Popularity of Collegiate Women in Rugby in America - Research Paper Example

 Women and Rugby Rugby is a contact and collision involving game which is played in football style. England is where it originated and it is named after Rugby school in England. It is named so because it was a version of football out of the seven versions which were played in England around the nineteenth century. Rugby school is where this version of football was played. Currently it is played in Rugby League and Rugby Union. It is often compared to American soccer but it actually evolved in England and from there it gained popularity as a separate sport. Women in America started playing rugby in the era of 1970s (Miller). Rugby in participation and popularity mainly among young women has grown tremendously in the last few decades, especially at youth and collegiate levels. Rugby has evolved so much till today that it without a doubt has become the most played club level sport in American college campuses. This involves the fact that not only male but the female section of society has stepped up in great numbers to participate in a game which heavily comprise of contact and collision. It is a general analysis that in United States rugby is played at club level on college campuses. It also has been observed that American students start taking serious interest in any sport during college. It is that phase of their academic life where most students choose their career options and if proper guidance and facilities are provided in order to promote rugby, they will definitely be more interested in making it a career option too. Today it can rightly be said that this is one sport which currently is the rage of the nation especially for females and their participation ratio has been staggering high. Now there are many clubs s which are promoting rugby players and the game at college levels and the network of such club has spanned all over the USA. Not just this but most of the colleges now are ready to support female players and are providing a wide variety of competition for them at all levels. Rugby if played at college level can play a phenomenal role in providing opportunities for students to develop and polish various skills, like leadership and management. When a particular player performs well at club level or at any competition, it brings recognition to the related college or club in a positive manner. So rugby has achieved the status of a main league game loved by the students. Many American students have been having weight issues at an early age, the reason could be unhealthy lifestyle and dietary habits. Rugby if taken seriously can raise the standard for physical training and fitness among students irrespective of their gender. It enhances the fitness routine because it is a game which involves great amount of bodily effort and as the rules of playing rugby do not get modified for females, its effect on one’s physical fitness remains equal. (Segal) So it is not just about enthusiasm and female equality issue which is compelling women towards this game but also the health and fitness advantages attached to it. Rugby and football have always been male oriented games in the past; any research which was conducted had been focused on how it affected them. The problems that arose or the bodily changes which were observed while they played rugby is what that all or most of the studies conducted on rugby players revolved around. It was believed that rugby supports masculinity and also women were supposed to be having weaker nerves and having fragile bodies when came the issue of females playing rugby. But since women have started taking active part in this game the latest research on behavioral and bodily changes encountered by rugby players also addresses females. Their issues also are being highlighted and it was concluded that rugby did make a positive difference in both female and male players (Segal). It is one of those games where women of all sizes can play and it allows them to be physically involved in such ways that other games did not sufficiently provide. The women get to achieve disciplinary levels of athleticism rather than femininity. (Segal) This also has proved effective in controlling weight issues at adolescent age groups and young women, which can minimize the ever growing obesity problem in female students. Rugby is one such game which compels women to go beyond the pre-set boundaries. It is a one of a kind aggressive and a very demanding physical collision sport, which challenges their normative femininity. It is a team sport so it also teaches how to cope with challenges of competitiveness within the same group and also bring forth humane and positive sharing responsibilities. (Segal) According to last year’s statistics approximately 500 male and 350 female teams were competing on a national club level. This proves that collegiate level rugby has flourished on campuses all around the USA. It is now being played at universities throughout the USA, taking the example of 2010-11 seasons about 32,000 college members and 845 college level clubs got registered with Rugby Union. (USA RUGBY Membership Statistics) So, it could be assessed that media, colleges and universities have played a very positive and effective role in stepping up its exposure. Now the situation has improved a lot since last few decades of turning back to the dynamic nature of this game and many universities are offering scholarships for rugby players. Promoting rugby female players is also becoming a steadily growing strategy at college and university level. The network of Rugby unions have spread rapidly throughout major American cities and states which compete at youth, collegiate men’s and women’s level. Women are being given extra attention to take part in this game. Scholarships’ being offered for rugby players from colleges and universities all over the USA is a welcoming change of attitude towards this game at an authoritarian level. For instance, American International College located in Springfield is offering a $100,000 scholarship program for both men and women rugby players. It will be fully backed up by officials from the university. Similarly Arkansas State University is also offering partial scholarships for not just male but female rugby players as well (Playing Rugby in College). Those days are long gone when mostly the female segment of players were denied of their opportunity to compete with men in contact or collision sports. Women today are joining such scholarship programs and rugby clubs in record numbers and are now making up the fastest –growing group in rugby players in the United States. According to the latest reports for registered female rugby players, USA Rugby, the governing body for rugby sport in USA has increased greatly from 430 in 1999 to 6104 in 2010. With its popularity growing, it is also being noticed, admired and encouraged by officials and authorities related to this game in any way. Credit for this sudden immense popularity could be given to its Olympic inauguration due in 2016. The news that rugby will be given the status of an Olympic sport again in 2016 after a long gap since 1924 has given greater hopes for those who already play or are in the phase of training. They are now expecting a better future as a rugby player ahead of them and more determination has been observed among young players. For rugby union, one of the biggest challenges was whether the Olympics could be the pinnacle of these sports. To address this concern, the International Rugby Board proposed a seven-a-side version for both men and women. It was also ensured to the rugby players that the Olympics would be the sport’s top event for this version of the game. As it indeed is a great honor to get to represent one’s country at such high level global event. This way even those girls who were shying away from following their instincts to play rugby instead of other conventional sport being associated with women, can actively participate and get a chance to represent their country at a global event. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is sponsoring over 178,000 women players (William and Meehan). It has given women’s rugby the status of the emerging sport of the year in 2002. It means that NCAA has recognized women’s rugby as a full varsity intercollegiate program. USA Rugby awards five national collegiate titles for men and women in Divisions I, II and III. For the division I and II colleges, each territory produces a predetermined number of teams to compete in regional playoffs. This leads to a final-four tournament to crown the annual USA Rugby collegiate champion. The reason behind such actions of giving equal coverage to both female and male players and a one-on-one basis tournament could be of Title IX Fairness concerns. It is a law that requires there be relative parity in the number of men and women who participate in NCAA-sanctioned sports. So there is a possibility that NCAA may go a step ahead in promoting women’s rugby and install it as an intercollegiate sport. This explains the fact that women’s participation all over the US in sports involving collision, contact and combat is on the rise. Since Title IX era, the involvement of women in sports fled to greater heights (Brown, Guthrie, and Growden). The ratio of girls who played varsity sports at high school level was one out of 27 girls which has been changed to one in three as of today. So now women in a literal sense are outnumbering men in their participation in combat and colliding sports like rugby. Not just that women are also purchasing more sports gear and apparel than men controlling about 80% of total sports apparel dollars. (Women and Sports) In the category of full-contact sports, rugby is the only NCAA recognized sport for women. Being the largest growing club sport both by popularity and participation rate all over the US, if it gets further expanded within the NCAA and NFHSA it might become the next big sport for women. At high-school level growth ration of female rugby players has reportedly increased from 50 registered players during the year 2002 to over 6,000 in 2010. Creating varsity high school girl’s rugby could prove vital for its growth at intercollegiate level. The last few decades has seen the sudden emergence and stability of women’s league for many different collision sports including rugby. Such a step at this stage from NCAA could result in a substantial increase in coaching and administrative support for the women’s game on campus. Along with this popularity more aggressive and even ferocious play in women’s playing attitude has also been noticed. This brings up the issue about concussion in female rugby players. As with many colliding sports, concussion is common in rugby, accounting for about 16% of all injuries. It usually occur secondary to body-to-body contact with another player. In one study concussions accounted for 40% of all injuries that occurred during illegal or foul play. (William and Meehan) Unlike soccer and basketball, the risk of concussions in women’s rugby is similar to that in men’s. While sport related concussion is most common, it was only reported in male players most commonly because of their aggressive playing attitude. As women never before got them involved in such games before now it was seldom heard of. So study on concussion problems occurring in women were also not conducted as efficiently as are being conducted now. The reason is because over the past few decades the focus has shifted to women as more female players are participating in the collision and contact games like rugby. In United States rugby is mostly played at high school/ college and club levels, while the total number of players is increasing with every passing day. This includes an explosive number of female rugby players. So concussion is of greater concern in rugby and that is why the International Rugby Board (IRB) has taken this growing but highly ignored problem very seriously and stepping up its policy for providing best possible concussion education. The most recent and comprehensive step conducted in this regard is the development of a free website for initiating awareness about sport-specific concussion management most significantly among female players. (IRB) It provides the rugby players all the necessary step wise knowledge catering to concussion issues at all levels of the rugby game. Through this interactive website, important guidelines are being provided for players suffering from concussion issues so that it is managed effectively and their long-term health and welfare is ensured. Relative research programs for resolving concussion issues are also being undergone at an international level to deal with concussion issue most significantly when there are females involved. This website also ensure the players for keeping pace with the latest researches made and all the possible treatments information is also provided The role of rugby’s organizational structure in America cannot be overlooked in promoting this sport among the female segments of the youth. Most significantly at college and club level, as described above, most of them played another sport in high school. They did perceive the wrong perception attached to this game earlier on that’s why effective measures were applied for its promotion among female youth and collegiate students. In 1970 the New England college league and then in 1975 USARFU were formed for the purpose of managing rugby throughout the US. After the International Rugby Football Board (IRB) took the task of promoting it worldwide, the game’s popularity began to travel far and wide. The women’s rugby world cup which is the most anticipated international competition related to rugby union has also proved substantial for promoting rugby among youngsters. As it was the winning glory of the United States team in the first ever such tournament which paved way for its recent popularity. Things took a U-turn as soon as women started considering themselves worthy for playing it at both national and international levels. Although today the most successful rugby team is of New Zealand but American women rugby team is also considered a great competition against any international team. As the above mentioned statistics disclose an incredible increase in participation rate from females, future is very bright for female rugby players and for the game itself in America. Works Cited Miller, Ernestine. Making Her Mark: Firsts and Milestones in Women's Sports. McGraw-Hill, 2002. Print. Segal, Marcia Texler. Interactions and Intersections of Gendered Bodies at Work, at Home, and at Play. Emerald Group Publishing, 2010. Print. William, P and Meehan, M. D. Kids, Sports, and Concussion: A Guide for Coaches and Parents. Praeger, 2011. Print. Brown, Mathew. Guthrie, Patrick and Growden, Greg. Rugby For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print. "Women and Sports". 123helpme.com, 123HelpMe.com. n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. "Playing Rugby in College." essexcountyyrfc.com, Essex County Youth Rugby Football Club. n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. "IRB launches innovative concussion website." www.irb.com, IRB. 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. "USA RUGBY Membership Statistics." www.usarugby.org, USA Rugby. Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. Read More