In the last 10 years the all blacks have evolved from rugby team to sports brand. Not everyone likes the transition that has been made, but it has been critical in giving the national side major influence and profile in the world game.
For many people there is still a sharp intake of breath when the All Blacks are referred to as a brand. It feels a bit corporate, cold and not right for a rugby team to be seen like that.
But for all that it may jar, it is essentially what the All Blacks have become. Rugby is part sport, part business these days. There’s no point in pretending otherwise – money matters. It really matters as without it the All Blacks wouldn’t be able to be the team they are.
They wouldn’t be able to influence the profile of the sport globally the way they currently do and entice big name sponsors and huge crowds.
The evolution of brand All Blacks is an important part of the jigsaw. It has influenced attitudes and standards within not just the All Blacks, but the wider New Zealand rugby landscape.
Professional rugby is not cheap to run. The expense of keeping the top players in New Zealand, giving them all the coaching and other resources they need, is enormous.
It costs close to $200,000 to take a Super Rugby squad to Australia for a week – and that doesn’t include wages. It costs about $850,000 to set the All Blacks up in a test week – probably closer to $1 million.
Moving players, coaches and all the required kit long haul is a massive expense. So too is accommodation and feeding them and then they also have to be paid. The bill climbs into the millions in an alarmingly short time.
To survive in this world, the All Blacks have to be a money making machine as much as they are a rugby team. That is the unavoidable truth, however inconvenient and unpalatable it may be to some.
But the story of how the All Blacks have become such a large and influential brand is one worth telling. That conversion from team to brand has been integral to their success, and their success has been integral to the conversion.
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