Russell Crowe axes cheerleaders

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2007

SYDNEY (AFP) — Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe has banned cheerleaders from his rugby side's ground because he says they make spectators uncomfortable.

Crowe, who co-owns the South Sydney Rabbitohs, has replaced the scantily-clad pom-pom wavers with a percussion band to encourage crowd chants.

"We feel they made a lot of people uncomfortable. We examined game day and wanted to contemporise and make the focus football," the Hollywood heart-throb told Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

"We've talked to a lot of people and everyone sees it as being progressive."

The "Gladiator" star, who gained notoriety for a telephone-throwing tantrum in a New York hotel, said he wanted to encourage women to watch the testosterone-fuelled game.

"The...