!). I think the style of play is too different and that they are damaging teams, overall. Let me be clear though, I only feel that way about the American players. I would call them ‘overrepresented’ if we were sticking the terminology used in Part 1. Other players… I’d love to see.
ABL
This is the only league in which I fully, 100% support American imports. Baseball is America’s past time so odds are that the US produces some quality players. Not to mention, many ABL players spend time in US in the off season playing for the major and minor leagues. I actually support most international players in the ABL – I think it’s smart. Japan and the Dominican Republic, for instance, also have amazing leagues with great quality players. While I hate to say this, I’d bet that the foreign players provide more marginal benefit than the domestic players. In this case, I assert that foreign players are underrepresented.
It wouldn’t impact attendance. The only way I can see that happening is if there’s a big star, which the ABL hasn’t really landed yet.
What do you all think? Are my assumptions way off base?
Do you want me to run the numbers for any of these leagues? I’d be interested (and willing!) but only if someone else cares, too. Otherwise… I’m just a crazy woman obsessing about foreigners and statistics. Weird.
Oh, la la. I became French today. It’s such an achievement.
Jay-Z as an Agent – I am actually excited to see how this one works out. Jay-Z is one of the few celebs I know who is actually just as well known for his business acumen as his musical talent (other people, like Michael Jordan – ugh – aren’t as lucky). He did very well with the Brookyn Nets. I mean… have you seen their new logo, gear, and everything else? GOD. So good. Jay-Z is also known to surround himself with very smart people and educate himself on business. Plus, Jay-Z knows EVERYONE… and if he doesn’t, they certainly know him. Name me an athlete who wouldn’t want to be repped by someone who EVERYONE knows (in the English speaking world, at least, and mainly the US). He has music, fashion, sports and Beyonce. Those, my friends, are the four international languages.
Melbourne Being Failures – Melbourne make me sad. I know that there are a million and one reasons why Melbourne is floundering and people keep trying to justify it. Here are the reasons I’ve heard: They always make the wrong draft picks. Tanking destroyed their club culture. The players are lazy. The board kept making bad decisions. The coach is $*** (gasp at that language!). Look, bottom line: EVERYONE messed up. The club needs major rehab. Just… everything. Now listen when I say this: I DON’T THINK ANYONE NEEDS TO BE FIRED/RESIGN. I think that people are too focused on blaming someone when there is no one to blame (okay, admittedly, some people are more to blame than others) but clubs don’t get this bad with just one person screwing up. And the AFL? They should have sorted this out ages ago – this is not the first bad year Melbourne has had. (PS – Tanking when there were expansion clubs that were guaranteed to take the first draft picks? Foolishness.)
NRL Admin Stuff – Oh, oh, oh, I get giddy when I think about corporate structure (leave me alone – I am a freak). The gist is that the NRL has been structured in seven departments in order to maximise the potential of the NRL. There are lots of positions that are still open but the CEO, Dave Smith, is going to meet routinely with all departments. He will also be meeting with clubs to make sure they are comfortable with the new format. I freaking love it. People have been raising questions about whether it will work, but I personally think it’s genius. I don’t know why this hasn’t been the set up from day one! I can’t wait to see how this goes because I’m seriously gushing. I will be watching closely.
One Trillion ACL Injuries –I’ve got to wonder about this. I know the AFL is all about preventing injury, and imposing rules to do so, but the ACL fiasco (how many has it been? Four, I think, since the season started?) they’ve got to be doing something… RIGHT? I feel so bad for these guys – Daniel Menzel in particular. I just watched the boyfriend go through ACL surgery (on 12th April) and it has been… not easy. I can’t imagine getting a fourth. I can’t imagine getting a second. And I certainly can’t imagine getting these done with the pressure that these guys are under.
I seriously wish that I had a background in sports science so I could research this stuff. Someone has to…
AFL Dream Team – I am only putting this on my list of things to talk about to tell you that I don’t want to talk about it. Just… CURSE YOU GOODES AND GIBBS!
I will say that I am in the middle of finals (which means I have been losing my hair with stress and seriously considering alcoholism as a new career path) so I make no promises about new posts. At least until 15th May (when finals are over!). I do miss you all (and your tweets – I love when you all tweet at me) but I will be around. Never fear.
Admittedly, I went a bit overboard with articles this week. I honestly couldn’t only pick five. A lot went down in the past seven days and I also feel like I owe you from missing two weeks this month. Spring Break is this week which means I will be curling up with some bourbon and a book, trying to forget that I still have six weeks left of school. I may even write a post or two (or six).
Demetriou Admits Cap Quandry – AFL. First of all – I have an issue with AFL writers not understand the difference between a paragraph and a sentence. That being said, this is what I was talking about in yesterday’s post. Madness, I tell you.
The Sports Names You Need To Know In 2013 – Chris Smith, Forbes SportsMoney. Bernanrd Tomic is the first guy on the list. Wooohoooo – go Aussies.
World Baseball Classic: Fernando Rodney and the Magic Plantain – Gabrielle Lucivero, Babes Dig Balls. This was just too funny to not include. If you haven’t heard – this dude keeps a banana in his pants. And no, that’s not innuendo.
Five Sports Autobiographies I’d Love To Read – Miiles Stedman, The Roar. This just inspired me to write my own top five. Stay tuned.
Streaking Denver Nuggets Could Re-Shape Future NBA Rosters – Tom Van Riper, Forbes SportsMoney. I have been saying this for… ever: you don’t need a star. You need a solid teams. Boyfriend says it’s better to have a winning team than a team of winners and I couldn’t agree more. Here is proof (in case the Sydney Swans last year weren’t proof enough).
Four Factors Which Could Determine Who Wins the AFL v NRL Showdown in 2013 – Nic Ferraro, Sports Biz Insider. Just in case you like both codes (who doesn’t?).
And, because I love you all, a treat:
AFL Captains Romancing The Cup – AFL. If you are an AFL fan and you haven’t seen this… your life is not complete. Enjoy.
Do you remember the post I did about the best Sydney athletes to follow on Twitter? Well, I didn’t say this in the post, but it wasn’t hard to choose because they’re aren’t very many Sydney athletes who use Twitter. Don’t get me wrong – the guys I chose are awesome accounts and there were many that didn’t make the cut. But it got me thinking… what’s deal with Australia and Twitter?
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t feel like Australians use Twitter as much as the US. Maybe it’s just my friends and my choice of sport teams, but that’s how it seems. But according to Google, Twitter has more than 1.1 million active users in Australia, which is about 6.4% of internet users – roughly the same as the US and the UK. I assume this number is going to grow, especially in Australia where businesses haven’t really tapped into the resource yet, but for some reason teams don’t have their players on Twitter. Why?
If these reasons aren’t enough, the you should know that having your players on Twitter is amazingly beneficial to a team for one main reason: it allows fan interaction.
Leagues agree that fan interaction is important – the game day experience, making fans feel connected to the team, athletes and each other, provide them unique access, and free advertising.
Game day experience. I love the way GWS has used Twitter during games and I think more clubs should adopt this. Fans tweet about the game and add the appropriate hashtag (relative to who GWS is playing, or the classic #gogiants) and GWS selects a few to put on the big screen. Every team should do this. No big screen? It’s pretty cool to read the tweets outloud on the speakers – that would be perfect for NBL games! They could certainly step this up, as well. Broadcast more tweets – even GWS doesn’t do enough – and respond to fans’ tweets – there’s hardly any of that going on. There should be a space for fan tweets on every club’s website. I would even go so far as to select one player per game to interact with fans. Injured players, substitutes, those in the dug out, or even those spend most of their time on the bench (a great way to involve the whole team!) are perfect candidates for this. Show their tweets on the big screen or read their conversations with fans aloud. Let me tell you that if I tweeted about Jeremy Cameron during a GWS game, he tweeted me back and it was on the big screen… well, I might die of joy.
Establish connections. This one is a no-brainer. Everyone is excited when their team or favourite player responds to their tweet or retweets them. It’s SUCH an easy way to boost fan morale. And seriously, how hard is it to press the retweet button? And while it may be superficial, fans do feel like the get to know players through their Twitter accounts. I’ve been following Todd Van Steensel of the Sydney Blue Sox for a few months now and I know quite a bit of about his activities – I vividly remember when he watched ‘The Dark Knight’ for the first time a couple months ago (I also have a pretty great memory, so there’s that) and I think his updates about school and WBC are nothing short of hilarious. Yes, it’s superficial but allowing fans to make connections to players is good for them and you. As a result, I feel guilt about not being able to go to any Blue Sox games this year. I live a few hours away, so it’s difficult, but I still feel bad about it because I feel like Todd Van Steensel is my amigo. Weird, I know, but I’m not the only person who feels that way.
Unique access. I don’t know of any team that has done this yet… but I have an idea: give exclusive access to members (or a certain group of people). You can protect your account so people have to be approved to follow. Teams could easily create this sort of account and only grant access to members. They could show exclusive photos or videos or give exclusive information. This could be the place to update with member news, offer new packages, run draws and give prizes – so many possibilities! It could be a lot of fun! Just another way to reward those who are loyal to your team.
Free advertising. Do I really need to explain this? Twitter is free and if athletes promote games or other events, you essentially have free advertising. Who can afford to NOT have free advertising?
The one downside to this is it can be a bit of a challenge to manage your players on Twitter, and social media outlets in general. There have been many cases in which athletes post inappropriate things on their accounts which get them into trouble – mainly they get fined. But this is very easily avoided: coach them. You coach them in all other aspects, why not this one?
Overall, Twitter is valuable and I fail to see why teams aren’t taking advantage of it… why do you think? Is it because they don’t think it hits their target audience? Because they don’t see it’s use value? They don’t know how to apply it to their club? I’d be interested to know…
Okay. I know this is unpopular and I have a feeling I’ll get some flack but oh well.
From what I understand, and I think I understand it pretty well, 14 players from the Cronulla Sharks have been suspected of taking performance enhancing drugs (you gotta love the amount of buzz around the word “peptides”) and have been given the opportunity to accept six month bans, right now, and they will still receive pay during their suspension. If, after further investigation, the players are found to be guilty, they will be punished with two year bans without pay. My knowledge says that no one has accepted the six month ban and they will all take part in the investigation.
The evidence hasn’t been properly presented yet and we’re hearing some mixed reports. Many people are of the opinion that it’s not the player’s fault. They blame it on the footy culture – players do what they’re told by people in admin or positions of power (coaches, GMs, etc) and they do it without question.
Sorry, but that’s ridiculous. Ban all the players.
These people are not Jason Bourne. They are allowed to question they’re orders. They may run the risk of being delisted or not playing that week, but that’s what the RLPA, and any players association for that matter, are for – to protect the players. (Note: if it does come out, however, that the players did report it and the RLPA ignored it, which is suspected in the AFL case, then I have to change my tune. But until that time, my opinion stands because I doubt that’s what happened.)
Ignorance is no excuse – it NEVER flies. For example, I know someone who was fined 300 euro because they wore a dress that showed their knees into a church in Italy. And how many times do we hear reports on TV of someone being arrested and claiming it was because they didn’t know it was against the law? (Southeast Asia and the Middle East being common locations) That’s the problem – we give people too much leniency. You may not have known, but it’s your job to know.
How hard is it to ask questions? And how hard is it to Google a substance? I’m sure all players have a copy, or access to a copy, of the banned substances list… how hard is it to check it? And seriously? Injections? Were there no red lights going off in your head? People never want to take responsibility for their actions, and it’s gotten absurd.
Do I think that the people involved in the administering of the drug should have harsher penalties? Yes. Of course.
But should the players be punished as well? Absolutely.
They have been given the opportunity to take the six month suspension, from which they can easily recover. Sure, they miss a season, but their reputation remains in tact and I (personally) admire them for admitting that they were stupid enough to take people at their word (some people are just too trusting). But if they wait and are found guilty which, if the news is any indication – they will -, then they’ll be gone for two years. It’ll ruin their reputation and I doubt anyone will want them when they come back. It will also take it’s toll on their talent and game. Some of these guys are getting old (I’m looking at you, Paul Gallen) and they might not come back – and it would be a shame to end your career on that note.
So go ahead, ASADA – ban ’em all. They’re not idiots. They should have known what they were doing and they need to be held responsible.
It pains me to say it, but that will have to happen at Essendon, as well. Granted, the news around Cronulla has put Essendon on the back burner, but it will eventually resurface and there will be a similar situation. Those boys better start planning their strategy.
My first post of the year and what am I writing about? Izzy. Yet again.
I’ve already written on how he may be overpaid (twice, actually) and given my opinion on his career and impact on GWS.
I realize I’m a bit late on this topic considering he signed with the NSW Waratahs a month ago (shame on me for being so behind, but give me a break – it’s been the holidays!) making this his third football code in 5 years. Quite wishy-washy, huh?
He got a bit of bad press when he left the GWS Giants because even though most people knew he wouldn’t be the best player, they at least thought he’d stick it out through the length of his contract. Then, when his deals fell through with a few NRL clubs and he went to the NRU, people wrote him off. They were not happy – they shook their heads and said, “Oh, there goes Izzy again, switching codes like it’s legal!” People were unhappy but here’s the thing: it IS legal.
I recently read a book that asserts that in Australia, twentysomethings who have not had several jobs in several industries are looked down upon because they are seen as inexperienced. Here in Aus (or so I read…) it’s great to try out different things – employers love it. Bonus points if you’ve worked in several countries and had a few one-day or long-weekend jobs.
Interestingly, sport is practically the only industry where people judge you for frequently changing employers to make use of your transferable skills, as is the case for Folau. Let’s take me as an example – my degree is in economics (thank you, Smith College! – with special thanks to Professors Zimbalist, Kaufman, Mahdavi, Bartlett and Haas-Wilson). That means I could be an economist, or I could work in sport, or finance, become an entrepreneur… or I could really throw a spanner in the works and become a circus ringmaster. Because I can. If I did all the above through the course of my working life, no one would find it strange. They would think that I had an interesting work history and, maybe, that I was probably intelligent for taking advantage of opportunities.
People don’t think that about Folau…
On the other side of the coin, if I had spent my entire career in one industry (which is already not possible) then, especially in Australia, people would wonder if I was overly-cautious and question my real life experience.
People don’t think that about Folau…
It would be perfectly reasonable for me to try out different industries. I could work in investment banking for a year, decide it’s not for me and that I don’t have the abilities (it take a special person to want to be an investment banker) and leave. No one would care. No one would say I was a waste of money and that I was a flop. They’d say, “Where are you headed next?” without missing a beat.
Why shouldn’t Folau get the same opportunities? If he has the ability, why shouldn’t he try out different sports and different teams? He tried AFL and he didn’t succeed. If it were any industry other than sport, people would accept it and say, “Good on you for having a go,” (like this expert said about Folau – finally, someone who sees the light) but they don’t. They get irritated and bad-mouth him.
I know that Aussies love their one-club guys, even more than we do in the states, but unless the guys who are coming down on Folau have only had one employer their entire life, then they don’t have a leg to stand on. There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of opportunities, regardless of who is offering them.
Personally, I hope Folau dominates the ARU.
