by Max Brown embodies the exciting potential of rugby union, yet also highlights its struggle to attract young fans.
The versatile 22-year-old winger plays for Walsall RFC in the sixth tier of the English club pyramid. He took up the sport as a teenager, quitting football because “I realized I could run into people and smash them and it was legal.”
Brown briefly tested himself one league higher with Stourbridge, signing a contract promising £100 a game plus travel expenses. However, the commitment was not sustainable, and he returned to Walsall to be “with my friends”. His day job, creating video content about life in the community game, took up too much time. In addition, a social media army of around 562,000 followers and subscribers earns him “well over £100,000” a year from advertising and other means.
“Some of my brand sponsorships were high four-figure deals,” Brown explains, cracking into a grin. “It’s really mental. I used to work part-time in a gym, where I would earn £800 a month.”
According to the latest Premier League salary cap report, which focused on the 2021-22 season, the median wage of first-flight players was £130,000. Brown has spoken to professionals who are amazed at how much it can affect people.
“It’s literally my whole life,” says Brown, who has had a YouTube channel since he was 12 years old. But it is planning, editing, scheduling content. I use videographers and do the editing myself and I don’t stop at 5pm. I will be thinking about it from the moment I wake up to the moment I sleep and I have been for years.”
As of this writing, Brown has reached less than 189,000 YouTube subscribers. His Instagram shows 133,000 followers with his account on TikTok, a platform suitable for short wearable clips, on the edge of 240,000 followers. Scroll through these and you’ll appreciate a comic character with a nose for shareable content. Many videos are individual highlights captured by a personal cameraman.
“I’ll know during a game whether something is going to go well or not,” Brown says. “I’m thinking in the game ‘yes clip’! Stages, big hits or things that are quite controversial have always been successful. Whether it’s people enjoying it or people calling me s— and saying I play in a farmers league – either way, it’s good.”
Brown’s channels feature witty sketches and coverage of club social events as well as fitness tips and insights into recovery. Other videos break down jargon in a relatable, funny way. For example, why do teammates always tell their kickers to “make sure” when aiming for contact?
One of Brown’s most viral efforts came from beating Droitwich a year ago. He had already bagged one try when he received a long pass out wide.
“I hit about four of their players to score and the ref called it back,” Brown says. “He gave me a yellow card for ‘charging with my hand’, which surprised me. The supporter had gone high and I was standing up but I got the yellow … which I was really excited about, to be honest.
“I knew on the pitch that it was going to be a controversial clip on TikTok and Instagram, so I posted it and asked people’s opinions. I also slowed it down to show that it was a clean lump. It got a huge, huge response. It has received approximately five million views across both channels and as many comments.”
If any of this seems self-indulgent, and at odds with such a sports team at first, of course, Brown also produces 20-minute game recaps, or ‘vlogs’, for YouTube. His capitalized headlines such as ’79 POINT LOCAL DERBY GETS HEATED’ attract attention. Speaking from experience, his output absolutely inspires the retiring public to wonder where their boots are. And these days, that feels incredibly valuable.
Rugby union is grappling with how to attract ‘Gen Z’. A recent scathing report from Ernst & Young suggested that the sport had fallen well below the top 10 in terms of participation among those demographics.
Brown speaks with a strong Birmingham accent and is passionate about spreading the gospel by pushing it more into state schools. He admits that many friends would fail to name a current international and believes that the best players could change that by “showing more personality on social media”. With boxing and mixed martial arts on the rise, Brown also agrees that rugby could be excused for its massive appeal.
“I really enjoyed the physical side, and how different it was to other sports,” he recalls of his early days. “That’s how it felt to me when I was playing; the adrenaline rush and the satisfaction you would get from the game. It’s important because it’s what rugby is about and why people watch it. It’s exciting, dangerous. Sometimes I wonder why more people don’t watch it.”
On YouTube and Instagram, Brown’s main demographic is between 18 and 25. He is recognized in Malta and Gibraltar and teenagers ask him for autographs when he attends England matches or events such as February’s opening training session at Twickenham.
Louis Rees-Zammit was one new follower on Instagram that made Brown reconsider his position, while Dylan Hartley has also got in touch. This summer, after partnering with Harlequins and the Looseheadz charity, Brown hopes to stage a ‘creators game’ at the Twickenham Stoop between two teams full of influencers, reflecting the Sidemen’s initiative in football which very popular.
If the game becomes a launching pad for the sport, among the younger generations and beyond, Brown could become one of the people who define rugby.
