Debate over Crusaders name change is example of opportunistic political correctness gone mad
It was good to watch Crusaders get back to doing what it does best this weekend, playing rugby. They might not have done it particularly well, their defence all over the place in the early part of the 12-20 loss, but their visibility out on a pitch would still have been nourishment for the soul at the end of a difficult week for their community.
It was convenient they were scheduled to play across the ditch at the Waratahs. The Sydney side were ironically Crusaders’ first opponents when the club got back to playing following the devastating Christchurch earthquake some years ago.
Now, here were the Australians again, standing in solidarity with their Kiwi brothers at another sad time, the grieving franchise getting back to work and valiantly attempting to restore some sense of normality to their lives.
There was a processional walk out onto the pitch, a combined two-team huddle, a perfectly observed minute’s silence along with the wearing of eye-catching armbands that touchingly said ‘United 15-3-19’.
The runaround in the Sydney rain was welcome. The last thing Christchurch would have needed was a rugby match going on at home at a time when its city’s population is respectfully working its way through the series of funerals for the 50 people tragically killed in the terror attack on two mosques.
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Best leave playing that first game until April 6 when they host Brumbies. By then three weeks will have passed and a more informed sense of perspective can be applied to the sport and its influence on the city.
It has been curious how the club’s name was hijacked so quickly in the aftermath of the March 15 shootings. The focus in the sorrowful aftermath should have been fully on the tragedy that had just occurred, honouring the life stories of the wonderful people who had perished and caring for those still alive but with injuries that need healing.cHow sport got dragged into this arena didn’t make sense.
When he joined last October, CEO Colin Mansbridge could never have envisaged a situation where he would have confront calls for the club to change its name. When he arrived in from his previous post as BNZ’s head of agri-business to replace Hamish Riach, who had been in the role for 17 years, he was spot on describing Crusaders as the “gold standard for professional rugby clubs in the world”. The Crusaders’ reputation for excellence truly knows no bounds.
So was just told by @SCGTrustMedia @scg to take down our banners of support for the victims of the CHCH Attack by SCG security.
Sometimes somethings are bigger than a game, this was one and you got it wrong @scg#WARvCRU #SuperRugby pic.twitter.com/wBZVYnLOHi— AllBlacks Supporters (@ABSCSydney) March 23, 2019
Five months later, though, he was now having to address sudden criticism of a name that had served them so well and existed uncriticised ever since the game turned pro over 20 years ago. To give Mansbridge his due, he handled his response professionally.
He showed empathy. “This is a conversation that we should have.” But he also showed leadership. “We also believe that the time for that is not right now.” With emotions raw and real, this was no issue for a knee-jerk reaction. There will be a more appropriate time in the weeks and months ahead.
Whenever that discussion does take place the fact of the matter must be that Crusaders, as a rugby club, have been promoting nothing but a positive message since their inception. They are a reflection of a crusade for peace, for unity, for inclusiveness, for community spirit. These are rugby ideals shared the world over by clubs everywhere. It’s just rugby. Nothing else.
When the time comes to talk, Crusaders’ administrators should take their lead from Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand Prime Minister who has been an ambassadorial beacon since the tragedy broke. What has especially stood out is her refusal to mention the name of the perpetrator of these horrific crimes.
In doing so, she has robbed him of the notoriety he would have hoped to have gained, denied him the recognition he would have felt his name would have received on foot of his abhorrent acts. He has been rendered anonymous in the fall-out, which is why the ongoing debate about whether Crusaders should change their name is flawed.
If a name change were to happen, the murderer will have won. He will have forced the world’s most successful professional rugby club into an alteration that will always be traced back to these terrible events of March 15.
The score will hurt the Crusaders, but the defining image of the game was this show of the #rugbyfamily before kick-off
? Karen Watson pic.twitter.com/F5PxsR2fwt— Jamie Pandaram (@JamiePandaram) March 23, 2019
He will be given the oxygen he craves. That shouldn’t be allowed to happen. Instead, he should be left to rot in anonymity and the Crusaders judiciously allowed to keep going about their rugby business in the way they have always done.
There are already plenty of reasons for people not to go and watch the club when it plays at home. The usual 7.35pm kick-off doesn’t appeal to families, the TV experience offers much much insight and the stadium in Addington is thrown together with scaffolding. Hardly the most comfortable night out in the depths of winter.
Providing another excuse not to go – changing the club’s name and stealing an identity that gives it its global respect – appears an unnecessary step too far.
If the logic of those who feel a name change is warranted, then the NZRU should be looking at getting rid of the Highlanders, getting rid of the Chiefs and getting them to also change due to the historical connotations of their names.
The RFU should request Saracens in England to call themselves something else. Heck, perhaps even the Christchurch politicians should propose changing the name of their city as it isn’t reflective of other religions in the area.
This debate over the Crusaders name change has been a red herring this past week, an example of opportunistic political correctness gone mad.
Rugby should never have got all tangled up in fall-out from the terror attack. But we’re here now and hopefully common sense will hold sway whenever these conversations with a range of people, including the Muslim community in the Christchurch region, take place.
Scott Rob: "We were really desperate to play well and represent our people and show how much we care. You could see how hard we worked but we dropped enough ball for the whole season, that’s out of our system now. It was a tough week but we’re Crusaders, we don’t make excuses"
— Tom Decent (@tomdecent) March 23, 2019
Comments on RugbyPass
Musk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
1 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
2 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real speech. They claim free speech. The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
67 Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
2 Go to commentsOur very own monster teddy bear Ox😍💪
17 Go to commentsThis is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
9 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
9 Go to commentslooking forward to RWC2027 …. Boks on mission impossible for the Three-in-a-row, ABs to prove they being on par, France wishing to crown the “DuPont-era”, Ireland knocking on the Semi-Door ….. until then we’ll probably have to deal with Weird Ben’s fantasy-RWC23 (fun fact is, the drivel always creates a flooding of comments) …..
221 Go to commentsBen Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
221 Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
24 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
221 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
221 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
9 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
67 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
24 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
67 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to comments