Heather du Plessis-Allan: What an own goal from the Manly Sea Eagles

What an own goal from the Manly Sea Eagles.  

They’ve just apologized for a “significant mistake”  

The rugby league club decided to rebrand its jersey for this week's game by adding some rainbow trim to celebrate inclusiveness and diversity. 

But seven players have refused to wear the jersey for religious reasons, which I’m assuming is Christianity. 

Three of those players are Kiwis: Josh Aloiai, Toafofoa Sipley and Christian Tuipulotu and they will not play this week's game. 

If you have to pick who has done more harm here, either the club for trying to force players to wear a rainbow pride jersey, or the seven players who are refusing to wear it - you’d have to say the club.  

Because why did they do this?  

Presumably, for their own personal branding. 

But they didn’t consult their players first, so what they've ended up doing is revealing a problem we didn’t know existed. 

We didn’t know there were seven players with bigoted views in the club.  

Now we do.   

So, it’s done the opposite of what it was supposed to. It’s revealed the club is not that pride-inclusive after all.  

There’s a lesson in this: don’t virtue signal. 

If you’re a rugby league club, stick to playing rugby league.  

Just like if you’re in any line of business stick to what you do. Don’t get involved in showing off your social credentials.   

Because not everyone shares our point view. Some people are not cool with homosexuality for religious reasons. I think they’re wrong but they’re entitled to hold a different view. So, stop trying to force everyone to think the same as us  

You stray into this stuff at your peril. Case in point. I bet Manly wishes it had never decided to signal its virtue through this jersey. 

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