Storm are the reigning premiers and barely attract a crowd better than our own. Everyone claims to be a Storm fan, support the Storm etc. how many actually walk through the turnstiles?
Last game, 17,000. Not every self-professed 'fan' will attend, but it follows that the more people 'say' they're a Storm fan, the more people take the next step and go to games.
I'd argue that Rebels attendances are actually quite impressive, given their results and subsequent lack of cut-through in the market.
The two marketable faces for the Storm are first and foremost Billy Slater and Cameron Smith. These guys made their names at the club essentially. You can see Pyle, Jones etc. doing the same. Hopefully they get Wallaby honors soon enough.
Slater and Smith are marketable because A) they're good and B) people know they're good. The Rebels as a team need to improve so that these guys can get the proper spotlight. Fair or not, they won't become Wallabies by being the bright spark in a mercy rule loss.
Football/Soccer has professional league in summer, so it's not a fare comparison.
That's irrelevant. In this case, compare Melbourne Victory to Melbourne Heart. One is a two-time premier, two-time champion, and averages 18,000 to home games. The other sucks out loud, and averages 5,000. Whilst it may not matter to you or I, your unwashed don't want to be associated with a losing team.
And let's be honest, we are up against an AFL juggernaut.
If we keep using this as a crutch, we'll never grow. People can support more than one code, we just need to give them something to get excited about.