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.