The sport you never knew you wanted to play

So the other day I was tasked with coming up with a banner to help promote the youth rugby club that I am on the board of and I was trying to come up with a tag line. I searched the world wide inter web for guidance but quickly got sick of cat videos, Fox News and just blah. So I delved into the recesses of the grey squishy bit between my ears and came up with:

Rugby. The sport you never knew you wanted to play.

Now, I could have stopped with 'The sport you never knew' as in the US that seems to be the case. Very few people know of the sport, some know of it but really know nothing and those that do know, well they play :)

So lets start with the first group, those that don't know. Can't really blame them that much as it is not a prime time game with overhyped songs inquiring if you are ready for some football (the too-may-pads one, not the kicky one). It doesn't appeal to the major networks as it has that one thing that American sports hate, a lack of timeouts to throw to a commercial for Mic Ultra and ED drugs (now there is a combo that would market itself - "Low in carbs and makes you hard - MicAgra"). Rugby won't be a prime time sport in the US just because it is too long between commercials, kicky round ball has the same issue it seems. The popular (read big money) American sports all rely on the major networks selling add time - how bad is it non-Americans may ask? Well you know it is bad when you are at a live too-many-pads game and the game is being delayed by a network goon so they can show more commercials. First time I saw that I thought WTF, I still do :) This unfortunate group of people who just never knew, well there is probably a bit more they never knew also.

The next group is the 'Rugby, isn't that the really violent sport' or 'Rugby, those were the guys/girls that drank the most at College. The shoot the boot, shoot the boot' crowd (for those not in the know shooting the boot entails drinking beer out of a pre-worn rugby boot). They are on the fringe, they have heard of the game, know it uses a oblong ball but cannot understand why we pass the ball backward, lift people in the air at line outs and don't even try to explain a ruck or a scrum to them. Funny thing is that they seem to forget that their too-many-pads ball was derived from rugby, and their bouncy ball was apparently invented by a backward passer. The 'know of it' rugby crowd is a large one, they sometimes confuse Rugby Union with Rugby League - or even worse Aussie Rules (as it is correctly pronounced, aerial ping pong). They have seen a sport that they think was rugby on a screen at the local Irish pub at some point and knew it wasn't too-many-pads ball or kicky round ball so guessed it was Rugby. Most of this crowd admit that they liked what they saw but the rules confused them. Confused them, rugby rules, seriously? This from a group that understands the ineligible receiver rule, maybe :)

Then there are the chosen ones, the lucky few, the ones that know the game and either play it, have played it, want to play it, watch it and love it. I know a few of these people :)

I have written many times about why rugby is such a great sport. It starts with respect and then progresses to team work, decision making skills, discipline, sportsmanship and so many other skills that are vital off the paddock. Sure other team sports teach many of these skills also but rugby just does it better. There is a global (hate to use the word as it harkens back to the 'shoot the boot' comment) fraternity that you become a member of the first time you strap on your boots and tape back your ears (or style your hair if you are a back). You don't have to know a bunch of drinking songs (I don't) and you don't have to have been a good player to join, you are admitted just because you wanted to pass the ball backward and run forward. It is the game you never knew you wanted to play, but once you do you know you never want to not play again :)


As usual these blogs are written without any actual research or knowledge of anything. Any opinions stated here are 100% unfounded and without any justification apart from my own personal bias, that being said they are also 100% brilliant and should be stored in a special place for study at a later date.


Work hard, play hard and earn your inspiration


Happy Poets Day