Public Address | Cafe | Field Theory: It's about time

llew40

Wed, 30 Sept 2015 09:28:34 +1300

would be ill-advised to pronounce on their political lignment, in case they alienate a chunk of their customer base unnecessarily.

I know what you mean, but I dont have an issue with any public figure expressing their opinion about an issue they feel strongly about. The grey area becomes if/when…

izogi

Tue, 29 Sept 2015 23:43:24 +1300

They should, although when they’re pretty much representatives of a professional organization, they should consider the extent to which their pronouncements associate that organization positively.

Maybe to a point, but for another context, how about scientists who get told to stand in line with their employer’s comms department? That’s effectively…

BenWilson

Tue, 29 Sept 2015 15:01:42 +1300

It’s bugging me too, but athletes should be able to say what they want, same as anyone else. It’s not surprising that the wealthy young men of the ABs are mostly Nats-by-default.

They should, although when they're pretty much representatives of a professional organization, they should consider the extent to…

Sam Bradford

Sun, 27 Sept 2015 12:52:37 +1300

It's bugging me too, but athletes should be able to say what they want, same as anyone else. It's not surprising that the wealthy young men of the ABs are mostly Nats-by-default.
On the other hand, the officials would be wise to be more careful about who they let into…

Russell Brown

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 20:26:20 +1200

To be fair the NZRU asked to have the naming at parliament.

And you reckon they would have done that unless they already knew the answer was 'yes'?

It was still a bad idea. Richie's "but then half the country would hate me" was closer to the mark on the…

simon g

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 16:54:40 +1200

His selection was due to poor phone reception. Hansen actually said "I need another Walter Little", not "call to Little".

Glenn Pearce

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 15:19:30 +1200

The guy on Key's right was a bolter selection for the World Cup.

Peter Darlington

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 13:58:52 +1200

—not West Ham, then?

We don't allow his sort. We draw the line at the Queen and Obama.

linger

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 12:24:11 +1200

—not West Ham, then?

Alfie

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 12:20:19 +1200

Team photo – 2015 All Blacks

Peter Darlington

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 12:13:23 +1200

It's fairly standard for politicians to acquire an interest in sport once they start to seek public office. Mr Pigpoker can't even remember which team they decided he should support.

Aston Villa, it's ASTON BLOODY VILLA! :-)

Glenn Pearce

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 11:23:15 +1200

How often did league-fan Clark show up in the dressing room after the game for a photo shoot?

llew40

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 10:58:18 +1200

Haydn, love that you are bucking against the orthodoxy, but will respectfully have to disagree. I think Richie is awesome :)

Politicians have been making capital out of sports people since the days of Gladiators (if not before). And its nearly aways been a little, say, uncomfortable, for the sportspeople…

Alfie

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 10:32:46 +1200

Back on election day I expressed disappointment when Izzy Dagg and Jonah Lomu actively promoted the Nats via Twitter and was pilloried by some PAS posters for suggesting that ABs shouldn't have an opinion.

Ignoring the fact that they were breaking electoral law, it disgusted me that in the immediate…

Rich of Observationz

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 09:24:19 +1200

It's fairly standard for politicians to acquire an interest in sport once they start to seek public office. Mr Pigpoker can't even remember which team they decided he should support.

linger

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 09:20:56 +1200

Shoo-in for the next leader of National, then?

Maz

Fri, 25 Sept 2015 07:22:18 +1200

I don't mind at all that players in general, and McCaw in particular, have opinions and ideologies. In fact, I'd like to see them stand up and say, "this bothers me, but that is great". What really bugs me is the silent just-standing-there-smiling, tacit backing of the Gubmint. The I'm…

izogi

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 22:14:44 +1200

I’m not sure it matters who initiated it. That the NZRU chose to do it, given the option, just seems shortsighted to me with everything that had been brewing up until then. Immediately afterwards there were predictably even more accusations flying about political partisanship in the game, to the point…

Sacha

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 22:02:25 +1200

To be fair the NZRU asked to have the naming at parliament.

And you reckon they would have done that unless they already knew the answer was 'yes'?

tim kong

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 21:23:46 +1200

http://www.ruggerblogger.co.nz/?p=2241

Not much critique – but a handy overview of the team kits there. :)

Hadyn Green

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 21:21:55 +1200

To be fair the NZRU asked to have the naming at parliament.

Hadyn Green

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 21:20:22 +1200

I'll get there Mark, there's a lot of rugby to go!

Mark Cubey

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 20:47:05 +1200

Really disapponted that Hadyn hasn't had time to critique the RWC team kits in this year of peak design engagement.

kiwicmc

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 20:45:35 +1200

and was in the Mad Butcher lounge at Mt Smart on numerous occasions – no cameras anywhere to be seen...

Russell Brown

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 20:27:59 +1200

Union. She was a massive League fan. Still is, I assume.

Yes. I interviewed her twice before she was PM and both times she talked about being the patron of the Mt Albert club. It did seem to matter to her.

Emma Hart

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 20:08:38 +1200

I give you Miss Clark who broke the law ( or encouraged her police escort to do ) to rush to a league game that I suggest she had as much interest in as I have in tap dancing because it would go down well with her voters

Union. She…

Hadyn Green

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 19:59:35 +1200

Ps. She was speeding to get to a Bledisloe Cup game

Hadyn Green

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 19:58:26 +1200

Hahaha!

Had they not been caught speeding no one would've reported that she was there. How often did league-fan Clark show up in the dressing room after the game for a photo shoot?

Also I did say it was my problem. They can obviously have opinions but as soon as…

BenWilson

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 17:25:24 +1200

There's such an easy way to spike National's guns here. We just need a Rugby Party, which promises that the nation will be run by and for the All Blacks. Then the All Blacks can safely endorse it with impunity. It's first leader will be his royal Snaffleness, Sir Ritchie,…

Raymond A Francis

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 17:13:53 +1200

Well everybody is entitled to their opinions, though I note you don't allow McCaw that right
Amazes me how quickly people forget what the other side did especially if they are supporters
I give you Miss Clark who broke the law ( or encouraged her police escort to do )…

simon g

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 16:50:56 +1200

as far as I’m aware he’s never done anything to say he’s a bigoted, violent, red neck neo liberal asshat.

Yes, I'd certainly take Richie over some of his apartheid-blind predecessors (honourable exception: Graham Mourie).

Generally I think the whole Key = McCaw line is overblown. Key is doing what…

chris

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 16:46:32 +1200

Yeh, he likes the Silver Fern flag, of course he does. Probably votes National as well

The timing and location (RWC team announcement/The Beehive) of those statements and the fact that he’s the captain/ spokesman of a team that the nation is expected to support probably didn’t help much there.…

Rich of Observationz

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 16:10:55 +1200

I still don't see how spending 25% of their revenue on amateur rugby makes that their *main* purpose. By any normal standard, their main purpose is professional rugby and a secondary purpose is the amateur game.

Russell Brown

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 16:01:33 +1200

Even if they hadn't said so publically, it'd pretty much be a foregone conclusion that, to use an above example, Dan Carter, would've voted National anyway, given he's from a small, rural town.

And he's very wealthy.

Yeah, it's not a surprise, but they should probably shut about it.

Russell Brown

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 16:00:37 +1200

$4.5mln directly from the government

Most of that's for Sevens, on the basis that it's an Olympic sport. The men's and women's Sevens teams received more than $1m each on the basis that they're likely gold medallists.

Rugby has been professional since 1995 and whilst the NZRFU spends some money…

Grant McDougall

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 14:50:27 +1200

I suspect that in the past, the ABs may've been told not to publically endorse, or do something that looks like endorsing, anything contentious, like politics.

About 20 years ago (possibly in an excellent cover story on him in the Listener by Denis Welch), Colin Meads said that he always…

Paul Campbell

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 14:48:53 +1200

I was aghast to discover a little while back that the RWC hadn't even started yet ... And there are 8 more weeks of sports in the wrong place in the news to go ....

The airnz safety film yesterday was particularly cringeworthy ... at this point I've stopped watching…

Peter Darlington

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 14:25:03 +1200

I'm going to wade in for Richie here. He's between a rock & a hard place and you can't tell me Andrew Little wouldn't be all over him like a rash if Labour were currently in government. Key embarrasses himself over the changing room snapchats and the Richie for MP comments…

Grant McDougall

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 14:23:51 +1200

I reckon National is trial-ballooning Richie for PM, actually

McCaw has, thankfully, publically stated he's not interested in going into politics.

Joe Boden

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 14:10:52 +1200

This is a trend I am also growing to dislike intensely (and would dislike even if their politics matched mine). Members of any national team should be keeping their politics to themselves. They are supposed to be representing the whole nation, not just part of it.

I reckon National is…

TracyMac

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 14:06:24 +1200

Has any other PM been so matey-matey with the AB "brand"? Sure, there's always politicians interacting with the national team(s), and there is a world cup on, but I struggle to recall anything so smacking of "I'll scratch your back..."

Grant McDougall

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 14:00:36 +1200

I pretty much agree with the general gist of your post Hadyn, but complaining about the National Party being linked to rugby is a bit like complaining about the Greens being popular with people in the arts – that's simply the crowd they attract, historically.

Also, to state the obvious,…

Nick Phillips

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 13:46:58 +1200

You can add Piri Weepu to that list – http://www.matthewbeveridge.co.nz/politics/young-nats-greens-and-the-rugby-world-cup/

Rich of Observationz

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 13:30:47 +1200

why is the PM allowed into the dressing rooms for obviously politically motivated photos?

Because he's the one who's paying the bills (using our money, of course)

Observe: http://files.allblacks.com/comms/2014_NZR_AR/NZRco/NZR-2014-AR-FULL-REPORT.pdf (page 54)

– $4.5mln directly from the government

– Plus, they pay no income tax under a Taxes Act provision that…

simon g

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 13:12:17 +1200

"With booze", shurely?

Hadyn Green

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 13:07:16 +1200

I should mention that at the 2011 final when John key was announced on the field the stadium filled with boos

simon g

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 12:53:56 +1200

Welcome back Hadyn. It's not a Rugby World Cup without this blog.

As for the politics issue – most sports "heroes" turn out to be unsound, I'm afraid. Mix money and a conservative mindset, it's no surprise. It's just that these days we know more about it (coz social media…

izogi

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 12:50:23 +1200

The more the All Blacks align themselves with John Key the more I hate them.

I could sometimes overlook youthful individuals saying stuff. Whatever. What gets me is All Blacks and NZ Rugby Management seeming to have a complete disinterest in what the players say when associated with the team…

Stephen Dickson

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 12:34:49 +1200

The all blacks are not iur team. In fact far from it.
Now they are a corporation sitting beside key at any opportunity.

When, and only when they pick an all black team from locals. Not super whatever players will they be able to wear that jersey and it mean…

Ian Dalziel

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 12:09:10 +1200

Richie Rich...
The more the All Blacks align themselves with John Key the more I hate them.
One is known by the company one keeps...
and as I said elsewhere, with McCaw and Key it's hard to know who corrupted who the most !!
(sorry Jordan!)
;-- )

Public Address

Thu, 24 Sept 2015 12:09:10 +1200

Discussion from blog post.