With the birth of the internet we were all told that we had to have a website, that this was our ‘shop window.’ Then with the birth of social media everyone and every company had to have ‘a social presence.’
Obviously these are key ways that you can engage with the younger generations. There are also clear advantages too, and used properly social media can be a great way to convey a message or promote a product. However it should not be the be-all and end-all.
There is no doubt running professional sport in the 21st century is extremely difficult. Not only are players demanding more money, but in many cases more staff are required in the media and marketing departments to not only keep on top of general announcements, but also to keep the website ‘relevant.’ Then you need dedicated staff to continually update your social media platforms as if these are not updated daily, then hits go down and you fall off your followers’ feeds.
So not only are the costs of running a sport going up, but the revenue streams coming in are on the wane. Sponsors now want more bang for their buck. They not only want to be the corporate sponsor of the team, they want add-ons via your social media outlets. Which creates more work, which also means more cost. Hopefully you get the picture.
This week World Rugby urged fans “to have their say on World Rugby Men’s and Women’s 15s Player of the Year awards.”
World Rugby have stated unashamedly “With social media a key forum for fans to engage with the sport, World Rugby is asking fans to assist the Awards Panel determine their shortlist by sharing their thoughts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the #WorldRugbyAwards.”
Unlike some other sports who have handed over their national or international player of the year awards to the fans via social media, and allowed them to determine who they think should win. World Rugby has been very clever in their engagement and is only allowing the fans to put forward players to be shortlisted for the final awards.
Sadly we have seen awards in other sports that previously were extremely prestigious be reduced to, as one athlete said “a popularity contest.” No longer is it about who is the best in that nation or the World, it is simply down to who can garner the most votes via social media.
To ensure that Rugby’s awards are not devalued World Rugby has stated that when it comes to the final votes “70 per cent sits with the star-studded World Rugby Awards panel, boasting five Rugby World Cup winners and 771 caps between them, who will cast their votes twice with nominees to be announced for the coveted awards in November.”
This year’s panel is made up of John Smit (South Africa), George Gregan (Australia), Maggie Alphonsi (England), Clive Woodward (England), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Agustín Pichot (Argentina), Richie McCaw (New Zealand) and Fabien Galthié (France).
For many athletes the International awards are the ultimate accolade in a career, it is vital that they remain the highest honour voted on by those who know, who have been at the top and competed, and know the challenges each athlete faces to be the best.
As mentioned it is a hard job navigating all the “requirements” as a modern-day sporting organisation. Keeping fans engaged, recognising your stars and at the same time attracting sponsors and giving them the reach they want to your valuable fan base.
It would appear that World Rugby have found a model that ticks all of the boxes, while maintaining the integrity of their awards. They should be congratulated for this and hopefully other sports will follow this model in the future.
Ernst, Thanks for your comment.
I totally agree. I have never been a fan of one player being singled out in a team game. I really do not like Man of the Match awards but accept that it is another avenue to get a sponsor on board, and bring in dollars.
Rugby have their Player of the Year award sponsored by a Credit Card company so you can imagines that all who vote, or propose a player will suddenly be receiving information from that company. Again it is underneath everything a financial partnership. Essential in today’s sporting world.
I still think any “best player” award for an individual player in a teamsport is meaningless. It is near impossible to designate a best player regardless of the team sport and regardless of the way he/she gets elected. The only way this would be possible (and even then) would be to feed all international games played in official events in a performance analysis system. Determine all (!) elements that would be of value, so not only goals scored and assists. Value these in comparison to each other, factoring in the quality and current form of the opponent in that game and the importance of that game at that moment… and then start tagging 😉 It is possible but it has never been done, in no sport. But it’s the only way to determine the best player of that season or year.
All that exists today is a sort of a “most outstanding player” or “most popular player” award based upon the voting system… Maybe still an accomplishment for the player who wins it, but it does not mean they’re the best 🙂