I dont like the man, i dont think he is doing a good job, but his body is not one of the reasons why. I can't believe any one is going to be put off by the fact the CEO is, in your opinion, fat. People used to say they couldnt have a woman at the head of a company because it looks bad, or they couldnt have a black guy or a homosexual running a company because of the image it gives off. Those people are dying out as dinosaurs, relics from a less informed time. The world came to realise that how you looked, what your private life was like, your lifestyle and personal choices didnt define your capability.

And if Nigel Wood is the face of RL in this country we have far bigger issues, It should be JP, or Hall, or Roby or someone actually playing the game.

What I don't get is why would Gary Hethrington allow someone like Nigel Wood to be the face of UK RL? Surely he could have picked someone else with a slimmer frame

I'm not sure they're the same; obviously any right-minded person would agree that the characteristics you've identified shouldn't be an issue when it comes to assessing competency and suitability for a particular role; those attitudes are dying out and rightly so - they needed to.

The issue of obesity is a rather different one however; for me, it speaks of a certain attitude towards ones own health and wellbeing that doesn't necessarily fill an employer, or employees, with confidence - if I'm looking for someone energetic, motivated, determined, tenacious, disciplined and inspiring, morbid obesity projects the opposite of all those things; even if the individual says they are, their lack of care for their own physical condition would suggest otherwise.

All that said, I agree with you - I don't think Nigel Wood is doing a good job, but that's not because he's a fat knacker.

Yeah but the gays are more at risk of aids aren't they, that portrays a certain attitude towards health and well being.

Or a black man with dreads, why would they want to project that image? Probably stoned half the time, hardly convincing they are motivated

Women are just naturally weaker aren't they, don't have the tenacity or discipline, too focussed on children and shoes.

He absolutely should have slipped a reference to Russel Crowe in. You may have heard enough of him but you're an RL fan who's had to put up with Eddies Hemmings banging on. You should not be the target audience for a piece on 'Today' which is an opportunity to let the wider world know we exist.
As for mentioning Sam Burgess and peope thinking 'oh yeah, he left RL', have you any idea what the profile of Rugby League is outside the heartlands? Let me flesh this out for you.

The only time I heard colleagues talk about Rugby League was when Ben Flower did his haymaker on Hohaia. During the discussion someone mentioned 'bloodgate' that happened at Harlequins, when I piped up that was not the same game the response was "yes it was, it was rugby".

If the entire first team of any Superleague club walked down any street in central London they would be so invisible they couldn't get themselves arrested. Rugby League doesn't have a low profile outside the heartlands, it has [uno profile[/u outside the heartlands. Seriously, nobody knows we exist.

That is the audience you are broadcasting to, you have to give them reference points.

Oh yeah, the interview was around 08:30

He was 15 months ago.

...or is this too part of the imaginary BBC conspiracy?

There is no logic to your argument; you're either being deliberately obtuse, or you've disappeared up your own anus. For all the faux pc outrage you imply, I know that you're intelligent enough to understand that there is a difference between being morbidly obese, and characteristics such as gender, sexuality or cultural background.

I can't speak for the South of the country, but I work in Central Scotland, and whilst not many people follow the game they are all aware of it and know about it to a degree. When I first started up there people would mention Hull City to me, and when I said I was more interested in rugby they would generally say something like "it's all rugby league round there isn't it?" and a few would ask me which Hull team I supported knowing that there were two. I work with a guy from just outside Falkirk who supports Warrington and watches religiously on Sky, and a few others who enjoy watching on tv. But then on the flip side I had one guy who knew about league but wasn't even aware that international rugby league existed. Yet Scotland will be hosting a couple of 4 nations games next year!

So in my experience there is an audience for the game outside the heartlands, and people who are aware of the game are interested. Even in Scotland where 1 inch in the papers about the game is a miracle. There's a big market out there and we need to do more.

If Nigel Wood isn't the public face of rugby league, why is he doing interviews on the BBC?

Iwas delighted when he got the job at the RFL after the job he did at Halifax.

Sadly, it seems he has llearnt nothing about competence since.......

of course i accept that obesity is different to being black, But then being black is different to being gay, which is different to being a woman.

And i used those examples because they are all examples of what people said, to justify their prejudice against a person for the way they looked, or their lifestyle. They werent always an upfront racist, they werent always an out and proud homophobe or misogynist, and many thought that what they were saying was not only correct but came from a good place.

People wanted a pretty young girl at reception because they thought it portrayed a good image, not because they hated women. They hid black guys in the back not because they themselves were racist, but because they didnt want to project 'that kind of image' or attract 'that type of crowd' because it might scare the regulars.

Now we have people saying that Nigel Wood shouldnt be doing what he does because of the image his lifestyle portrays, because of the way he looks of the life he chooses to lead.

There is no faux-pc outrage here. Im simply pointing out the obvious parallel that exists when people make snap judgments on peoples ability to do their job based on something other than their ability to do their job.

Thats without even addressing the logic that argues that to promote a fit and healthy life-style sports should exclude over-weight people. Every other sport is looking to promote themselves as the answer for anyone, from walking football to touch rugby, the message is that big, small, strong, weak, our sport is for you. Except RL, which apparently wants strict codes on body type for its employees.

because he runs the RFL

No he dosn't

The greedy SL clubs do.

And by definition he is the face of RL, the person the media/corporate's would want to interview/meet, surely that's a fairly simple logical supposition?
Whomever it is HAS to have enough grasp of the game and be able to project/promote it when involved at whatever level that is from those whom are going to be a major sponsor, politicians to the parents of children playing league on a park in a non homeland area..
The buck stops with the CEO, it is his responsibility to promote the game and get us moving forward, frankly he just doesn't have what it takes..I couldn't give a monkey's about his size BUT he hasn't the will, nouse or skillset to do the job the sport requires.

Can you be the public 'face' of something in a RADIO interview? Can you tell how fat he is just by hearing his voice?

I think that's exactly what Smokey is saying. I don't think Nigel Wood is good enough as CEO for the sport. But it's got absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with his size.

Consider yourself fortunate. In London recognition exists among ex-pats and fans like me.
Unfortunately the majority of businesses likely to indulge in the sort of corporate sponsorship the game needs to attract are based in and around London, and the 'Today' program represents a golden opportunity to talk to some of their decision makers. Nigel Wood blew that opportunity.
It's a shame the thread degenerated into an argument about his weight, that really is a side show. The real issue is that the RFL seem incapable of putting up someone with a bit a media savvy, which is particularly important given the sneering tone of a lot of sports journos on 'Today' who, let's face it, only want to talk about golf.

Shane Richardson is charismatic, passionate and very good in front of the camera and with the fans. I speak after standing with him many time on the terraces at Hull games during his tenure. He used to go on the coaches with the fans too. He lives and breathes the game.

Wood is exactly as named. We need a decent voice for the game, someone who isn't just there for the money. Pay some bucks and watch it reap rewards.

Which I entirely agreed with when he said it - he's a parochial, short-sighted, blinkered and not especially articulate committee man who got lucky; he has no long-term vision, no discernible strategy and is a singularly uninspiring public speaker.

The issue of his morbid obesity is a diversion - but an interesting one; I maintain my belief that obesity is not a protected characteristic and is therefore not even in the same ballpark as racism, homophobia or any of the other old-fashioned isms that prevented good people from getting on in the workplace. Nigel just happens to be useless and fat - if he was a trim 12 stone, he'd still be useless at leading the RFL, so in this case, it's a rather circular argument.

uncalled for.

Arf!

I live in Wiltshire, and my experience of people's knowledge of RL is much more akin to Perry's than Mr. ZH.

God, it was infuriating to walk into my local after the GF and find everyone talking about Ben Flower and 'thugby'. Which they'll have largely have picked up from the tabloids, of course. But yeah, as I've remarked before, even people who would consider themselves sports fans would struggle to clearly explain the difference between the two codes, and correctly name well-known league and union clubs.

His ability to do the job should be/is the primary factor. It just so happens he's useless at it so it ends up leaving him open to slights about his size.

From my recollection his voice betrays his size. Anyone would think he's a 5 stone wet through mr muscle type character. He doesn't even sound like he convinces himself he's doing a good job.

The RFL is ungovernable.
It's a classic situation of the tail wagging the dog.
There are a few SL clubs that are sucking the game dry and the devil take the hindmost as far as they are concerned. If they say jump, the rest of the game in this country says "how high?"
It isn't helping the game at all in this country.
The "new changes" still only benefitted the few and they ensured they got their pound of flesh before anything else.
The whole structure of the game in this country needs changing from under 5's to the international teams. IMO it's a shambles, with no one at the tiller.
It needs a complete change of mindset. RL used to pride itself on its egalitarion attitudes and fairness. Sadly it's become more elitist than the RFU ever was.
The game is still best contact sport on the planet, but we cannot/will not promote that fact. The game on the field needs very few changes , if any, but off the field.........
There must be some young generation, qualified sports administarion with degrees, who love the game who would relish the opportunity of taking the game forward. Sadly the money goes to clubs to pay crocks over the odds for minimal return IMO. Just imagine what a good administrator could do with the opportunity.
If only.

Sally Bolton. Whom the RFL let go while Wood claimed credit for all her good work on the RLWC. He was clearly smart enough to see she'd show him up every day and probably bust a gut to make sure she didn't hang around.