Sportspick - The Real King

Australia takes a day off for a monarch few of us ever see - The King of England. But when King Charles snubbed Queensland on his recent tour, Sportspick harnessed the collective power of sports fandom to do something extraordinary: celebrate the real King of Queensland, Wally Lewis.

By unearthing a little-known clause in employment law, we gave fans a legal pathway to take the day off and honour a homegrown legend instead of a distant monarch. And they did, in droves. In a single, brilliant move, we turned a royal cold shoulder into a golden opportunity—replacing the King of England (for a day) with the King of Rugby League.