Quote: the artist "what i don't get about the whole expansion business is that for years folk have been decrying the game for being too insular and confined to the m62 corridor (rightly or wrongly that is the perception). then as soon as someone comes along who is prepared to introduce the game to different markets we get critisisms, mockery and downright hostility - people who would dance about if the clubs failed and we went back to a few clubs in the north again. i'm old enough to remember hostility towards london and their relegation and quota exemptions and a similar thing happened in the early days of catalans
taking aside the business models and some of the management comments and decisions of these new clubs, surely any venture which exposes rugby league to a whole new audience who are actually keen and free of some of the entrenchments of the traditional game can only be a good thing. Playing in the UK is a necessity for now but who's to say a north american league cannot start in 10 years time or so. if we don't give these clubs a chance we will never find out.'"
Decent post.
Perhaps if there was some honesty and transparency as to what RL is hoping to achieve, the more cynical ones among us would climb on board.
The fear is that half of the "traditional" clubs may go bust in the chase for the N. American dream and although Leeds, Saints and Wigan would be safe (probably), there is a real danger that some of the UK based clubs could disappear on the back of the experiment and this is where the hostility comes from.
Plus of course the balmy logistics in playing some weekly games 3500 miles from the UK - in an era where some are trying to persuade people to travel less to "save the planet" RL seems to be doing the opposite - this will be for another day if/when climate change becomes even more important.