No social subject escapes the appetite of social networks. The oval ball no more than any other. So, how do Rugby and rugby players manage this new parameter of their daily life? And is this an opportunity or a curse? We tried to find out more…
Sport is no longer only experienced at the stadium or in front of the TV. We would even swear that today it is consumed more via the applications which punctuate our smartphones: loosely, we will name here Instagram, boomer thing*. Pro rugby? He has obviously followed the inexorable movement of the world and relies on these different platforms to communicate, develop his audience, interact with fans, polish his image and, last but not least**, make money. On the specific subject of communication, “France Rugby”, the armed arm of the French teams in the metaverse, for example offers content in abundance to its million subscribers on Instagram, where the peak audience is located on evenings of the big matches of the XV of France. A member of the FFR confides: “Over a single Blues weekend, we can count up to 30,000 comments and twice as many interactions, on each post made by our account on the different platforms. The criticisms? We leave them published. The debate is good and we are not in the world of Care Bears. » On the other hand, the federation relies, to hunt down racist and homophobic remarks, on artificial intelligence that instantly erases insults and outrages from the interface. Our interlocutor continues: “The tool also allows us to wipe commercial direct sellers off the map. » By that, mean the marabouts of any chapel, the unforgettable cancer healers or escorts of all kinds. The Top14 clubs? If they do not have the same power as “France Rugby”, some nevertheless have a great community, the UBB, Toulon, Stade Toulousain or Stade français today embodying the digital leaders. Saturday evening, the community manager of a Top 14 entity told us: “We don't have any artificial intelligence available to do the cleaning. So, we try to do it ourselves. But on the days of defeat, it's complicated: we are then drowned in insults; people think they're talking to the coach, the players or the president when it's us, the little comms hands, who are behind the club's virtual window and taking it all in stride. »
For players, a juicy business
But what about the players? They are naturally hyperactive on social media. Some, like the hilarious Nans Ducuing or the caustic Joe Marler, manage their personal accounts themselves. But the most prominent players in the Top 14 have mostly delegated the daily management of their profiles to companies. We think here of SD Management, which takes care of the image of Peato Mauvaka, Manny Meafou and Oscar Jegou. Or even Bros Stories, dedicated to Charles Ollivon, Cameron Woki and Antoine Dupont. “Social networks have a huge impact on the psychology of players,” another community manager tells us. They often ask us to change a particular photo, because in their eyes it harms their image and they are a little fooled by their friends. We're walking on eggshells, with some of them. » Here lies all the schizophrenia of the professional rugby player, bound by the nature of his sport to a supreme herd instinct and forced, also, to mark his own identity in order to secure private partnerships and, possibly, multiply his salary by two: on social networks, Antoine Dupont links himself here to a cryptocurrency brand (Bitpanda), there to a mineral water (Volvic). Gregory Alldritt appears behind the wheel of a Land Rover SUV or promotes Bell & Ross watches. But the revenue from these partnerships, if they actually end up in the bank account of the ambassador in crampons, do they also enter into their employer's salary cap? Here, the LNR regulations stipulate that for a private partnership not to be transferred to the payroll of the employing club, it is necessary to prove, pay attention, to the salary cap manager of pro rugby (Samuel Gauthier) that the contract in question was specifically linked with an individual and not with an individual representing a Top 14 club. But how do we demonstrate, exactly, that we are dealing with Matthieu Jalibert of UBB and not that of the street of Oliviers, in Mérignac? We don't know. But Gauthier yes, obviously…
Provided you know how to use them, social networks are in many ways a blessing for rugby seeking to expand its audience or for players aware of still being light years away from the salaries of tennis players or footballers. Alas, “social networks” **** can also be a nuisance when you find yourself the victim of a manhunt or, and this can be a prerequisite, if you press the wrong button at the wrong time. This was recently the case of Melvyn Jaminet, in Argentina; it caused the outcry that we know and also made the great Serge Blanco, who we are still looking for on TikTok and Instagram, say: “You send a stupid message to a friend and to create a buzz, this one here's throwing it at everyone… These social networks are death…”
* An individual born in the middle of the baby boom
** Last but not least
***Digital Community Manager
**** Social networks