Leon, For Sky, RL has traditionally been the second most watched sport in their portfolio! They certainly make a good profit on the advertising revenue generated when the sport is broadcast. EDIT: I forgot to mention that SKY were concerned about losing RL to BT sport and so wrapped up a deal that takes their commitment through to 2021.
I remember Hull won RL div 2 in late 70s and won every game, with gates never lower than 10,000 in the Arthur Bunting Reich. This was less than 10 years after that game versus Huyton Hyenas or Hippos when there were less than 1,000 present in the urine-drenched dog racing track the Boulevard. That mickey mouse success v Bramley Apples, Workington Braves, Keighley Kestrels, Whitehaven Thunder, Bpool Borough etc was lapped up by the success-starved masses of Hull. Flat track bullies in effect, pulverising the part timers and the small guys. We were on the slide at the time and going nowhere. I still know people who followed City in the early 70s and who defected around this time. One of em in particular is smarting big time now as Hull f**k up once more versus Wakefield Wildcats as we prepare for our globally- watched game v Arsenal. His comment is 'City are boring and their games lack excitement'. He knows the game's up. He's backed the losing horse and the chickens are coming home to roost all these years later. We're the famous Hull City and we're going to Wembley.
Several reasons. On reflection, I suppose the main one is that from about 1978 onwards there is an element in this city that are willing us to fail and have enjoyed our doing so. As busdriver points out, Hull actively went after our sponsors further weakening us. If it wasn't difficult enough having to contend with 91 other clubs in the land, we must be one of a very few who had to fight against a local adversary from another sport and who seemed to thrive on our decline.
Because we share the ground with them. We share the local media with them and we have them sniping away at our support/game/morals/sponsors/players/entertainment value etc etc..... whilst always, and I mean always taking the morale high ground on everything backed up 100% by a fawning local media who not only depend on this game for employment but, in some cases, hold a festering grudge against football or 'soccer/footy' as they like to call us. Example? The FC drugs scandal of a couple of years ago. Coach sacked, every squad member taking illegal stimulants over a long period of time, if it had of happened at City it would have been a national scandal and we would have been kicked out of the league. In RL? slimming tablets FFS? brushed under the carpet within hours of the news breaking and forgotten about. Because the 'family sport' v football hooligans and over paid prima donnas myth has to be maintained. The riot v Leeds shown live on the BBC a few years back when FC fans invaded the pitch and tore the goal posts down. Within hours the shameful scenes and blame was shifted away from RL and laid squarely in Hull City's backyard. No-one from the local media had the balls to speak up for us and were quite happy to let the lie fester away and gain momentum. And I could go on all night.....................
It baffles me that some of you want your City's rugby side to lose matches. In Leicester we're proud that we've got such a plethora of sporting talent. Why don't you get behind your City?
Thanks. Didn’t know that and I erroneously relied upon my assumption rather than actually looking into it. I just thought Sky might keep it as part of its package to prevent a rival from doing so; didn’t realise it was a cornerstone of its output.
If many of Leicester Tigers' followers actively supported Forest and Derby, would that affect your attitude?
I don’t hate or dislike RL nor am I ‘bothered’ by it, but I think these are decent reasons to inspire a City fan to choose to do so.
When Leicester City offer free admission to Leicester Tigers fans and they turn up and support the other team against you, as happened in Hull when we were fighting against relegation a few years ago then you may have a little understanding of this problem. I wish it wasn't the case but it is. I'd rather have the rivalry you have with Forest because at least its a level playing field.
There probably are many Leicester Tigers fans who support Forest and Derby as Leicester (and Northampton) are the only decent Union sides in the area. In the same way that many Leicester fans support that Forest Boxer (can't think of his name off the top of my head). Fact is that support for our City's sport is seen as a good thing, regardless where it comes from.
Get this mate, our club offers 5 quid tickets to the local University ahead of offering them to actual fans.
I'm talking about Leicester Tigers fans living in Leicester. Cheering on whoever plays Leicester City.
But there are Derby and Forest fans living in Leicester? Just as there are Leicester fans living in Derby and Nottingham.
We get that too. Don't get me wrong when it comes down to it we all support Hull teams/sportsmen or women etc when it matters. But a lot of the resentment is deep seated and will take a couple of generations, if not more to erase it. If your club had slipped to the bottom of the FL, as we did, and your very existence depended on a decision by a High Court Judge, as happened to us on a couple of occasions you don't want a club who play in a franchised league with no relegation and who's only opposition is a dozen other clubs along the M62 corridor trying to steal your sponsors and support. You also don't want the supporters of that club parading around town wearing replica shirts of whoever is top dog that season in the Premier League, whilst rubbishing the local club and the game they play. The tide is turning and we do have fans who support both codes, which I applaud. But I don't think the relationship between the two clubs at the KC stadium is a healthy one.
ineresting.......the names the wildcats and the vikings. both beat ordinary named clubs.rovers and ull f.c. maybe city could do with some of that!!!
Cos he's a fully paid up member of the Sky Army. Barca on a Monday night, Bayern on a Tuesday, MUFC on a Wednesday, Thursday is Juve and City is dull by comparison. I've no doubt there are some sour grapes in his world view- he calls **** out of Hull most weeks.
What about people born in Leicester who support Leicester Tigers and a football club from elsewhere and who actively wish for Leicester City to fail? That is the situation we have had in Hull for decades.
