Rugby

Local high school graduate got selected for the US team for this coming World Cup of rugby, so I'm going to do some features.

Scenario one: I'm writing a training/health issues/injuries feature about rugby and the kid for our Health section. Why? Because managment is too cheap to fill a features writing position and is forcing everyone in the news room to do one features story. Mine comes up in a few weeks, so this is a way out of doing something I don't want to do.

Scenario two: Maybe a general feature/profile on the guy? I'm not sure. I don't know a ton about the sport, and I figure neither does the area. No school teams, no club teams, nothing. I'm guessing the guy picked it up at college. So maybe a sidebar about the game?

Any advice?

 

PM Smallpotatoes. I think he plays rugby.

 

It sucks.

But not as much as hockey, NASCAR or golf.

 

Why don't you do more features about those rodeo kids? You know, they work really hard. This is cowboy country. We don't know anything about rugby and we likes it that way! Hibbity dibbity!

 

Glenn Campbell was a rhinestone cowboy.

 

You son of a bitch. This is my haven to bitch about my incompetent boss and company, and now, sir, you have sullied it. Damn you to hell, sir!

And I fucking hate rodeo.

 

All that rugby puts hairs on your chest.

 

My husband has played rugby since he was 16. Even played semi-pro.
We have Setanta Sports on our dish (at a cool $15 per mo) just for the rugby (not those "football" pooftahs).

PM me with any questions if you like, and I'll get 'em answered. No worries about lack of detail either, if you get my drift.

It's a niche sport in North America, of course. In the U.S., while there are rugby clubs everywhere (you'd be surprised, even in Atlanta area I think), it seems to catch on most at colleges in the Northeast. The U.S. is not considered a playa on the world stage, far from it, although certainly it could be if it caught on just because of the sheer potential number of athletes. That could be your angle: why it's not big, and where to they get the players from. How do they get into it in the first place, with all the choices out there.

It's a great game, by the way. Like football in the way that there's a position for every shape and size. Few substitutions, so you run your ass off for 90 minutes. And studies of university sports have shown it has among the lowest incidences of injury. The fact that the players don't wear padding seems to instill a sense of respect for the other bodies, and you can't go after somebody's knees without being penalized.

They say soccer is a gentleman's game played by ruffians, and rugby a ruffian's game played by gentlemen.

 

http://wesclark.com/rrr/is_rugby_safe_for_youth.html

Here's some information that might help you with the first scenario about safety. The doctor who wrote the paper (Lyle Michelli) works at Boston Children's Hospital if you want to contact him.