Netballers face male breast-beating
They came in the thousands, with their short skirts and toned legs, globs of jealousy running down their bibs with a look that said death to rugby! It was the New Zealand sporting coup no one saw coming. Was netball really going to try and usurp our national game? Who on earth did they think they were, rugby players? Once again, netballers were overstepping the mark but this time it was the public blowing the whistle.
I’m relieved to say this coup poses no real threat, unlike the full-scale emergency last week when a woman went topless at a concert. This time it was just New Zealand’s netballing talent daring to want more, which proved to be the perfect conditions for the short poppies to explode from the countryside, scythes in hand. All it took was an article about netball needing to attract more money or risk losing talented emerging players who faced a choice between careers or netball.
This is not unusual in any semiprofessional sport so, after seeing there were hundreds of comments online, I’d hoped to find a thoughtful, possibly even helpful debate going on. Yeah, nah.
The short poppies were popping over the sentence that leading Silver Ferns earn a 10th of the salary of millionaire All Black Kieran Read. And so commenters were baffled and annoyed netball was being compared to rugby when netball didn’t bring in the same money in sponsorship, ticket sales and broadcasting rights.
They’re right, it doesn’t, but does that mean they shouldn’t aspire to? Well, according to the comments section, ‘‘That’s the market.’’ ‘‘Money doesn’t grow on trees.’’ And one of my favourites, ‘‘Stop asking for money outside your worth. Want more money make yourself worth more ...’’ Numerous times, netballers were told to face ‘‘reality’’ and be grateful for what they have. I hope none of these people are motivational speakers. Would they be happy with a similar response, should they ask for a pay rise?
Thanks guys, netballers are used to facing the ‘‘reality’’ but obviously they are grateful for wee poppies like you constantly reminding them. It’s a shame they didn’t listen to you years ago when they sought to turn netball into a professional sport or they’d be in the wonderful position of still being amateur.
Since when was giving up and accepting reality a winning trait in an athlete or national sporting body? At no point in the article did any netballer complain that rugby players earned more. One did wish she played rugby to earn more cash, but otherwise they’re very aware and grateful that the elite players and Silver Ferns can earn between $60,000-$130,000. Why? Because they fought tooth and nail to get to this point and are working hard to make it even better. I know, how dare they!
What the sport may be guilty of is overstretching itself in its desire to grow. New Zealand Netball Player’s Association executive manager Steph Bond said in the article, ‘‘If there’s not more money, then we’ll have to cut back on commitment or cut back the competition to enable players to make a living out of it.’’ Fortunately, instead of chucking the ball in the boot and heading home, Bond and others involved in women’s sport will keep talking to people about the value of women’s sport. And, if you’re struggling to figure out why it’s important to keep building this support, just ask the thousands of young girls who, like the boys in their classes, dream of playing sport for a living.
It’s such a shame the discussion about the article was hijacked by what many saw as a comparison with rugby. The journalist put it in the story to show the benchmark of Kiwi sports teams, which is the All Blacks. The headline was wanting to entice the reader, even though it wasn’t what the story was about. I wish they hadn’t, but I also wish that several blokes didn’t ask, ‘‘What about men’s netball?’’ When I read a story about Super Rugby I don’t ask, what about the Black Ferns? If I’m reading about men’s hockey, I’m not wondering what about the women’s league? The story was about the women’s netball competitions. However, I’m thrilled they’re thinking about equality, even if they didn’t mean to.
Small poppies of New Zealand, I implore you, put down your scythes and go back to your homes. Let the tall poppies keep striving to proudly represent their country.
It’s not a sin to want to be paid more, to hope you won’t have to juggle work with training because you want to be at your best.
Netballers dream of being in the position of rugby players but they don’t begrudge the men their success, so why would you begrudge the netballers?