Commission: Masculinity and Bravado in Rugby

A concept that plays a huge role within Rugby and might just be a cause of players not admitting when they do have concussion is this idea of Masculinity and Bravado. Masculinity is the possession of the qualities traditionally associated with men and Bravado is a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate.

Rugby is an underlined team game with a strong code of playing with and for your mates. The idea of crossing the line to play the game is a similar bond to going to battle together. Rugby is compared to battle by many players and it can be easily understood why as players trust and help look after each other on the field of play. This sense of team spirit and 'do-or-die' attitude for the man/woman next to you helps to build a very strong team cohesion.

Rugby players and Football players can argue to each other over which sport is better until the Earth freezes over, and one of the comparisons is that Football players spend the entire game pretending they are hurt, while Rugby players spend an entire game pretending that they are not hurt; and this may be the exact problem you face if you are trying to make Rugby safer.

It is a well known fact that the majority of Rugby players will do anything to stay on the pitch, to be subbed off or have to leave the field injured is a personal insult and a huge hit to a players masculinity. Most players will only leave the field if they can no longer move or be forced off for blood, which is only temporary as once your have stopped you can return.

If your opposite number tackles you and makes you go off injured, it is without a doubt, one of the most emasculating things for a Rugby player. It makes you feel as if they beat you and they are 'more of a man' than you are. This is where the idea of Rugby of being a team game is challenged, because it is not just two teams of 15 running after a ball, its a cluster of personal battles between opposite players trying to one-up each other and prove who is more of a man. So in essence, a Rugby pitch is a big bravado exampling, masculinity proving stomping ground where players prove who is more of a player than who, and then after when the players have left the pitch they return to being the normal people they are and more often than not share a pint with the other team and reminisce about the game and other games.

This is where injury and concussion thrive. While players hit the living daylights out of each other and try to ignore the pain with sky high levels of adrenaline and testosterone, their bodies are ignored. The pain receptors telling the brain that something is wrong and that they are in pain and should stop are ignored so more damage is done. All for a worn out idea of what masculinity and bravado is.

Players ignore the pain and damage to themselves to win and to not let their mates down, something that is not understood by everyone but understood by all players. Players put their body on the line to win and to not let anyone down. Once again the 'do-or-die' attitude is yes dangerous but near enough impossible to extinguish as it is an ideal, and the heart and sole of the game and if it is taken away it is no longer Rugby.

Rugby is 100% about respect and to prove it I shall leave this strong but poignant.