Why Does Every Rugby Social Media Post Look the Same?

 



When AI starts replacing creativity instead of supporting it.


Introduction


Scroll through rugby social media for five minutes and you’ll notice something. Every poster has the same dramatic lighting. The same hyper-realistic players. The same glowing eyes. The same stadium backgrounds. The exact same layout. Different clubs, different events… identical content.


Is AI making rugby marketing better, or is it making every club disappear into a sea of sameness?


⸻


AI Isn’t the Problem


Let me make it clear, this isn’t an anti-AI article, I really do think it has its place when used correctly. 


It is an incredible tool that can be used to save volunteers time, help clubs within their limited budgets and improve accessibility.


The issue isn’t using AI.


The issue is letting AI do all the creative thinking.


⸻


When Every Club Uses the Same Prompts…


What’s happening at the moment is someone creates a poster using AI. Another club sees that and decides they want one similar. Subsequently either the same prompts are used or maybe even the original poster is uploaded and used as a prompt. 


How AI works is that it is trained by what it sees. So everyone starts generating using the same prompts and all of a sudden that style is ingrained within the AI platform.


We also have to consider that algorithms reward trends, so people copy what is performing well. But likewise this ends up having a negative impact. If an algorithm thinks it’s seen the post before- it doesn’t push it out as wide. 


Result:

Not only does every club end up looking interchangeable- but they also damage their own algorithm.


⸻


Rugby Clubs Already Have Something AI Can’t Create


Real club identity.

And this is what potential players/supporters/sponsors want to see. They want to know about you, your vibe, your values. 


Things people want to see:


  • muddy boots
  • volunteers making tea
  • first-time players
  • laughing after training
  • coaches celebrating tiny wins
  • local rivalries
  • club traditions
  • genuine player stories


Those things are unique.

Those are what people actually connect with.


⸻


Social Media Isn’t About Looking Professional


Let’s get into it. 

Does polished always mean engaging? 

Who are we trying to impress?

Do we want to build a community of our own? 


More often than not the photo taken on someone’s phone after training gets more engagement than the perfectly rendered AI poster. 


Why?


Because people recognise themselves. 


⸻


AI and the Ethical Dilemma


We all know where I’m going with this. AI does have its ethical impacts and how we use it affects the entire world. 


Some people are vehemently against AI, some people are embracing it to its full potential. 


There’s no debate that the use of AI has environmental and ethical impacts on our planet- it’s fact. So if we can reduce that impact by using it as a tool to help, not a tool to replace- then surely we have an obligation to do that. 


⸻


AI Should Support Creativity, Not Replace It


AI can be a useful tool when used correctly but shouldn’t replace creativity or critical thinking. 


I use AI on occasion to brainstorm captions, and then reword as required. 


AI is also good for 


  • improving spelling
  • remove backgrounds
  • resize graphics
  • generate ideas
  • speed up repetitive jobs


Don’t use it to replace:


  • your club personality
  • your players
  • your stories
  • your culture


⸻


What Makes People Join a Rugby Club?


People don’t join because of cinematic graphics.


They join because they can picture themselves belonging.


We’re grassroots and therefore these potential recruits want to see what we’re about. They want to know that if they join the club they will be happy, fulfilled, safe and feel like they belong. They don’t care whether you have a social media pro.


Authenticity beats perfection.

Every time.


⸻


Final Thoughts


AI can create impressive images but it can’t create community.


It can promote you using your club colours arranged in a certain way but it can’t explain your values. 


In a time where resources are stretched thinner than ever- what sets you out from the club down the road?


Has AI helped your club tell its story, or has it started writing the same story as everyone else?

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