Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Short Skirts or Not - By Lauren

“TRADITIONAL cheerleaders – and their knee-high boots and short skirts -…” is the sentence Josh Massoud of The Daily Telegraph chose to open his report detailing Raelene Castle’s decision to modify the role of Bulldogs cheerleaders.

In other words, “knee-high boots and short skirts” is what a leading Rugby League journalist considers the traditional role of cheerleaders.

Can we really be surprised based on this appraisal that Castle is trying to change their perception?

I have seen uproar on Twitter about the ridiculousness of scrapping cheerleaders because they do a lot for their clubs, and that I would agree with. But their ability to support their club both on and off the field is scantly related to whether they are wearing knee-high boots and a short skirt or not.

Massoud reports that “pre-match and half-time performances are set to be abandoned in favour of off-field work, such as hospital visits, corporate entertainment and further education”, but Castle states that these women will still “be doing cheerleading at the game, they will still have pompoms”, but will also be given other opportunities and “professional evolution”.

Castle even explicitly states that these female ambassadors will go through the same community and learning programs as everyone else in the club.

The question is, why can’t these women do all of these things and still dance in short skirts if that is what they want to do? Because that is what feminism and empowerment is about: doing what you want to do and what you believe is important, wearing whatever you want while you do it.

Perhaps it is because when women’s space is expanded in this game, leading journalists introduce cheerleader characters based on their aesthetic qualities. Massoud did not write “Traditional cheerleaders – and their pre-match and halftime dance routines”. He wrote “…and their knee-high boots and short skirts”.

Remember that.

Because he is a journalist. It is his job to choose his words carefully and concisely. It is those words that dictate how a story is framed and perceived by the public. He chose to present these women as a mere spectacle in the opening sentence of his article.

Raelene Castle is trying to shift this perception. They are cheerleaders with pompoms, but they are also ambassadors for her club. She wants them to not only be professional, but to be seen by others as professional.

Unfortunately, if cheerleaders are seen merely for their physical merits and sexual attractiveness, this is a shift she cannot trigger until we disassociate these traits from their off-field work.

People are right. Cheerleaders – and women in general – should be able to experience professional evolution despite what they wear in particular settings. And I hope that one day they can.

But it will take far more than one decision from one club. This isn’t a footy problem. This is a people problem.

There are people in this game who see women as irrelevant. I have seen and heard it myself. It has been directed at my mother. It has been directed at me. Sometimes it is subtle and ideological. And sometimes it is explicit and downright offensive.

Raelene Castle is not the bad guy. She is not limiting, she is enabling. In all fairness, this might not work. But she is clearly aware that a problem exists, and as a good CEO should do, she is trying something new in an attempt to fix it.

Short skirts or not, these ambassadors will be there on game day. They will be taking part in off-field club initiatives. They will be as much a part of the Bulldogs empire as anyone else. They will be included.

Their space is expanding, and with any luck perceptions will change, and that is an exciting thing.

Short skirts or not.

Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Darcie's Blog - By Ladies Who League

We at Ladies Who League love hearing about other women who love what we love...blogging and the NRL! Darcie McDonald has written a blog on Women in League for her journalism assignment. We'd love for you to check it out and let us know what you think. We love it!

inherownleague.wordpress.com

Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague

Monday, December 2, 2013

The Nines Tournament Rule Changes - By Hayley

Today, the NRL announced the rule changes for the Nines Tournament next February. We will see ‘golden try’ extra time, a tackle count of 5 tackles, a ‘bonus zone’ and scrum changes. Here’s a bit about each rule;

Golden Try
If the scores are locked up at full time, the game will go into golden try’ extra-time. The first team to score a try in extra-time, wins. This is different to the current ‘golden point’ extra-time rule in the NRL. From what I’ve read, it’s unclear whether there will be a time limit for the ‘golden try’ extra-time.

The reason for this rule change is to stop the field goal shoot out in extra-time. The purpose is to trial this change with a view to change the rule in the NRL competition if it is received well. Personally, I’m not fussed whether it is golden try or golden point; I think it would be exciting either way.

5 Tackle Count
It will be interesting to see how the players adjust to this. I can imagine we will have some players caught out on the last tackle thinking that they have another tackle to go. The refs will need to be very clear with their tackle count.

Bonus Zone
For any tries scored under the posts, the team will be awarded 5 points. I assume this is to encourage teams to go through the middle rather than try to go around other teams and beat them with speed. I’m sure the goal kickers will be happy with this rule!

Scrum Changes
Along with the 5 tackle count, this could be one of the biggest changes. Scrums will only be packed after a double infringement, otherwise it will be a hand over. A lot of people can’t understand why the NRL still has scrums when in most cases you can’t contest the ball anymore. There’s also another reason for scrums, teams run set plays from them. It takes the forwards out of play and makes things a little easier for the attacking team.

The powers that be see scrums as time wasting which is why they are trialling this idea. This is another rule change that we could see within the NRL competition in the next couple of years.


I’m excited to see how teams adjust to this form of the game. I think it will be exciting and fast-paced which will be a lot different to the standard NRL game.

I really hope clubs embrace it and put forward the best team possible, rather than just the bare minimum that was requested by the NRL. Given it was a World Cup year, I don’t like the chances though.

The Nines Tournament has the potential to be something big and exciting, so long as the clubs treat it with the respect it deserves. Not only am I excited that we will get a footy fix earlier than normal but it’s something new and I am excited to see the teams game plans.

Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague