Gareth Thomas profile in SI

[Inky_Wretch]

Thomas is a professional rugby player from Wales who is openly gay. He might be the only out of the closet athlete playing a professional team sport anywhere on the planet.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1168953/index.htm

 

[Boom_70]

Interesting story but oddly written style for SI. Never heard of wriitter. Must be a freelance piece.

 

[beardpuller]

Interesting story but oddly written style for SI. Never heard of wriitter. Must be a freelance piece.

Very dry sense of humor there, Boom.

I've said this before, but as talented as the guy is -- way, way more talented than I am -- sometimes he just oughta tell the damn story, without the tap dance. This was one of those times. In fact, if you were going to parody his work KSK style, you'd probably come up with something like this piece.
I would love to read a story about Gareth Thomas in which the wife actually talked about what she thought and felt, instead of the author dramatically recreating it for me.

 

[Stitch]

I wonder how much the writer know about rugby. The union game tends to be more physical, especially in the ruck.

There is also a top-level rugby union referee in Wales who is gay.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/gay-rights-rugby-union

I do know a couple of people who have dealt with Thomas over in Wales. He likes the drink and is quick to complain about not getting free drink tickets in the pub after a match.

 

[cyclingwriter]

Interesting story but oddly written style for SI. Never heard of wriitter. Must be a freelance piece.

Very dry sense of humor there, Boom.

I've said this before, but as talented as the guy is -- way, way more talented than I am -- sometimes he just oughta tell the damn story, without the tap dance. This was one of those times. In fact, if you were going to parody his work KSK style, you'd probably come up with something like this piece.
I would love to read a story about Gareth Thomas in which the wife actually talked about what she thought and felt, instead of the author dramatically recreating it for me.

I read the piece last night, and thought I was tired because I had trouble following it at times. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. While I don't advocate adding experts into a story for the sake of having an expert, but this story begged for it. He blames America for not having gay athletes, but really doesn't have anyone say it besides himself.

Also, how does the writer say there are no openly gay athletes without mentioning Glenn Burke

 

[Michael Echan]

I wonder how much the writer know about rugby. The union game tends to be more physical, especially in the ruck.

There is also a top-level rugby union referee in Wales who is gay.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/gay-rights-rugby-union

I do know a couple of people who have dealt with Thomas over in Wales. He likes the drink and is quick to complain about not getting free drink tickets in the pub after a match.

From what I understand after reading the story, I think the heavy drinking was part of his coping mechanism for dealing with being a closeted gay athlete in one of the most masculine sports in the world. Thomas has unbelievable courage and I hope the rugby world's reaction to his coming-out was as classy and supportive as Smith made it out to be in the story. Hopefully most of the demons in "Alfie" have gone away since getting rid of that burden.

 

[DisembodiedOwlHead]

I've never met anybody involved in rugby -- even American club rugby, the equivalent of beer-league softball -- who wasn't damn proud of his binge drinking. I don't think Thomas is a special case in that regard.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I've never met anybody involved in rugby -- even American club rugby, the equivalent of beer-league softball -- who wasn't damn proud of his binge drinking. I don't think Thomas is a special case in that regard.

I play rugby and I don't binge-drink. I did when I was playing in college, but not now.

 

[DisembodiedOwlHead]

My sample size is admittedly quite small. I didn't mean to imply *all*.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

My sample size is admittedly quite small. I didn't mean to imply *all*.

Gotcha. A few of my teammates have been known to binge-drink, too.

 

[DisembodiedOwlHead]

It's safe to say there's a strong drinking culture associated with rugby, so the larger point stands that Thomas' drinking - even heavily- isn't the unusual aspect.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

It's safe to say there's a strong drinking culture associated with rugby, so the larger point stands that Thomas' drinking - even heavily- isn't the unusual aspect.

I will agree with that.

 

[podunk press]

Not Smith's best effort.

I was generally enthused to read the story. I think I got to about paragraph 15 and realized I didn't give a ****. He didn't hook me.

 

[Boom_70]

It's safe to say there's a strong drinking culture associated with rugby, so the larger point stands that Thomas' drinking - even heavily- isn't the unusual aspect.

I have played some club rugby and the drinking is almost a cliche. It seemed like many felt compelled to drink to live up to the "image".

Rugby aficionados like to portray the game to be as physical and tough as football. It just is not. Properly player it is more of a finesse game and a good one at that.

As as article it was just to covertly preachy as only Smith can do.

 

[GB-Hack]

It's safe to say there's a strong drinking culture associated with rugby, so the larger point stands that Thomas' drinking - even heavily- isn't the unusual aspect.

I have played some club rugby and the drinking is almost a cliche. It seemed like many felt compelled to drink to live up to the "image".

Rugby aficionados like to portray the game to be as physical and tough as football. It just is not. Properly player it is more of a finesse game and a good one at that.

Uh, no. Not at all really.

The teams that have had the most success, especially in the Super 14 and Heineken Cup in recent years such as Toulouse, who advanced to the Heineken final on Saturday, have done it through a dominant forward pack that grinds its opponents into submission and wears them out through the strength of its scrum, rucking and mauling.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/club-rugby/skrela-and-the-toulouse-pack-punish-leinster-1960319.html

 

[Boom_70]

It's safe to say there's a strong drinking culture associated with rugby, so the larger point stands that Thomas' drinking - even heavily- isn't the unusual aspect.

I have played some club rugby and the drinking is almost a cliche. It seemed like many felt compelled to drink to live up to the "image".

Rugby aficionados like to portray the game to be as physical and tough as football. It just is not. Properly player it is more of a finesse game and a good one at that.

Uh, no. Not at all really.

The teams that have had the most success, especially in the Super 14 and Heineken Cup in recent years such as Toulouse, who advanced to the Heineken final on Saturday, have done it through a dominant forward pack that grinds its opponents into submission and wears them out through the strength of its scrum, rucking and mauling.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/club-rugby/skrela-and-the-toulouse-pack-punish-leinster-1960319.html

Uh yes . Compared to football rugby is a finesse sport.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Given that GB grew up with rugby and now lives here, I'd trust his opinion on physicality of the sport compared to football than somebody who grew up here and has very limited exposure to rugby.

 

[GB-Hack]

You just said:

Properly player it is more of a finesse game and a good one at that.

Which is complete tripe. Rugby is a power game more than ever now, with limited subtitutions and no re-entry, and has been making the move towards that mode of play since it officially became professional in 1995.

 

[Boom_70]

Given that GB grew up with rugby and now lives here, I'd trust his opinion on physicality of the sport compared to football than somebody who grew up here and has very limited exposure to rugby.

I guess the test would be if he also player football. Be kind of hard to compare the two if you only played one of the sports.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Thomas' story is compelling enough, but he's not exactly a pioneer, as the SI piece points out:

A rugby player on the other side of the world, Ian Roberts, had come out in 1995 while he was still playing, and he heard plenty of slurs from crowds and opponents but had been awarded the Australian Sports Medal five years later for his contributions to their game. An English soccer player, Justin Fashanu, had stepped forward in 1990, but his brother had disowned him and crowds had been vicious.

I assume those two are no longer active.