In a big few week for the NRL which saw them confirm most of their usual bias with the unveiling of the 2019 draw, they also had time to unveil a new NRL competition logo.
And my, isn’t it wonderful. A couple of chevrons inside a badge outline whose completeness is interrupted by the Telstra logo.
I mean wow.
But the worst part of these kind of unveilings is not the actual New NRL competition logo itself, more the absolute PR-speak dross that comes along with the press release.
Similar to our previous rant about how organisers of the Australian Tennis Open thought their new logo would revolutionise sporting history, the kind of garbage wheeled out by the people who run the game really gets our goat, and ram.
From the launch article the NRL General Manager of Brand and Marketing Peter Jarmain claimed – “The new design is more youthful and contemporary, to help the game connect to a younger fan base.”
Please.
We can really see youngsters getting that logo tattooed on their leg, such will be its smashing impact on the new generations.
From the Melbourne CEO – “Importantly, it helps to position the game in the increasingly competitive market to retain and attract fans in the future.”
It is a f—ing badge.
Who can see a person disaffected by the dwindling product that the NRL offers up suddenly seeing that badge, dropping the strides, and running without pants to their nearest NRL Club’s Box Office for a season ticket.
The “refreshed simple and modern design, developed in conjunction with brand and design agency WiteKite and research agency Futures Sport” means no expense would have been spared in developing it.
But surely there are bigger worries like getting people to games, the expansion of the competition, worrying about which next rule they going to crack down on and ruin the game for a few weeks, absurdity of current contracts for players and coaches, and keeping Channel Nein happy. h, they are already doing that last one.
Whatever the spend, they the NRL will justify the costs of their New NRL Competition Logo. But will they get value for money? Will it be the main reason they get a booming new TV deal when it is up? It seems only struggling sports feel the need for a logo refresh, the NBA and NFL don’t feel the need for change. Having the sponsors logo in it looks cheap too. The Premier League did refresh their logo without the need for throwing in a sponsors logo.
At the end of the day, the New NRL Competition Logo is actually not bad, and our gripe isn’t with the badge itself but the bullshit that comes along with it.
Rugby League is the working person’s game, and we’re reasonably sure that they, and potential new fans aren’t going to be won over by a new logo, but the best product on field.
