Seven Manly rugby league players won’t be playing in an upcoming match because they refuse to wear
a rainbow pride jersey. I’ve got a simple solution to this (and I think the only sensible solution),
but before I get to that, just a few comments.
1. Forcing people doesn’t work (and may have the opposite effect). Does the LGBT community
really want people to be forced to wear rainbow colours against their will? I mean, does that
benefit anybody? Will that achieve equality? No. It would probably have the opposite effect.
Just say that all the rugby players capitulate and put on the rainbow jersey. At what cost?
They’ll be frustrated. They might even feel humiliated. But at the very least,
they’d be resentful. Is that what the LGBT community wants? A mob of frustrated, angry,
resentful football players wearing pride colours? That won’t achieve equality. If anything,
that will just divide people even more (as we’re seeing playing out in the media). If I was a
member of the LGBT community, I’d only want people who freely support my cause wearing the rainbow
pride jersey. It makes no sense to have people who disagree with you wearing those colours. But to be
fair to the LGBT community, I don’t even think it was them who were calling for Manly to wear
these jerseys. It was the owners and management at the Manly Rugby League Club, and they mismanaged
it completely, which has only resulted in more division and more frustration among the community.
2. NRL is already inclusive. I must admit, I don’t follow the National Rugby League,
but at least outwardly, they’re already very inclusive. The clubs don’t care where you come
from, or what your religious beliefs are, or your political persuasion, they just care that you’re
good at playing rugby league. Ultimately, the only goal of the clubs is to win rugby matches.
If they win lots of matches, they get lots of money. So really, the only thing that counts from
the players’ perspective, is their proficiency with the ball. As a vegan, if I tried to sign up,
I’d get rejected. Not because I’m a vegan, but because I can’t bloody well play football!
3. Hundreds of social groups. There are literally hundreds or even thousands of different social
and cultural groups who feel disadvantaged in some way. There wouldn’t be enough rugby games
in the year to accommodate them all. If the NRL start having a LGBT jersey for each team,
will they also have an Indigenous jersey, and a migrants jersey, and a homelessness jersey,
and a people with disabilities jersey, and a refugees from Botswana jersey… I mean, you get
the idea. Where does it stop? Do we keep making jerseys until every social group is covered?
And if we do have a LGBT pride jersey, what about the rest of the disadvantaged groups?
Are they not worthy of inclusion? Are they not entitled to a special jersey as well?
And that leads me onto my solution. I think the answer is simple, and perhaps even obvious. The
NRL should simply make a blanket rule that rugby league kits (and the pitch) should only promote
the teams, the sponsors, and the sport they play. Everything else doesn’t belong there. There is no
other way to keep it fair for the myriad of religions, cultures, and people of various
political persuasions. Sure, if players want to go march in the rainbow pride parade on their days-off,
go right ahead! If they want to go to church on a Sunday, great! If they want to support the Liberal
Party, or the Labor Party, or The Greens, fine! Whatever floats their boat. But surely keeping the
pitch a neutral environment where athletic men who are good at playing rugby league
walk out onto the field with the intent of scoring tries and smashing their opponents
with the best team claiming victory. Isn’t that exactly what the fans ultimately want to see?