Menu
Marketing and Sponsorship

Sponsor Feels 'Muzzled' By Rugby Australia Letter On Folau

Qantas was disappointed by Israel Folau's comments regarding homosexuality on social media.GETTY IMAGES

Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle issued a group letter to sponsors "pleading for their help" in shifting the ­Israel Folau controversy “out of the media cycle,” leaving at least one sponsor "complaining it is being muzzled," according to Nick Tabakoff of THE AUSTRALIAN. The letter also "attracted criticism from crisis management experts," who said that it has “kicked the story on.” In an emailed group letter to sponsors, Castle said, “This has been very challenging for us all and I greatly appreciate your support and allocation of time to deal with this matter. There are lots of learnings for us all.” Having outlined RA’s reasons for not sanctioning Folau over his comments on social media about homosexuality, Castle wrote, "We believe an important outcome of the next steps is to move this issue out of the media cycle." One "key" RA sponsor was "angered" by Castle's email, claiming it is an "attempt to gag rugby's corporate partners." The sponsor said, "They've just poured kerosene on the fire. It all seems to be very stage-managed rather than caring about the (game's) stakeholders, and they're trying to manage what we say." Crisis management expert Ian Kortlang said that RA took the "wrong approach." He said, "How does this look on the front page of The Australian? ­Really bad, actually. They’ve kicked the story on, and it’s got more oxygen." The sponsor said that the RA letter "seemed more concerned with the media cycle than the right thing to do." It said, "They're trying to control the media and the stakeholders. There's no free speech for the stakeholders, but it's OK for Israel." A second sponsor said, "We'll take it (the letter) with a grain of salt. We'll handle the media how we choose to handle it." Another sponsor said, "They're making themselves the news." Kortlang said that "attempting to gag sponsors only ensured the opposite outcome." He said, "They're saying to corporates, 'Please stay quiet.' But people hate you saying, 'We're gagging you'" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 4/20).

STRICTER POLICIES: STUFF's Katarina Williams reported Rugby World Cup Tournament Dir & World Rugby COO Alan Gilpin's suggestions that social media policies "might need to be stricter" were "dismissed" by New Zealand Rugby Players Association CEO Rob Nichol. The saga "could become the catalyst for stricter social media policies being introduced" for next year's Rugby World Cup in Japan, "particularly when player posts have the potential to bring the global game into disrepute." Gilpin said, "I think it's something we'll look at in terms of working with the teams to manage social media. From a World Rugby perspective, our desire is that the players are role models in the sport and are promoting the values of the game. It's less about trying to restrict people's individual points of view and more about promoting through our member unions and everybody involved in rugby that rugby's values are about inclusiveness and diversity and tolerance and making sure that people see that as being part of the sport." Nichol said that he "did not see the need for any policy change," as the guidelines in place are "fine." He said, "It's worked fine in the past, it will work fine going forward" (STUFF, 4/19).

'HE'S A GOOD MAN': The NEW ZEALAND HERALD reported former All Black and New Zealand Rugby board member Michael Jones said that "he feels sorry" for Folau -- but "disagrees with the Wallabies' fullback's stance on homosexuality." Jones: "I do know Israel and he's a good man. ... At the same time, in terms of my faith, it's very much a faith built on love and grace. There are members of my family in those communities and we love them. ... I'm sure Israel has that too" (NZ HERALD, 4/20).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2018/04/20/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/RA-Folau.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2018/04/20/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/RA-Folau.aspx

CLOSE