2018: The Year Rugby League Turned on Buzz Rothfield

Shnissss

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He’s a muppet. Trying to bail out the sinking ship that is the daily telegraph by appearing on TV. Fortunately for viewers we get to see more than just a written column in a paper now allowing everyone to see and judge this dimwit for the sad person he is. He’s a stain on the game
 

Sword

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Problem is the large NRL fine plays right into Buzz’s argument justifying the perceived outrage.
 

dogluva

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Excellent article and says it all. I particularly liked this comment because it rings true......

https://www.theroar.com.au/2018/09/13/2018-the-year-rugby-league-turned-on-buzz-rothfield/

BA Sports
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September 13th 2018 @ 12:06pm
Replying to
Ryan O'Connell:
I could be wrong, but I assume...

Agree, but as you know Fox Sports is Premier Media Group, Premier Media Group is News Corp and News Corp is the DT.

Last week the DT blew up the game and Greenberg jumped. He didn’t read the room, he reacted the way he knew News Corp would want him to react not the ay the players and fans wanted him to react

Fox have already slashed their match day production costs with the introduction of their new production studio which reduces the number of staff and equipment needed at the grounds by half and to the keen eye, it impacts the quality of the coverage. It is the starting point to them sending nothing but camera men and a floor manager to the game.

But maybe talk to the other networks – perhaps they have a bit of an appetite to invest in the game. Stop yielding to the Gutter journo and their organisation – Letting them run the game hasn’t helped grow it over the last decade, time for a new approach.
 

wendog33

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Excellent article and says it all. I particularly liked this comment because it rings true......

https://www.theroar.com.au/2018/09/13/2018-the-year-rugby-league-turned-on-buzz-rothfield/

BA Sports
Roar Guru
September 13th 2018 @ 12:06pm
Replying to
Ryan O'Connell:
I could be wrong, but I assume...

Agree, but as you know Fox Sports is Premier Media Group, Premier Media Group is News Corp and News Corp is the DT.

Last week the DT blew up the game and Greenberg jumped. He didn’t read the room, he reacted the way he knew News Corp would want him to react not the ay the players and fans wanted him to react

Fox have already slashed their match day production costs with the introduction of their new production studio which reduces the number of staff and equipment needed at the grounds by half and to the keen eye, it impacts the quality of the coverage. It is the starting point to them sending nothing but camera men and a floor manager to the game.

But maybe talk to the other networks – perhaps they have a bit of an appetite to invest in the game. Stop yielding to the Gutter journo and their organisation – Letting them run the game hasn’t helped grow it over the last decade, time for a new approach.
Maybe before too much longer Greenberg and Beatit will wake up to the damage News Corp are doing the game ...that is unless they have completely sold out.
 

Mr Invisible

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News Corp own like 60% of Broncos too.

I disagree that Buzz has a thick skin though... he's just an idiot who tries to staunchly defend his own opinions. Arguementative YES, thick skin NO.

There will come a time in his life when eventually the pressures of everything (and everyone but his family hating the prick) when he'll suffer a significant health issue (either a heart attack or a stroke), from the stress of it all, and that'll be the end of him writing garbage in the papers.

It's a matter of when it happens, not if.
 

Wahesh

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The article..........




There is no real way to prove it, but there is an undeniable feeling that 2018 is the year a large portion of the rugby league community said “enough” to News Corp journalist Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield.

Though hard to quantify without an expensive study into the topic, it’s difficult to deny that there currently seems to be a groundswell of increasing criticism of Buzz, and backlash against his brand of rugby league journalism.

It’s worth pointing out that Buzz has long had his detractors. It would be disingenuous to suggest that suddenly this year, everyone has turned on him. Firstly, not everyone has. And secondly, given his penchant for controversial and polarising opinions, he’s always had vocal critics, not just recently.

However, it does seem like the volume of critics has increased tenfold this year.

Buzz, to his immense credit, has very thick skin. He’s fully aware that some of the things he says and writes won’t be popular, and is prepared to cop the consequences. Whether you agree or disagree with Buzz and his individual opinions, that boldness and conviction should be applauded.

It’s brave to express a view when you’re completely cognisant of the fact you’re going to be criticised for it.

The truth is, Buzz has a responsibility to help sell papers, get clicks, and improve ratings. He’s said a number of times that he’s giving the public what they want, and that’s his job.

However, is Buzz really giving rugby league fans what they want?

When it comes to Twitter, Buzz is renowned for being extremely prolific on two fronts: blocking people that criticise him, and retweeting those that agree with him. I’m also willing to bet the former far outweighs the latter, which doesn’t really suggest he’s listening to the fans; or if so, is being extremely selective.

Last week, colleague AJ Mithen quoted that the Daily Telegraph’s cross-platform audience had dropped by 5.1 per cent from June 2017 to June 2018. Now, of course, that’s far from just Buzz’s issue alone, but the numbers don’t lie: almost 175,000 fewer people are reading the publication. Does that sound like the Tele is really giving people what they want, Buzz?

Fox Sports commentator Warren Smith received a lot of support when he called out Buzz – and others – for the media’s role in ‘ref bashing’, but Buzz’s reaction was simply sarcastic and childish tweets, so he clearly wasn’t taking Smith’s feedback onboard either.

On Monday’s Controversy Corner, Buzz was torn to shreds by fellow panellists Graeme Hughes, Steve Roach and Bill Harrigan, over the Tele’s coverage of the Bulldogs Mad Monday celebrations.


Though a small sample size, that’s three out of four people on the panel that were critical of the story being covered. Did Buzz heed that criticism from his media peers? No, he staunchly defended his organisation’s coverage on the story, and then doubled down on Twitter afterwards.

If you’d like a larger sample size than four people, then fair enough. How about 75 per cent of the Tele’s own readers believing the Bulldogs behaviour wasn’t bad and that “boys will be boys”. Is Buzz digesting those numbers?

While Buzz can claim that he’s simply giving the people what they want, there is growing evidence that this is simply not true. At the very least, there is a large percentage of people that actually don’t seem to want a lot of what Buzz serves up. If that number continues to rise, Buzz will need to change, or he’ll be out of a job.

Given this is an opinion site, it would be remiss of me not to finish with my own opinion.

I have nothing personal against Buzz Rothfield, but I do think he is, currently, largely bad for the game of rugby league. I don’t deny he has an enviable list of contacts and sources, and he therefore has a tremendous ability to break a story because of them.

However, far too often those stories are mere muckraking, rather than about player movement, coaching dramas, or anything to do with the on-field action.

Hughes and Rothfield’s heated debate gets personal

Combined with his propensity to have opinions that are negative and agenda-based, it ensures that Buzz is often actually hurting the sport he professes to love.

As such, he’s certainly not giving me what I want, so a few weeks ago I made the decision to stop “feeding the beast”. I have blocked Buzz on Twitter, refuse to read his articles, and no longer watch any show he’s on.

It’s my version of ‘voting with my feet’, because I’d like to see a change in the way rugby league is covered in Australia.
It does feel like I’m far from alone in that viewpoint, and should that actually be the case, hopefully Buzz has enough self-awareness to recognise that the tide might be turning, and that he should adjust accordingly.

Or more succinctly, give the people what they want . . .
 

south of heaven

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Buzz is sitting in a bathtub full of cream sherry blocking everyone who's tweeting this article to him, screaming its no me it all of you
 

haz123

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Buzz is sitting in a bathtub full of cream sherry blocking everyone who's tweeting this article to him, screaming its no me it all of you
The thought of Buzz sitting naked in anything is enough to make me sick. Thanks for that Southy you sick C____t.
 

south of heaven

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The thought of Buzz sitting naked in anything is enough to make me sick. Thanks for that Southy you sick C____t.
Don't worry he wouldn't be naked 37years of wearing the same piss stained trousers and all that dick cheese they are glued to him.
 

haz123

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Don't worry he wouldn't be naked 37years of wearing the same piss stained trousers and all that dick cheese they are glued to him.
Like I said your sick.
There is people you can ring to get help.
 

haz123

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By the way is cream sherry red ?
Because if it is how do we know when it ends and Buzz's head starts.
 

south of heaven

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He aint said shit all day now someone is into him.
Bloody hypocrite @BuzzRothfield. To think that you enjoyed slamming the Bulldogs, but when it comes back to bite you, you hide. No excuses, you're a pathetic journalist. You should've retired long ago when you had a leg to stand on.
 

south of heaven

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Has anyone seen @BuzzRothfield ?? He hasn’t been on twitter since the photo of him with the stripper surfaced and proved how much of a hypocrite he is. R U OK buzz?? Twitter just isn’t the same without you retweeting all the people who agree with you @FOXNRL @dailytelegraph
 

MatstaDogg

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He aint said shit all day now someone is into him.
Bloody hypocrite @BuzzRothfield. To think that you enjoyed slamming the Bulldogs, but when it comes back to bite you, you hide. No excuses, you're a pathetic journalist. You should've retired long ago when you had a leg to stand on.
He never had a leg to stand on as he is always legless.
 

Moedogg

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Ryan O Connel is a dogs supporter. Wonder if he's on TK.
 
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