The Commodification of Champions: Rugby League's Cold Calculation The National Rugby League (NRL) has long been a brutal business, where players are commodities to be traded among clubs like cattle in a stockyard.
The recent influx of cash from broadcasting rights – $5. 3 billion by 2028 – has raised the stakes.
Players like Jarome Luai, who will soon play for three western Sydney clubs before leaving for Papua New Guinea (PNG), are reaping the benefits. Luai's story is instructive.