Quote: vastman "I actually agree with much of what you say and how I’m trolling I don’t know. It does excuse Leeds a bit but I don’t reckon it’s needed now. Leeds RL does the job and many people in Leeds automatically refer to United as United whilst calling the RL team Leeds. I’m not from Leeds but have worked there for years and that’s my experience FWIW.
However Rhino, there has to be better.
The NRL is very different that’s why no one is so critical. They have embraced the American style of franchise for want of a better word.
Few of there clubs are original line ups. Many are off the shelf brand new. I suppose you can do what you like where there is no tradition.
Also a lot of the NSWRL teams were already known unofficially by their nicknames long before they started marketing it. Bulldogs, Roosters, Sea Eagles were all in common parlance even when I lived there in the early seventies.
It was already part of their game, they just rationalised it to suit them.'"
Well my experience I’ve had is that even people I’ve worked who for over 10 years and know I’m a much bigger RL fan than football, when they ask me what I did at the weekend and I say “I went to the Leeds game” they still reply something along the lines of “oh they won 1-0 didn’t they” thinking I meant Leeds United when I mean Rhinos.
Why does they have to be better than Rhinos? Because you personally don’t like, is that a valid reason in all due respect?
The key word you use is above is “embrace”. Whichever way clubs go, the key thing is embracing it. Whatever you think of the Rhinos name you can’t deny that Leeds have embraced it and made it work. On the the other hand Wakefield never really embraced Wildcats so it didn’t work....admittedly you didn’t really need one because you had the ‘Trinity’ name there all along. Look at Hull FC, does that work any better than Rhinos, or even Bulls when they were in SL?
I honestly don’t see how going back to just plain simple Leed “RL” inthe year 2019 would be an improvement either marketing wise or brand wise. Got to remember that moving forward you’re appealing to a younger audience, the future generations.