Boozy gambling NRL a poor role model

It was with much relief that I spotted beleaguered National Rugby League (NRL) Chief Executive Todd Greenberg in the media in recent days, where he was busy talking tough on salary caps, accountability and the ‘integrity of the competition’.

Relief – because 55 days have now passed since my colleague, and former State of Origin player Steve Ella, wrote to Todd to express his concerns about the ever-expanding alcohol advertising in the NRL’s Origin series.

And while it’s a relief to see Todd emerge unscathed from his NRL bunker and pop up on the TV – proof of life confirmed and looking very much the enforcer – it makes his failure to respond to Steve’s letter all the more intriguing.

Was he marooned on XXXX Island?

Or is the NRL so besieged by scandal, so consumed by salary cap breaches, serious player indiscretions and match fixing allegations that Todd simply can’t find the time to respond to correspondence from a rugby league great?

Perhaps the letter has fallen under the mountain of VB, XXXX, Wolf Blass, and Bundaberg merchandise from Origin’s corporate partners in the corner of Todd’s office.

In truth, I’m sure the real reason lies elsewhere.

There is a growing dissonance between what the NRL claims to stand for in their vision and values, and what it demands from its clubs and players, and the manner in which it conducts itself.

This is a sport which has clearly embraced unhealthy corporate sponsorships so unreservedly that the booze, betting and the great game itself have now morphed into one.

This is a national sporting code which aggressively promotes gambling, junk food and alcohol consumption to the entire nation during prime-time television, watched by adults and children alike, yet is somehow surprised when its players act up off the field.

When the NRL sees its players and clubs behaving badly and calls them to account to minimise any reputational damage, the public see through the hypocrisy.

While it does not excuse their bad behaviour, the players have a very poor role model in the NRL and the boozy macho culture it promotes.

The NRL is guilty of the classic ‘gambler’s conceit’, a term coined by the behavioural economist David J. Ewing, where a gambler believes they will be able to stop a risky behaviour while still engaging in it.

It can’t.

The NRL provides children with the currency to dream and the inspiration to work hard towards goals of physical fitness and sporting prowess.

Yet, in its shameless promotion of alcohol, that currency will shortly be worthless.

The NRL is party to the indiscriminate promotion of a substance that inflicts great harm. Every day in New South Wales alone alcohol is responsible for 32 emergency department presentations, 149 hospitalisations and four deaths.

It is no wonder that six in ten Australians believe alcohol sponsorship should not be allowed at sporting events. Todd Greenberg would do well to heed the growing community concerns.

It is time for the NRL to set a higher standard for itself, for the competition, for the players, and the millions of fans.

Todd Greenberg can start by replying to Steve Ella’s letter.