Sancho

Hi there.

CJM is referring to rugby league not rugby union (rugby). You are right to say that rugby is the football of choice in private schools although I would much rather it was AFL (Aussie Rules).

I am a bit concerned that 'English' football (soccer, round ball) will become more popular in Australia, given the supporter and crowd problems it has had overseas and the violence we have already witnessed between certain cultural groups at soccer matches in Australia. You can solve the player problems but handling supporter violence is another kettle of fish.

Money will decide the outcome and there is a heck of a lot of money in soccer.

CJ Morgan wrote, "There are clearly cultural problems that are specific to Rugby league in Australia".

To a large extent you have written the "truth" with that basic statement. However, as you're probably aware anyway, the bad behaviour of footballers does extend to the Australian Rules code.

Australian Rules and Rugby League are the two "dumbed down" versions of football. From my lifetime observations and resulting opinion, they both attract a standard of player that, on average, is a step below the intelligence and maturity level that we see from players, on average, from Rugby or soccer. Rugby Union draws MANY more players from universities, and educated sectors of society, compared to Rugby League. The "culture" within Rugby Union is MUCH less the type of moronic, immature, dumb machismo culture we find in Rugby League.

There IS a poor culture within Rugby League. It IS, in my opinion, based on dumb bravado, machismo, immaturity and the overall lower intelligence levels, on average, of Rugby League players compared to Rugby Union players. Having said that, there's also been incidents involving Rugby Union players, but overall it's a tiny problem compared to the overwhelming culture of immature machismo and drinking of Rugby league players.

Rugby League has ALWAYS had this problem, it's "culture". It became problematic in the years after World War 2, and has steadily increased over the decades. Who remembers the incident in the 60s where a famous lock forward was caught one night on an English tour wearing nothing but a bowtie in the freezing cold?

The stories you read in the press are usually, but not 'always', the stories that attract POLICE intervention or interest: It's just the TIP OF THE ICEBERG regarding player bad behaviour.

The "ingrained" Rugby League culture of combining alcohol with immature men (often poorly educated, but not 'always') is the basis of the problem that Rugby League has. It's an ACCEPTED culture right from the bottom to the top, which will NEVER be publicly and openly admitted to by NRL administrators, and THAT'S why change is a very slow thing within Rugby League.

“Your surprise doesn’t surprise me. Overcoming humanness may have been on the feminist agenda for some time, but re-education and legislation go only so far. Good for business as they were, we still veer back to a humanness defined by our genetics and chemical cocktails we produce or ingest. Otherwise we’re just not happy and produce or ingest some more.”

You weren’t surprised by my surprise or it didn’t surprise you that I would be surprised by it Seeker? I think the feminist agenda is only about overcoming the humanness of men, most of which would be unacceptable if humans had been made under any kind of intelligent blueprint.

Has there been any re-education and legistlation, Whistler points out something is wrong… no I can’t explain it but I believe Whistler that something is out of balance – no yin and yang in parliament?

I wish they were all ingestible, I would prefer the choice.

Aborigines would probably reckon
its more about opportunity
than "dumbed down", Master.

The Pied Piper,
Australia's Parliament has struggled
to recognise Aboriginal law.
Australia's Constitution provides
for men's legislatures only,
whereas Aborigines decide law by agreement
between women’s and men’s business.
the provision of a women's legislature
would achieve equal rights
for both women and Aborigines.

That's absolutely right whistler.

Many aboriginal people come from either isolated locations (outback Australia) or disadvantaged histories. The opportunity that's presented for them to play Aussie Rules or Rugby League within their own communities, outside their own communities and even at representative levels is something to be encouraged.

Some even progress to play better games like soccer (whose "real" name is FOOTBALL) and Rugby Union - - - nudge nudge, wink wink!

Aussie Rules and Rugby League do a lot of good for a lot of players, regardless of where they come from or the colour of their skin. These are the players who rise above the dumbed down "culture" of machismo and booze.