Rugby League’s Super League brand dealt major blow

Super League has been dealt a major blow as a brand after it was announced that another sport has taken the name.

The change to summer rugby was aligned with the change to Super League and Rugby League in England has been synonymous with the brand and name ‘Super League’ ever since.

That change happened in 1996 but since then there have been a number of other sports have adopted the name meaning that there is a clear lack of brand identity for the competition among the wider sports fans.

The latest sporting league to be renamed as Super League is basketball with the British Basketball League being terminated in June, but reforming now under the name Super League basketball.

It means it will be the fourth major sporting league in England with the name following Rugby League, Women’s elite football and Women’s Netball.

News of the name change for basketball’s leading league in Britain was announced today with Hoopsfix reporting that the change would take effect from the upcoming season.

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Has Super League lost its identity?

On the announcement of the basketball league taking the name, Steve Tomoney, owner of Caledonia Gladiators, said: “There has been much speculation over what our new league name would be, and we have unanimously decided that a fresh approach is needed.”

That is exactly what rugby league clubs decided back ahead of the 1996 rebrand but that brand has since been diluted with the creation of further leagues, whilst it came under major threat with the concept of football’s European Super League, which would eventually fall through.

The dilution was even labelled “degradation” by one rugby league fan who noted the number of Super Leagues that now exist within British sport.

Super League, Women’s Super League. Netball Super League and now Basketball Super League.

A further degradation of a once unique brand. https://t.co/Gn77wvxe9I

— The 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗱 (@Robin_Pod) August 2, 2024

Reporter Mark Woods also took to social media to report the news with a similar view, posting: “The new basketball league for the UK will be known as Super League Basketball – which is about as unoriginal as it gets and will cause brand confusion with netball and rugby league. Baffling.”

The new basketball league for the UK will be known as Super League Basketball – which is about as unoriginal as it gets and will cause brand confusion with netball and rugby league. Baffling.

— Mark Woods (@markbritball) August 2, 2024