Us and them: Australian professional sport and resistance to North American ownership and marketing models

Public ownership has been the preferred model of organization of Australian sport. Some sports have private franchises and some have experimented with different levels of privatization, but the single most powerful challenge to public ownership has come from Rupert Murdoch's purchase of one half of the sport of rugby league in Australia. Murdoch's revolution in rugby league, "Super League", is based on private franchises and centralized marketing. This article examines the potential impact of such a system on the two most pupular spectating football codes (different varieties) of Australian football and rugby league. It examines current organizational structures and responses to the introduction of North American styles of owenership and marketing and discusses how these developments have threatened traditional suburban-based clubs in the major cities. Private ownership has failed in most cases and is often successfully opposed by fans who have ownership stakes and democratic rights with their clubs.