The All Blacks are being increasingly commercialized.GETTY IMAGES
The All Blacks are "morphing into rugby's answer to the Rolling Stones:" a "polished touring juggernaut" whose every performance feels like a "once-in-a-lifetime treat," but whose modus operandi are "ever more nakedly corporate," according to Oliver Brown of the London TELEGRAPH. The All Blacks, after decades of "pulverising" every opponent they played, can "consort with multinationals to their hearts' content." This year, for example, a partnership with Apple enables fans to download a selection of the team's curated playlists, from "pre-game pump-up" to "post-match wind-down." With each foray into the northern hemisphere, their "emphasis on milking brand value becomes more marked." In '16, the All Blacks arrived in Chicago as "part of a ruse" by shirt sponsor American Int'l Group to grow their U.S. profile. If there is "one word that has distilled the essence of the All Blacks on their visits" to foreign nations, it is "mystique." Behind the black jersey "lies a feat of alchemy that no other sports operation can fully define, let alone replicate." But "how much longer can such mystique be sustained in this hyper-commercial age?" For former All Black Zinzan Brooke, who played in the '90s, before the All Blacks became a "transcendent global phenomenon," the team's more corporate image "does not represent any cause for alarm." He said, "You will only over-commercialize when the All Blacks stop winning. That's the nuts and bolts" (TELEGRAPH, 11/7).
