'twas truly horrific.

Disturbing viewing, indeed

Sky turned that into a RL equivalent of Hello/OK.

We've watched a great game. We don't need the opinions of a "celebrity" on a freebie, when only RL fans will be watching.

DESPERATE

As the RUWC gets underway, Sky had one of the biggest names in sport heaping praise onto our sport. Don't be so melodramatic!

.....and no-one (bar RL watchers) would've seen it.

Preaching to the converted.
It was vomit inducing. I hate these stage managed interviews with "celebrities in the crowd". What was the Family Man expected to say? "I'm only here, 'cause I was promised a few pints and a meal. There's bob all on the tele, and I had nowt else better to do, and some fella with white eyebrows gave me a ticket". I've seen it done before with Stuart Pearce, Alex Stewart, Joey Barton and many others. Just embarrassing.

I don't do punditry/post match interviews, but I caught this when I'd walked back into the room, and started channel hopping. It merely enforced my views on the subject.

Cracking game. I'd like to see them meet again in the semi, would be even more intense.

I didn't see it, but I assume from the above posts you're talking about Ryan Giggs? If so he's a well known RL fan who played as a kid and whose dad played professionally, so I hardly see the problem.

He supports Salford so probably wanted to watch a decent match for a change.

He's a Wigan fan just like Ratchford.

Why does he support Wigan when his Dad played for Salford? Or have you just made that up?

His dad (Danny Wilson) played for Swinton! He never played for Salford!

According to this rlArticlerl, Giggs is a 'lifelong' Wigan fan.

Regardless or who he supports, he is a well known RL fan with a clear background in the sport so he's not just some celebrity Sky pulled in for no reason. The likes of him and Bradley Wiggins - well known sporting figures far more famous than any rugby player - should be embraced by the RFL and RL media wherever possible.

He said it in the interview last night as well. "I was a guest of McAnus but I'm a Wigan fan" or something like that.

Only if Wigan lose, then Huddersfield win & we beat Warrington by 60+ points. Or if Wigan lose, Huddersfield & Leeds draw and we beat Warrington by 130+ points, so in all honesty very unlikely.

and that's exactly why we shouldn't do..... we fall over ourselves in the presence of "celebrity" we should have a so ing what attitude..... I appreciate Giggs for what he is in football.... but thats it, i don't need him to tell me Rugby League is a great sport

it reinforces that minority sport mentality...its as if we are searching for compliments off famous people to try and show everyone that we are accepted as sport

It's a pity we dont have people running the sport who can stand up and be believable when saying "this is the best sport in the world......and some day your all going to realise it...."

even on the footy show ex league player Mark Geyer a state of origin legend (due to fighting with wally lewis) was like a kid at Christmas because he was sat next to a woman MMA fighter and the organiser of the sport.....
ohh off..... he should be impressed that he's sat on the same table as Andrew Johns.....

I like Joeys take on it ....Rugby League is everything to him its the best sport and he knows it. The way he dismissed Sam Burgess last week when they spoke about him coming back to RL he said "they always want to come back dont they", and he gave the best couldn't give a look ever.....

You've pretty much summed it up, in your opening 3 paragraphs, biscuit

It's a smalltime attitude that we have about ourselves, as a sport. "Oh look. There's so'n'so (goes weak at the knees). Aren't we blessed that he's deemed us worthy of his presence at a RL game" (drops to his knees, and does a Wayne's World...WE'RE NOT WORTHY, WE'RE NOT WORTHY). Giggs seemed to be embarrassed by the whole interview. I don't remember him being particularly gushing about the sport either. He simply said he played the sport 'til he was 14, was told to stop, and seemed relieved that he wasn't going to be clattered about, anymore. Meanwhile, O'Connor was like a lovestruck Brosette. It was even being repeated on Sky Sports News this morning, with the attitude of "look at little RL, aren't they lucky having a famous footballer watching their little sport"

The RFL need to have a total rethink on how our sport is marketed. There are no more sports desks based in the North West for our national press, so that's a struggle to start with. However, BBC Sport is now run from Media City in Salford, so we should be banging the proverbial drum at their door. The majority of RL clubs are within an hour's drive. However, they (The Beeb) seem to have more interest in Women's football.

I think you are projecting your own insecurities onto the sport. Celebrity interviews are common practice IN ALL SPORTS.

The Rugger Buggers are always doing it. American sport has been doing it for years.

Like it or not - we exist in a celebrity culture. To not invite on guests such as Giggs only disconnects the sport from this mediated world.