NRL Manly Sea Eagles’s defeat last night by the Sydney Roosters (20-10) wasn’t the only bad news coming out of the headlines for the club this week.
As Manly released a limited-edition Pride jersey to celebrate inclusivity, what was meant to be a great initiative for the club’s reputation, has unfortunately gained the wrong attention as seven players stood down from playing this week’s match citing a refusal to wear the jersey for cultural and personal reasons.
Meltwater, a leader in media intelligence and data analytics, has sourced and analysed some interesting data on how a positive PR move has backfired with the club now receiving largely negative sentiment on social media (29 per cent) with only 13 per cent positive, compared to a mostly neutral sentiment towards the club in the 30 days prior to this controversy, showing the true impact on its reputation.
The story has also earned some international attention with over 1500 articles being published by US media outlets this week, most notably this one in Newsmax which has been shared on Facebook and Twitter 25,000 times.
Other interesting stats:
- 3000 posts have been shared from a mix of people condemning the players for their “ignorance”
- 2000 posts have conversely focused on the club’s decision not to “consult” with the players first
- Unsurprisingly the rainbow flag has come up in over 3000 posts about the team – see attached top emojis chart across socials
