Moments of the Year (minor Squidge warning)

[Lé Ddanno]

Quite enjoyed this. It's Squidge and I know he can be a bit Marmite, but there's no analysis here, just an excellent highlight reel.

 

[AlRums]

Sorry, can't stand his voice or delivery

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Last minutes felt like a south park skit.



I stopped a sec when i saw the 5 million followers comment. I, like pretty much everyone here, watch rugby every weekend, and i am particularly fond of sevens. I had no idea, whatsoever, who she was. I asked around the table, people from far and wide, all rugby followers. No one, not a single person knew who she was.

 

[big ginger 8]

Last minutes felt like a south park skit.

View attachment 22436

I stopped a sec when i saw the 5 million followers comment. I, like pretty much everyone here, watch rugby every weekend, and i am particularly fond of sevens. I had no idea, whatsoever, who she was. I asked around the table, people from far and wide, all rugby followers. No one, not a single person knew who she was.

Guessed before I looked at the video you were talking about Maher. You and your table must be living under a rock. I haven't watched a single women's game in years but am well aware of who she is and that she's recently transferred to Bristol for a few months. She's legitimately massive and I had a number of non-rugby people mention her to me during the 7s.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Guessed before I looked at the video you were talking about Maher. You and your table must be living under a rock. I haven't watched a single women's game in years but am well aware of who she is and that she's recently transferred to Bristol for a few months. She's legitimately massive and I had a number of non-rugby people mention her to me during the 7s.

maybe i 've been living under a rock. Or maybe, just maybe, i recognize that despite the gargantuan effort WR has done to leverage one sport with the other (women's with men's) regular followers still treat them as completely different sports. Both in 7s and 15s. Do you know what most regulars do/did when 'the most famous rugby player in the history of the sport' plays/played? They go/went to the toilet, or grab/bed something to eat or drink.
I kid you not. Unlike you, who's admitted to not watching a single women's game in years, i have. Walk to a men's sevens circuit and ask the regulars who do the know: Maher, Ashby or Blyde? I'd bet you the house, the car and the mortgage the last two get more votes.

And what does 'legitimately massive' even mean? That they put a shitload of money to promote a player, during a very short time window, in a Olympic year, from a rich and populous country? That tons of people jumped on the bandwagon for the duration of such competition? They gave her a like, subscribe, retweet or follow? Sure... i guess all the fair-weather fans that show up once every four years will know. They don't know how many players take part in a scrum in 7's, but what the hell. This is about likes and social media, not about the sport.
How many, how many of those 4.5 M they talk about will actually watch 5 Bristol games? If we could do this easily and practically, i'd wager not even 0,1% of those 4,5M (non-bristol fans, naturally) will watch 5 of their games.
So when you say 'legitimately massive' i have literally no idea what the hell are you talking about.

You have people who fly from Durban to Dublin to watch a game, following their team and their favourite players. Spending time, money, putting a shitload of effort. How many US fans will fly to Bristol to see her play?

'As of 2024, Alona Maher is the most famous rugby player in the history of the sport'

Are you serious? Are you really serious? Do you think, for a second, she could walk down the street in Paris/Cape Town/Sydney/London/BsAs and people would recognize her more than Du pont, Russell, Eben, Kolisi or Farrell?
Do you think more people will purchase tickets to watch rugby games because of her than others do because of the players listed above?
If you say 'yes', you'd be delusional or a liar (i dont believe you are either, just saying). And if you say 'no', you'd be admitting to the hypocrisy in the video.

The video cherry picks one and only one criteria and equates it to 'popularity'. That is nothing short of psychiatric.
The video has a few other gems. I like this one in particular (paraphrasing):

'NBC had a page that talked about Maher, etc etc.'

Who the hell, who the actual **** here goes to nbc to read about rugby?
The kind of fans that only watch olympic games' rugby.

Another part of the posturing Squidge does is considering both sports (women's and men's) as one. They are not. When two groups of people cannot legally/regulatory play against each other, they are not playing the same sport. It is not that complicated.

Let me add one last thing, that will probably shed light on the hypocrisy thingie. This is a rugby forum. I hope we can agree on that. Most of us here follow the sport rather regularly, read about it, go to games, pubs, talk about it with friends, discusss, argue online, etc. AND as per the video, Maher's was the #1 rugby moment of 2024. Not a top 10, not top 3. No. Number one.
So what's the problem? Well...



this is what i get when i look for the player who's supposed to embody the #1 rugby moment of 2024.
So we are either the most misogynistic forum in the history of mankind, we take women's and men's rugby as different sports and/or maybe Maher is not the colossus that squidge paints her to be. Or a combination of those.

But you know what, let's disregard everything I've said so far for a second. I'd like to ask you a simple: do you believe she is the most popular rugby player in the history of the sport?
Yes or no?
It's a simple question.

You walk into any rugby pub in the UK, RSA, NZ, France or Australia, ask a table of people who is Maher and i guarantee you most wont know. I guarantee you most will know who du Point is.

PS: i know this post will make me come across as a massive turd in here, but i find it incredible, actually mental, that some of you will watch that video, listen to what he had to say about the #1 spot and actually conclude he makes a good case. My take, if anything, is not a jab Maher. It's a jab at him and you!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

She is the most famous rugby player in the world, it's not up for debate

Is she the best rugby player? No
Is she the best womens player? No
Is she the best womens 7s player? No

No one claims or argues those points - the only thing people say is that she's the most famous and that's just a fact, she has by far the largest social media following is the most likely to be recognised by non rugby fans due to the huge blow up she had during the Olympics, and broke out into the mainstream in America which trumps everything any other player has done in terms of eyeballs

The arguement isn't that she's most known amongst rugby fans it's just people in general - like my Mom would recognise Maher due to the Olympics, doubt she could name a single England, France or Springbok player though

FTR I didn't watch squidge's video because I find him insufferable, so I'm largely just ranting in general rather than at anything/anyone in general - I'm probably not addressing any of the points raised above as I don't think she has done anything that could be classed as the biggest moment of the year (I'm guessing her being on Dancing With The Stars is the moment? Or maybe just her social media following in general?). She does do a ton to bring rugby to her audience though, certainly a lot more than WR does on social media

I've just seen people raging about Maher's fame a lot over the last few months, and I don't understand why celebrity causes such a reaction.
Like I saw people saying "Well if Ryan Gosling signed for an MLR side does that make him the biggest rugby player in the world?"
Yes, Obviously.
Biggest. Does. Not. Mean. Best.