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Week 11 - AFLW CBA

My final PR analysis will surround the AFLW’s new collective bargaining agreement regarding the pay rise for AFLW players league-wide. These pay rises will see wages increase on an average of 94% for players across the four payment tiers. This story was covered in most sports reports across the state, which used several photo opportunities to inform the community of the changes, whilst also improving the social reception of the league as they demonstrate their desire to see the game of women’s football grow across the nation.

AFLW players stand alongside AFL and AFL Players Association boss to promote the CBA.

The major tools being used by the AFL are press conferences and photo opportunities. The press conference allows the head of the AFL, Gillon McLachlan to face the media and deliver the desired message first-hand to avoid any miscommunication between the AFL and the Players Association.

The photo opportunities being used are several high-profiled AFLW players standing side-by-side with AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and Player Association CEO Paul Marsh, all smiling gleefully and displaying their excitement for the changes that will be coming to the AFLW.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan speaks to media and players regarding the new CBA

This article was reported on significantly in sporting media in Australia as it was considered a ‘landmark’ decision in the history of the AFLW, marking the start of pay equity amongst male and female AFL players.

This activity is a big step in gaining equity between both the male and female AFL leagues. It also allows for the women who play at an elite level to put more focus on their ability as a rise in wages negates the need for some athletes to have secondary jobs to support themselves financially. The picture does a great job at planting focus on the high-profiled players of the AFLW, having them stand alongside the head of the AFL, showing that they’re not lesser than their male counterparts, but rather equal to them, paving the way for future AFLW stars to be supported by the league, both financially and socially.

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Week 10 - Magic Round

This week’s analysis will be about the NRL’s Magic Round that took place during Round 10, of the NRL Premiership season. This round sees all scheduled matches take place at one stadium over the course of one weekend, with as many as 3 games taking place on the same day. This round incorporates several PR topics, including articles, an event, competitions, giveaways and several photo opportunities.

Promotional poster for 'Magic Round'

The NRL is the organisation leading the campaign, as they create a spectacle around a round, making the round a ‘must-see’ event as supporters from all around Australia converge to Suncorp Stadium to witness the ‘magic’.

Secondly, Suncorp would hold some stocks in the success of ‘Magic Round’ as the stadium that the games will take place at, is named after the insurance company. Having all 8 games take place at the one stadium allows for significant advertising for the brand, as the stadium’s name (Suncorp) would be mentioned in the coverage of almost every game that takes place. Presenting the brand to a significant number of NRL fans.

There are several PR tools being used throughout this campaign. First of all there was an ‘NRL Magic Round Launch Event’ where fans travelled to King George Square in Brisbane for the opportunity to meet former NRL stars, win prizes and interact with team mascots.

The NRL use former players Cameron Smith and Bryan Fletcher as ambassadors for the event. Giving the fans an opportunity to win the ‘ultimate pub experience’ and enjoy the games on the big screens, whilst having a beer and chat with Smith and Fletcher.

The NRL also uses several sponsors to help fund the event, using their brand to give fans the opportunity to upgrade their seats for allocated games. This brand involvement can be used as an opportunity for fans to improve their relationships with their customers, creating experiences and memories for fans that will be associated with their brand.

Concept photo of the AMPOL stand that will provide viewers with an enviable experience.

Magic Round was promoted on through articles on social media, as well as on the FOX NRL channel on TV. The round was heavily promoted through strong NRL markets such as Sydney and Brisbane, whilst there was limited promotion in Victoria, due to its strong AFL market. However, ‘sport’-covering’ radio stations such as Triple M and SEN were the main radio stations promoting the round, one even giving away tickets to go watch the magic happen live.

For NRL fans this event is almost destined to succeed. the opportunity for NRL diehards to witness all 8 games of NRL live in one jam-packed weekend is a dream come true for some. The NRL’s ability to sign several sponsors and brands to take part in the event further adds to the commercial success. Brands such as Ampol, Chemist Warehouse, Bundaberg Rum, YOUi, Harvey Norman and major sponsor KFC all got involved for the round. When a sporting organisation has to entertain a capacity crowd of over 52,000 fans every day for a weekend, having activities around the ground is very important for fan interaction and the alignment of so many sponsors allow for these activities to take place.

Fans enjoying the spectacle of Magic Round

This major spectacle is ultimately aimed at getting more eyes to notice the blockbuster that is the Magic Round and through the promotion of the round and the NRL’s affiliation with numerous brands does a terrific job at drawing more attention to the sport itself.

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Week 9 - Shane Warne Stand

The activity that I will be analysing this week is the announcement that the Melbourne Cricket Ground’s (MCG) ‘Great Southern Stand’ will be renamed the ‘Shane Warne Stand’ in honour of the Australian cricket legend’s shock passing. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the name change after Shane’s family accepted the invitation for a public memorial, to celebrate the life of one of the most captivating cricketers and personalities the country has ever produced.

This activity is quite different to others that have been analysed so far because, on a surface level, the decision made by the MCG and the Victorian Government doesn’t have an obvious motive. There isn’t a promotion attached or a product that this activity is shilling, but rather celebrating the life of a ‘one of a kind’ legend who brought so much joy to so many.

However, in saying that, this campaign (as mentioned) is predominately run by both the Victorian Government and the MCG.

The stand was officially renamed at the memorial service for Shane, on March 30th, which took place at the MCG, the same venue that was home to the King’s hattrick and 700th test wicket. This memorial could be cynically considered a ‘stunt’, as it is a large event generated by the Victorian government to promote the celebration of Shane’s life and therefore the renaming of the stand.

The unveiling of the stand

Once again, one could take a pessimistic stance on the memorial and claim that the numerous sports stars and celebrities that attended the memorial were ambassadors for the unveiling, as the mass gathering of so many renowned figures draw more eyes to any situation.

If you live in Victoria, the news would have been impossible to ignore. The news of his passing on the early morning of March 4th sent shockwaves throughout both cricketing and non-cricketing communities worldwide. Reports, shock, and sadness flooding news feed’s across the world as people from all corners of society expressed their dejection, whilst also sharing personal anecdotes of their interaction with ‘The King of Spin’.

I, like the reported 2.25 million people across the country watched the memorial service on TV, alongside the tens of thousands that attended the memorial live. We listened to close friends and family discuss the parade of tales that made Shane the mythical character that he was.

Picture of the thousands of people who attended the memorial

It almost feels wrong to describe the stand’s renaming as a PR activity as it is my personal belief that the Victorian Government didn’t do it for any other reason than to genuinely honour someone, who many consider to be, the greatest spin bowler of all time. However, that doesn’t mean that the decision to do this, doesn’t come with some additional benefits for the Victorian Government. Giving the public an outlet to grieve and celebrate the life of someone so profoundly idolised, allows for the Government to be looked on more favourably as it is the ‘right thing to do’, whilst immortalising Shane with his own stand further cements in the public’s mind that the Government have the same moral values as them, removing the greed and selfishness that is typically attributed to politicians.

It was a particularly difficult period for a lot of people across the world, especially for Australians and Victorians, and I think that the memorial was a raging success in celebrating the life of one of Australia’s greatest athletes. I do think that this decision does help the state Government’s public perception, doing the ‘right thing’ and honouring such an outstanding figure, of the likes we’ll never see again.

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Week 8 - The Carlton Draft

For week 8 I am analysing the Carlton Draught draft. This stunt will see 8 former AFL stars drafted by struggling local footy teams in an attempt to generate revenue for the club whilst giving them an opportunity for a much-needed win.

The campaign is being led by the beer company ‘Carlton Draught’, they are using eight former high-profiled AFL players to help battling teams be competitive whilst creating a large crowd desperate to see their favourite players strap up the boots for one last time.

The players attending the Draft.

These players include former Melbourne captain Nathan Jones, Carlton and Adelaide champion Eddie Betts, three-time premiership player Cameron Mooney, former Hawthorn premiership heroes Shaun Burgoyne and Jarryd Roughead, 5-time All Australian Alex Rance, 2-time All Australian Brendan Goddard and finally 2010 premiership player Dale Thomas.

Multiple PR tools have been used in the Carlton Draft’s stunt. First, the stunt itself has done a great deal for the brand’s exposure. As previously mentioned, there are the 8 former players used as ambassadors in addition to former Brisbane captain Jonathan Brown who ran proceedings of the ‘draft night’.

There are a considerable number of photo opportunities available for Carlton Draught to be used throughout the duration of the event. The photos of the players in the team jumpers of the teams that drafted them, alongside footage of the games, further promoting the stunt and therefore the brand.

The initiative was posted on social media to promote the event and to get clubs to sign up for the chance to draft one of the former stars. I also heard about the stunt through my local football club, the Hallam Hawks Football Club. Although we’re not a struggling side, we hoped that we were able to draft Eddie Betts as the club plans to do our own version of an Indigenous round.

This stunt has taken the local footy scene and football media by storm. 8 of the most prolific and most successful players the AFL has seen in the past 20 years lacing up the boots to help local clubs after two difficult, COVID-19 affected years. I have seen countless videos and photos of the draft night alongside game footage of the first game that took place, which saw Alex Rance play for Campbells Creek. Meanwhile, behind all the photos and videos is the Carlton Draught logo positioned in the background, giving the beer company a lot of earned media. This can also generate a great relationship between the company and their customers, as entire an entire clubs personnel (players, coaches and administrators) can have a positive experience with the brand, exposing them to their brand which makes them more inclined to purchase their beer more in the future.

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Week 7 - Sir Doug Nicholls Round

This week’s discussion will be centred around the AFL launching Sir Doug Nicholls round that will be celebrated over rounds 10 and 11 during the 2022 season. I will be analysing an article that discusses the launch of the event, in addition to the several photo opportunities that are used to showcase this year’s iterations of the club indigenous guernsey’s for 2022.

The main leader of the campaign is once again the major sporting organisation running the event, which in this case is the AFL. The larger number of people that participate in the 2 upcoming rounds the better for the league. Sir Doug Nicholls round typically has a larger round attendance across all 18 games that take place over rounds 10 and 11.

Victorian Indigenous players modelling this years jumpers.

Another party involved in the promotion of Sir Doug Nicholls round are the clubs themselves. Each club now takes part in wearing a specialised guernsey for the round, traditionally designed by an indigenous member of the club, to promote the inclusivity and respect of the indigenous culture in the AFL. This custom was initiated by the Richmond Tigers during the ‘Dreamtime at the ‘G’ clash against Essendon in 201, which is always considered a blockbuster game for the season.

Perth's iterations

The major PR tools being used are obviously, multiple photo opportunities. There is always hot discussion about what guernsey designs are the best and which ones didn’t quite hit the mark. The announcements of the designs generate some of the largest interaction from fans on social media, typically praising the designs as it brings a new light to the standard home and away guernsey’s whilst also telling a story through intricate designs.

Adelaide team's designs.

Several ambassadors are also used throughout the lead-up to the round, interviewing past indigenous players to discuss what this round means to them as a spectator, since it has only been recent since the league went all in with the round, making it the juggernaut that it is.

The Sydney teams jumpers.

In terms of fan interaction, this is a great PR activity. Utilising and celebrating centuries of Indigenous heritage to promote inclusivity throughout the league, whilst also giving players the opportunity to display their artistic talents and create something for fans to appreciate.

The designs for the Queensland teams.

The topic of the designs is always heavily discussed online, with people debating which are the best and worst designs for the year, generating more buzz for the round and likely increasing the number of spectators that attend matches due to the scale of the round.

To be a little cynical, it comes across slightly that celebration and inclusivity are the club’s secondary motive towards Sir Doug Nicholls round as the idea of yearly ‘one-off’ guernseys is a way of generating more cash flow through merchandise stands as teams try to push as much cash as they can through merchandise sales. Taking what is supposed to be a celebration of the indigenous connection to our native game and manipulating it to be another way to make a quick buck.

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Week 6 - The 4 GOATs

This week’s PR activity I am analysing is the “photo of GOATs” at the first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami. The photo has 4 superstars of their respective sports, often hailed as the ‘Greatest of All Time’. The 4 legends in the photo are F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, 6-time EPL winner David Beckham and 3-time NFL MVP winner Tom Brady.

The photo of the GOATs that blew up the internet

This photo wasn’t used in relation to a specific campaign, however, the F1 and the state of Miami would have been endeavouring to make the first ever Grand Prix in Miami come across as a major spectacle. This image would have done a great amount for Formula 1 as it would have highlighted the magnitude of the event. Suggesting that some of the biggest sporting stars in the history of world sport are invested in the race.

The major tool being used is obviously a photo opportunity. Lewis Hamilton has 28M followers on Instagram, Tom Brady has 12M followers and David Beckham has 72.9M followers, in addition to the large cultural impact that Michael Jordan has had on the sporting community. This one photo would introduce a vast number of followers to the Grand Prix, even though Formula 1 wasn’t the page that uploaded the photo.

As someone who isn’t very interested and involved in motorsport, I believe that this photo is extremely effective.

This photo places arguably three of the greatest of all time in their respective sports, in addition to the large cultural impact David Beckham has had on the sport of soccer around the world, particularly in western civilisation. Every regular sports fan would understand the magnitude of this photo, which could be likened to the ‘Mount Rushmore’ of western sporting stars.

Furthermore, this photo would generate a considerable amount of buzz around Formula 1 as a whole. Seeing the enormity of the stars that have attended the race highlights that this is a ‘must-see’ event and would drag a large number of eyes to the Grand Prix. To extend on this idea, I’d like to repeat that I have zero interest in motorsport and who wins the races, yet, due to this photo I know what date the race was on, who won the race and who is leading the Grand Prix standings at the conclusion of the race.

Birds eye view of the newly constructed course at Miami.

This photo also generates a large amount of ‘earned media’ for the F1 as a single photo created significant coverage of the event, and got everyone talking about the Grand Prix, without the racing organisation having to spend a large deal of money.

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Week 5 - Tiger Woods Masters Return

This week I will be looking into the lead-up and the previews of the US Masters, namely Tiger Wood’s return to golf after his severe car accident in early-February 2021. This is Woods’ first major tournament appearance since the accident which has garnered large-scale media coverage, highlighting this as a ‘comeback’ story for Woods as he looks to capture a record-tying 6th Green Jacket.

The main party that is leading the campaign is Woods himself. Since golf is primarily a single participant sport, Woods doesn’t have a sporting organisation to help promote him and his story but must rely on himself and his team to promote his brand and his story.

However, The PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) are also involved in the promotion of Tiger’s campaign due to the nature of his ‘high-profile status’. Tiger is considered to be one of (if not) the greatest players of all time and a player of his calibre returning to a major after a devastating car accident that could have cost him his career – or worse – his life, is major sporting news. This would result in a significant boost in viewership numbers.

Fans flood to Augusta to watch Tiger Woods' practice round.

In the lead up to the US Masters there has been a lot of media coverage promoting the tournament. Therefore, press conferences and picture opportunities have been the major PR tools used.

Tiger spoke at a press conference at the Genesis Invitational in the lead up to the Masters. Where he said that he put in a lot of effort to be eligible for the tournament, and insisted that if he were to play, he is playing to win.

The US Masters is one of the largest golf tournaments on the PGA’s calendar and would amass a great deal of media coverage on its own merit. However, with the addition of Tiger’s comeback to the sport, there has been an increase in mainstream media covering the story. There have been countless online articles written about Tiger’s return to the sport, as well as reports on television news bulletins.

I initially found the articles online alongside the polarising photo of the attendance at a Woods practise round.

I personally believe that this campaign has been a great success and has not only improved Tiger’s reputation amongst fans but will also result in a large boost in viewership of the tournament, as people tune in to see if Tiger can complete his comeback to the top of the sport.

Tiger Woods has had a turbulent past in the media after the news of his extramarital affairs broke. This resulted in his reputation being crushed under the weight of public opinion, resulting in what Lauren Johnson of Daily News described back in 2009 as a “fall from grace”. A decade later he would win his fifth major and complete his redemption, once again becoming known for his extraordinary talent, rather than off-course indiscretions.

The crash that almost cost Woods his ability to walk.

This proves that Tiger is no stranger to reshaping his image in the public eye and had done an exceptional job at doing this once again. He spoke about the “really dark, dark times” that have plagued the latter half of his career but said that he will “…never give up” on playing and will do whatever he can to get back to his best.

Woods fronts the media ahead of the Masters.

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Week 4 - Tim Tzuyu VS Terrel Gausha

This week’s analysis is on the press conference and the additional publicity surrounding the upcoming fight between Tim Tszyu and the American Terrel Gausha on Sunday March 27th at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The campaign was predominately carried by the two attending a pre-fight press conference and weigh-in, hyping up the fight by evaluating their respective chances of victory and throwing barbs at each other before they throw jabs on the 27th.

There are a number of groups working together to promote the fight and subsequently the main card, in order to raise the number of Pay-Per-View buys and/or streaming subscriptions.

In the United States, the PBC (Premier Boxing Champions) is an organisation that broadcasts live boxing events to American television screens. The PBC airs these boxing events across channels such as Showtime (SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING), Fox and all its subsidiaries (FS1, FOX Deportes etc.).

From an Australian broadcasting aspect, the main presenters are Foxtel, plus its sports streaming service Kayo Sports, in addition to the Pay-Per-View service, Main Event. These are the primary bodies that will be giving boxing fans the opportunity to view the fight across the country.

Ultimately the fighters themselves are key leaders of the campaign; it’s their job to to get as many people as possible to want to watch the fight. They must use every opportunity in front of camera to insult their opponent whilst touting their own abilities. The conflict between the two should create an aura of anticipation amongst fans, giving them no other option by to pay to watch the fight, therefore creating revenue.

Poster promoting the fight between the two world title contenders. 

Promoting a combat sports main card requires the use of a great deal of PR tools in an attempt to get as many purchases as possible. The main tool that is used amongst all boxing events is a press conference. Getting the two fighters on one stage (and sometimes face-to

face) allows the media to ask the fighters questions about the upcoming bout. This can create some tension between the two fighters and possibly lead to a photo opportunity of the two fighters needing to be separated by security, further raising excitement for the fight.

As main event promotions go, the press conference between Tszyu and Gausha was quite underwhelming. The two fighters didn’t show much animosity towards each other and was fairly ‘vanilla’ in their responses to questions posed by the media. The cliched answers delivered by Tim Tszyu such as “taking things one step at a time” and “actions speak louder than words” leave something to be desired for viewers as the lack of charisma doesn’t present the ‘do or die’ nature of combat sports, but rather that this is just another day for Tszyu and there’s no reason for the viewer to get excited. However, the heavy lifting by the marketing team surrounding the fight have done a good job in elevating anticipation for the event. Highlighting that this will be the debut fight in the US for Tszyu conveys to the audience that its pivotal for Tszyu to have a decent performance to ensure he breaks into the new and sizeable market that is the United States.

The mention of Tszyu’s undefeated Professional record (20-0-0, 15KO’s) alongside Gausha being a former US Olympian puts the elite skill level of the two to the forefront of the audience’s mind, raising their expectations to that of a flawless contest between two of the cleanest competitors in the world of boxing. The phrase “world title eliminator” adds another layer of anticipation; raising the level of importance of the fight, expressing that a win for either fighter will result in an opportunity to compete for one of the biggest prizes in their competition, a world championship.

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Week 3 - Cameron Smith Win

My PR analysis for week 3 is the coverage of Cameron Smith and his Players Championship win, which took place in Florida earlier in March. The campaign is carried primarily by post-round interviews where Smith gives his thoughts and emotions surrounding his victory, with plenty of photo opportunities with his Championship trophy.

Cameron Smith pictured with his supportive family, with the Players Championship in hand

There are two separate parties that are promoting Smith’s triumph. The Pro Golfers Association are publicising Smith as it is their duty – as the largest professional golfing association in the world – to report on and inform their followers on important news (e.g. tournament wins)

The other party is Cameron Smith himself, since golf is predominately a single-player sport, it is important for players to promote themselves as their own brand. The victory, the subsequent awards and the interviews post round are important tools that are used to introduce Smith to new and casual audiences, whilst also endorsing himself to more devoted followers of the PGA Tour.

The PR tools that are being used are that of a standard post-game presser. Cameron Smith speaks to multiple news outlets describing his feelings following his win, as well as running us – as followers – through his performance and his mindset throughout each stage of the course. In particular, a worrying water hazard that required Smith to save his round with an impressive bogey putt.

As the interviews and photos are following Smith’s win, there wasn’t much Smith and his team could have done that could have been considered a failure. Nevertheless, the exposure given to Smith has only improve his status amongst golf fans, both die-hard and casual alike. Highlighting his passion for the sport alongside his strong family values further endears himself to the golfing community, ensuring the new World No.6 has a few extra fans when he returns to competition and chases a green jacket at the Masters, which begins on April 7th.

Smith holds the Players Championship trophy aloft as he celebrates the peak of his ascending career

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Week 2 - AFL Season Launch

My week 2 PR analysis is of the AFL’s season launch for 2022. The AFL unveils its new campaign for the upcoming season by holding an event where AFL boss Gillon McLachlan provides updates and plans for the fast-approaching season. The AFL’s marketing team also released its refreshed “This is Us” campaign, with a new TV commercial enticing fans to purchase tickets for the first season in two years without a COVID-19 stoppage. The AFL also held multiple photo opportunities on the ‘Captain’s Day’ aspect of the launch, having the captains from the numerous clubs make predictions for the season and have their photos taken with the 2022 premiership cup.

Victorian captains take a photo with the 2022 Premiership cup.

The AFL is the primary manager of the campaign by holding the event and releasing the TV commercial for the public. While several AFL players contribute to the season’s promotion by speaking to the media and partaking in photo opportunities to further excitement for the season.

Various PR tools are used in this year’s launch including:

Several photo opportunities – The images of team captains holding the premiership cup spurs supporters’ excitement by giving them a ‘what could be’ scenario, seeing their team achieve the ultimate prize.

The use of the game’s top leaders – The team captains play an ambassadorial role for the game, speaking to the media and promoting the imminent season.

Launch event – The event held on Wednesday 9th 2022 gave Gillon McLachlan the ability to address the stakeholders of the game, giving them the reassurance that the game is in good stead and that everyone should be excited for the future of the game. He also announced the AFL’s desire to invest more than $50 million dollars into supported institutions and inject a further $8 million directly into community football to keep leagues functioning after 2 difficult years.

TV commercial – The release of an updated “This is Us” campaign highlights the facets of the game that make it the esteemed juggernaut that it is.

Overall, I believe that the 2022 season launch was a success, the promotion by the team captains in addition to the AFL boss increases anticipation for the season leaving fans with a big red circle on the calendar, marking the commencement of the season. Whether your team is a genuine contender or merely making up the numbers, the photos taken of the captains with the cup gives the fans a glimpse of what a ‘premiership season’ may look like, furthering the excitement.

The TV advertisement reminds fans why the game is so important to them, placing an emphasis on the family orientated fun the game provides whilst also offering intense competition with the ‘larger than life’ figures that make the sport a cultural phenomenon.

AFL AD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AOFf4ftE9s&ab_channel=RenaeJennings

I would also consider the speech delivered by Gillon McLachlan at the launch event to be a success from a PR standpoint. Initially acknowledging the tragedies taking place across the country due to the floods displays the AFL’s empathy towards its supporter’s hardships and furthers the public’s perception of the AFL as the ‘people’s game’. Furthermore, the announcement of financial support given to community football organisations reinforces this perception. Gillion goes on to emphasise that teams across the country are "debt free” and that the sport is in a very strong position financially, despite the difficulties of the past two, COVID affected, years.

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Week 1 - Marvel Redevelopment

On February 28, 2022, Gillon McLaughlin held a press conference to announce the planned $225 million dollar redevelopment of Marvel Stadium, that would take place over the next couple of years, which will be headlined by two brand-new scoreboards that will be positioned at either end of the stadium.

The AFL leads the campaign as the organisation owns the stadium, whilst the Victorian Government also plays a major role as a result of their significant financial contribution to the venue’s transformation. The strategic approach of holding a press conference allows for multiple photo opportunities.

Gillon McLachlan holds a press conference in front of Marvel Stadium to announce redevelopment arrangements

In addition to the major PR tools already stated, this story was posted by the AFL’s social media pages and was covered by numerous news outlets, informing the AFL community about the revamping. As an avid fan of the AFL, I follow the league on multiple social media sites, resulting in myself coming across this story.

The article delivered in some respects but missed on others. It was successful on the Victorian Governments part due to the public’s perception of their funding. In a bid to be re-elected at the conclusion of the 2022 State Election, the Victorian Government suggests to the public that they care about state sports and want to see the sport and their facilities grow. However, the overemphasis on the grandeur of the new scoreboards by AFL boss Gillon McLaughlin will only lead the public to criticise the upgrades as they won’t live up to the claims that they are the “biggest in the world”, as -in the NFL- the Los Angeles Rams unveiled their new 360-foot 4K double sided scoreboard in 2020. The use of the previously stated words “biggest in the world” hyperbolise the magnitude of the redevelopment whilst the casualness and informality of the words “sexiest things you could imagine” reduces what is a multi-million-dollar investment by a government that wants to be re-elected, to a ‘down to earth’ technological upgrade that, in turn, will make Marvel Stadium one of the Premier Stadiums in the world.

SoFi's stadium's new 360-foot 4K double sided scoreboard.