I'm Right! Now Get Lost

I had to laugh this morning...

Everytime I bash rugby, people tell me how much money it brings the country - despite the fact that 'the country' doesn't actually see that money, but the rugby clubs and and players with their ludicrous salaries do. Sure tourism can help, but I doubt many people come to New Zealand specifically to see the Canterbury Crusaders play against the Auckland Blues. If they do, then they need to be shot on entry to the country.

Anyways, despite all the claims about how profitable rugby is for our country, the NZRU released a report today stating that last year's Super (crappy) 14 lost them $10 million. Wow. Good to know those billions of dollars spent promoting the sport are worthwhile.

This renews my anger at the New Zealand government putting $20 million into the redevelopment of Eden Park for the Rugby World Cup. Oh yeah sure, you can all try and tell me just how much tourism the competition brings into the country - and I will always just tell you to go read how much tourism it brought to Australia in 2003. The answer? WAY under what they expected. In fact, their numbers actually dropped by 2% from the previous year. The Tourism Minister at the time tried to pretend that any increases they saw was a benefit of the World Cup, but last year even the Australian Rugby Union admitted that they lost money by hosting the cup there.

$20,000,000 is a lot of money that this country could use for something a whole lot better, especially at this time when we are looking more and more like a third-world country every day. I keep waiting to see a World Vision ad with that big grey hairy dude, and he goes up to some little kid and says "This is Tania - say 'Hi', Tania' "Hi" ' Tania lives in Wainoni with her Parents, her Grand-parents, her cousins and her next door neighbours. They stay inside all day because they can't afford to use the car, and they don't use the lights because they can't afford to pay for the electricity. They had to sell all their furniture so they could buy fruit and vegetables last week"

Seriously though, why do my taxes have to go towards a game I hate just because some people wanted to make a living doing something stupid and are now finding that it doesn't make money? Curses to you, rugby and your year long season of doom!

I hope they keep losing more and more money. Take your incompetent business abilites and get the hell out of my life!