Now here’s an interesting article:
The problem for Zac Guildford is that he is surrounded by alcohol – no wonder he can’t get away from the bottle. I’m not talking solely about when Guildford is with his mates. I’m not even talking about the amount of alcohol involved in sponsoring rugby. I'm talking about the fact that alcohol advertising is simply EVERYWHERE; billboards, radio, TV, magazines, to name but a few. And invariably, the visuals feature rugby players or rugby supporters. It's fair to say that rugby has an age-old association with beer:
- Speights and Otago rugby are Dunedin’s oldest married couple
- DB Draft has been cuckolded by the CRFU, in favour of the gold-digging Tui.
- Steinlager and the NZRU might no longer be married, but the union still enjoys a cheeky one with its old favourite, now cleverly labelled “a commercial partner.”
- And let’s not even talk about the international dominatrix, Heineken…
Like Zac Guildford, New Zealand rugby has a few drinking buddies, too. Well, if Guildford can be labled as an alcoholic, then surely NZRU has a drinking problem too. By that, I mean the NZRFU is just as addicted. It can’t do without the booze. Of course, with any alcoholic, the first step is in acknowledging the problem:
Frankly, I’m amazed that more prominent rugby players haven't fallen foul of alcohol.
Then, as I was writing, I received an email on the back of my Canterbury Rugby season ticket! The email was entitled "Rugby, Beer & an Amazing Prize." This is the survey the email asked me to complete:
Then, as I was writing, I received an email on the back of my Canterbury Rugby season ticket! The email was entitled "Rugby, Beer & an Amazing Prize." This is the survey the email asked me to complete:
Look at the questions!! This is ALL about the association between rugby and beer! As I went through the questions, I had a sense it was being conducted on behalf of Tui Beer. The survey looked like it was trying to quantify Tui’s efforts to break the stranglehold that Steinlager, Speights and DB Draft has here on Southern man. The idea, of course, is that if Tui can get that brand association with rugby right, then the lucrative beer sales follow from swilling rugby-heads like me. This north island brew already has a ring on the finger of the CRFU, and it would love to make the arrangement permanent. In that courtship, Tui has negotiated an exclusive deal with the country’s most successful rugby union. So when we go to see Canterbury and the Crusaders play at Christchurch Stadium, we can only buy Tui beer. Now, Tui might think that having a beer monopoly at Canterbury rugby games would help improve the brand association with rugby. I rather think that having a decent beer at a decent price helps.
Yes, I am an alcoholic sucker prepared to pay $24 for FOUR beers (yes, for just four beers in plastic bottles) at rugby games. And yes, I know that I can get the TWELVE of the same beers for the same price at the local supermarket, as soon as I walk out the stadium. But I don’t. Indeed, I am bitter and resentful at having to pay that ridiculous price at games – and have no damn choice about it (other than to drink or not drink). In fact, Tui’s efforts on me have backfired; I don’t buy Tui – on principle – when I drink at home or in the pub. I hope I have shown that in my survey responses.
So, clearly, this survey is trying to measure a particular association between rugby and beer. The sad, hypocritical thing is that Zac Guildford is living the dream association; playing rugby and drinking beer.
“Let he who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone...” [John 8:7]
“My name is NZRU and I am an alcoholic.”
FURTHER READING:
