Less than a year after seven Manly players refused to don their pride themed jerseys, the issue of pride and representation has been brought to the forefront of the national league once again.
A recent anonymous survey sent around the league, commissioned by The Daily Telegraph, revealed some interesting figures - 50% of the league's coaches and assistants do not think the NRL should introduce a Pride Round, while just 42% would encourage their players to don Pride themed jerseys.
In response to this, NRL chairman Peter V'landys made a suggestion to introduce a broader 'Respect Round' encouraging fans to "respect everyone's views", but namely, made no specific mention of pride or the LGBT community. In fact, by suggesting we respect all views, regardless if those views hold any sort of malice, it's as if V'landys is actually, unintentionally, welcoming the antithesis of what pride round is supposed to represent.
While some may think this line of thinking is merely another day in rugby league, it's following a recent global trend of athletes, and those around them, using their right of 'respect' to publicly, and harmfully, denounce some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
It's becoming an all too familiar story in sport around the world. Leagues wanting to do something, but not a lot. Despite making that effort, is their mild endorsement of 'respect' actually emboldening those who hold those very views they seemingly reject?
The NRL's approach to the issue, which could aptly be described as fence sitting, is by no means a surprising move, but it can still be disappointing. Looking at other leagues around the world and in Australia, it is easy to see how allowing resistance to pride messaging can pretty quickly lead to an decision to ditch the concept of inclusiveness altogether.
In the National Hockey League - a competition not widely regarded for their firm stance on inclusion, equality and pride - although, to be fair, recent actions have brought the league's rather lax approach to respect to the forefront.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov sat out of a warm-up skate against the Anaheim Ducks in January, refusing to take the ice while his team wore a custom LGBTQ+ Pride Night warmup jersey. Provorov, who identifies as Russian Orthodox, cited his religious beliefs as the reason behind his refusal to wear the jersey.
The Flyers backed Provorov, with head coach John Tortorella saying that the Russian-born defenseman had the right to stay true to his beliefs. In 2016, as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tortorella told media that any player who refused to stand for the American national anthem would be benched.
Less than two weeks after Provorov made his stand, the New York Rangers quietly abandoned their plans to wear a pride-themed warmup jersey for their “Pride Night” on January 27, releasing a statement soon after, declining to to reveal the specifics behind the sudden backflip.
“Our organization respects the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud to bring attention to important local community organizations as part of another great Pride Night. In keeping with our organization's core values, we support everyone's individual right to respectfully express their beliefs,” the statement read.
The NHL's response echoed their support of the LGBT community, but reinforced that clubs ultimately had the right to decide which initiatives they support, and how. In this case, by respectfully declining to support members of the community.
In Australia, the NRL are not the only league grappling with pride initiatives. NBL club the Cairns Taipans have found themselves as the subject of national news attention after their decision to opt out of wearing a pride themed jersey last month.
The jersey, which featured a small rainbow logo, was part of the NBL's first-ever pride round, with clubs given the choice to don the multi-coloured crest. The Taipans opted not to, citing that they had been subject to a "barrage of abuse and harmful commentary."
Before the Taipans made their stand, the Manly Pride jersey debacle in 2022 brought this issue to the forefront of people's attention. The Sea Eagles faced intense scrutiny when seven of their players boycotted a mid-season game against the Sydney Roosters in protest of wearing a rainbow pride-themed jersey, citing religious beliefs.
In the aftermath, NRL chairman Peter V'landys said the league was open to exploring the possibility of a pride round, but said the league wanted to "respect everyone's views".
"From our end we have always said we want to respect everyone's views. We don't want to get into politics. The reason people watch rugby league is to escape, they don't watch it because you have a political persuasion," V'landys said.
"We want to keep it as much as an escapism sport as possible. But respecting each other, I don't think that's political.
"There are ways you can do it where you don't upset anyone. If we do it, we have format to do it the right way. It's all about respecting each other.
"We have to respect that (some people) have a different view to the rest of us. The most important thing in my eyes is we're all equal, it doesn't matter what colour, what creed or sexual orientation."
There seems to be an undeniable urge from detractors to lean on a simple argument when it comes to this issue - to keep politics / beliefs / religion out of sport. Keep politics out of sport? It's already there. Themed rounds are a reality of the Australian sporting landscape. In 2022 alone, the NRL celebrated Indigenous round, Multicultural round, Women in league round and Beanie for Brain Cancer round.
Beyond that, it's hard to fathom a rejection of inclusivity on the basis of moral alignment as the NRL continues to remain steps behind other major leagues on a host of societal issues.
In 2022, Manly's offical jersey sponsor was betting company Pointsbet, featured predominately across the front and back of the jersey. Also in 2022, Australians lost an approximate $25 billion to all forms of gambling.
Sport - the NRL included - intrinsically isn't, and never will be, independent of politics and the happenings of the world.
Cronulla Sharks enforcer Toby Rudolf has openly spoken of his support of a Pride Round in the league, strong on his opinion of what the positive representation could do for the community.
Rudolf himself has also been open about his own sexuality and experiences.
“What I will say is I was raised by quite a few gay and lesbian community members. My uncle is gay and my godmother is gay, and there's so much love in that community,” Rudolf told the Sydney Morning Herald in the wake of the Manly saga.
“Sexuality is very fluid. I've been out and kissed many gay men, kissed many straight women and kissed many gay women.”
When asked after the Manly saga on what a pride round could mean, Rudolf didn't hesitate to speak his mind.
“Of course (a pride round should be introduced),” Rudolf said.
“Obviously last year there was just a breakdown in communication between Manly and whatever happened there, not that I know the ins and outs of it.
“I can't see how it wouldn't be a good thing, putting that out there to the community, rugby league obviously, with the likes of Ian Roberts, the first gay open athlete in Australia I am pretty sure.
“I think it will do wonders for the game, wonders for the community.”
Elsewhere in the country, the A-Leagues are making strides, recently launching their own Pride Celebration round. Scheduled for February 24–26, the initiative will coincide with Sydney's Mardi Gras celebrations. In the wake of the NRL and NBL incidents, the league has held seminars with clubs to educate players on the importance and significance of such rounds, emphasising the importance of diversity and inclusion throughout the sport.
The NRL it seems, instead of welcoming education and improvement, is happy to take the easy way out.
Despite there seemingly being an avalanche of negative headlines surrounding pride matches, representation of the LGBT community within professional sports has advanced greatly in recent years. Adelaide United's Josh Cavallo became the only openly gay top-flight male footballer in the world in his 2021 announcement, while Australian basketballer Isaac Humphries followed Cavallo's path when he came out in an emotional video in 2022.
The NRL, in the form we know it now, has existed since 1997. In that time, just one LGBT player has come out. These players, and statistically, they exist, are proof in itself that the league has plenty of work to do.
Pride round, as a concept, should be about making sport a safer place for those traditionally forced out of it. Without that initiative, there's not much to respect.
In a league that flourishes off the profits of gambling and routinely finds themselves embroiled in scandals, this pivot away from pride is the NRL saying, in so many words, we will respect you - but only the quiet parts of you.
For the members of the LGBT community who not only support, but play the sport, there's no pride in that.