Hey everybody

Let me start off by saying that the past week has been kind of rough. A good friend of mine from high school passed away Thursday morning in a car accident, causing me to miss practice and the game that Saturday. Since I had been working Tuesday, it meant that I had not been able to go to my fieldsite at all. Today was the first day I’ve been back, and although not much else has changed, I think that I’m getting closer to answering a number of the questions I have. First, let me recap on what practice was like today.

The coach didn’t show up, and the atmosphere was pretty relaxed as a result. I found out that the team won its game the previous Saturday, putting them at 4-4 and back into play-off contention, which puts a great amount of importance on this week’s game against Portland, who are 7-1 and currently at the top of the league. The team is planning on spending the night up there, as “the beer is cheap and so are the women.” There is definitely a strong overtone of sexism within the group, although, based on the group’s interactions with the team’s black members, I’m starting to doubt that racism is an issue on the team. Judging by some of the comments I’ve heard, it definitely exists, but it stays behind closed doors, much like it does anywhere else you go in predominantly white areas. As far as sexism goes, the group constantly refers to each other as women whenever a mistake is made or someone complains. I guess this goes back to the whole masculinity complex the entire club has.

Some of the sexist comments that have stood out to me are:

“Why is Tim taking so long to tie his shoes?” “He’s not, he’s tying his labias.”

“Can I go home? I have something I need to do.” “I have my girlfriend’s tampons if you need to plug it up Shane.”

“Some of the guys didn’t show up to practice cause of the rain. They’re just a bunch of pussies.”

Hope that helps to give you an idea of what the guys on the team are like. This comment just made me laugh:

“Come on guys! Give me 10 hard minutes!” “I’m usually good for that.”

I wonder how this strong sexist undercurrent affects the team’s interactions with the women’s team. I also wonder how the guys with wives feel about some of the things these guys are saying; I wonder how many of them actually have wives. I feel like that’s why a lot of these guys play; although a number of them, like John (one of the black players on the team), are either college graduates or in school (Chris is a teacher, John is an accountant, Sam is an engineer), some of them work menial jobs that they really don’t care about, and use rugby as a sort of release valve. A lot of them are bachelors who, although admittedly frequent parties and promiscuous women alike, lack a positive relationship with a significant other, and I feel that this could potentially affect their sense of masculinity. That’s why they join the team; it provides them with a type of support group with the camaraderie shared between members, helping them to deal with the ups and downs of adult life. The sport itself and the opportunity it provides to physically dominate other men helps them to deal with their masculinity complex, which is why, although teammates are loyal to one another, they are still able to constantly challenge each others' manhood, as it helps them to feel secure about their own.

Of course, the interviews that I will hopefully have conducted by next week will help me to draw further conclusions. I won’t be able to attend the Portland game (working, per usual on a Saturday), but I will be able to attend both practices next week and the team’s final game, at home next Saturday. We’ll wait and see if I have to ready myself for the post season, but until then, I’m planning on finishing up my field study within the next two weeks. I have to say, this has been an extremely rewarding experience, and I’m glad I get to share it with you guys. Til next time.

RIP Christiano Barbosa, February 6, 1995- October 24, 2013

I am a major redditor; for those of you who aren't already familiar with the term, a redditor is someone who regularly uses the site called reddit.com. It's this website with a bunch of different pages tied to it- called "subreddits"- that are related to nearly every topic imaginable, on which redditors contribute to the page by posting videos, links, funny and non-funny pictures, posing questions, and starting discussions based on whatever topic the subreddit is based on. Some examples of subreddits include /r/funny (a page where people post funny stories, ideas, etc.), /r/ask.reddit (where people post general or specific questions to the reddit community), and /r/WTF (a page where people post pictures or stories of things or events that make you scratch your head and go "Really? That happened? That's disappointing"). When I was first given the Digital Landscape assignment, I immediately thought to look for a rugby page on reddit. They had everything else; they're bound to have one. Sure enough, they had a /r/rugbyunion page, filled with information varying from the performance of teams in foreign leagues to the basic rules of the sport; people provided personal stories of their relationship with rugby, both serious and non serious, and it was very interesting to explore the different discussion boards and see what people had to say. The passion for the game was extremely evident, and it was impressive to see that for many of these people, rugby more than a sport; it was a way of life. Deciding to check out what other websites had to offer, I turned to Google (out of habit; I recognize that there are other search engines, but I've been using Google since I was a kid- all of the other ones just seem kind of unfriendly). I found a number of pages with plenty of information on rugby, including PlanetRugby.com, RugbyRugby.com, and the International Rugby Board, but none of them really touched with the heart of my project. They were just typical sports sites, written by authors familiar with the sport so that readers already familiar with the sport could become more familiar with it. They provided statistics, pictures of players running at full pace with their faces contorted with concentration, and game scores, but didn't show me how the sport's culture impacted those around it, nor did they demonstrate what it was really like to be a part of that culture the way /r/rugbyunion did. I did notice that on all the websites, despite them clearly being intended for an audience that was already familiar with rugby, there was a link or a tutorial about how to play rugby. Glancing through the google results, I couldn't help but notice a significant portion of the links displayed had something to do with learning rugby. I checked a few of those out, but again, they didn't really touch upon my project. I decided that maybe looking at some blogs would be my best bet. At first, I was met with disappointment. TheRugbyBlog.com was formatted the same way the other sites were, but I eventually found gold with BloodandMud.com- a rugby blog for "informed and irreverent banter." Although it was mostly aimed at specific games and scores, the discussion provided and the "voice" of the author of the blog painted a much clearer pictured of what the culture was like. I got a much better feel for it from the way the guy discussed his excess drinking and his violent outbursts at bad decisions than the robotic summary of a far away game that I was finding on other websites. Although this one was intended exclusively for those familiar with the sport, it was one of the few that really gave me a true insider's perspective; and I guess that makes sense.

I had my first rugby game on Saturday, and I think it went fairly well. I played on the B-side team, which plays immediately after the A-side team plays, which is usually around 11 am. Both sides won their game (Whoo!) and I went the entirety of the match without making a major mistake. I didn't see much of the ball, but I figured that this is to be expected, since I am a new guy and I haven't proved myself yet. I couldn't help but notice though that those on the B-side are a lot less eager to pass the ball than those on the A-side; I feel that they want to show the coach how well they can run with the ball, how hard they can hit, and that they deserve a spot on the A-side team. They also want to (again) demonstrate their masculinity to themselves and to each other; not being on the A-side team is insulting to a number of them, based on the chatter I heard on the sideline. One player, Eddie, even considered leaving the game when he realized he would have to play on the B-side.

As far as race is concerned, I met who I think is the only other black man on the team, John. I saw him and Reed (the other black man) acknowledge each other separately from everyone else before John began to chat with a group of exclusively white friends; it struck me as a sign of solidarity that stuck out from the usual greetings that were being exchanged as everyone showed up for the game. John, tall and long legged but extremely muscular, is clearly popular in the group, so I don't want to assume that race is an issue within the team. However, Reed, who is maybe 5'6" and might weigh 140 lbs soaking wet, sits by himself and does not communicate much. He plays for the A-side and he is congratulated for a good game, and jokes with everyone else, but he does not seem to be as much a part of the group as John does. I wonder if this has to do with John having been a member of the team for longer; seniority is taken very seriously at the club, as "rookies" are responsible for all equipment and generally aren't as well accepted into the group as senior players, although the rugby club is so eager for fresh players that newcomers are welcomed with open arms. A comment made by one of those on the sideline that "There [were] a ton of black guys on the field" made me further question what role race plays in rugby; including Reed and John, there was only an additional black man on the field from the opposing team, so clearly diversity is not particularly common in the sport. That comment was not made in a negative tone, but one can't help but wonder if racism is a large part of the culture here; it is never openly mentioned or talked about, but it seems to be lurking just around the corner at all times.

I took a bunch of pictures of the game field and the school it's located behind in Pawtucket. It's near McCoy Stadium if you guys would ever be interested in coming to a game. It's free admission, although you'd have to bring chairs, as there's no seating (that in itself says something about the popularity of the sport here). The field is in rather poor condition, but I have played on worse, and it gets the job done. Check it out! I also took one of the front desk at the only rugby store anywhere nearby, Rugby Imports. Tim, a member of the team, works there, and I feel that his family owns it. I'd have to ask to find out.

Hey everybody! Thought I'd update you on how things have been going so far. I've been to two rugby practices so far; I have another practice scheduled for today, although I don't think I'll be able to make it. So far, while playing rugby, I have:
sprained my thumb
bruised both my knees
strained my quads
rolled my ankle
gotten punched in the face
and strained my neck. Along with various scratches and bruises all over the rest of my body and a general soreness that I just can't seem to shake. I have a game on Saturday, so I'm hoping I feel better in time to play. Even if I don't, I'll play anyways. It's a valuable experience that I cannot afford to miss for the sake of my field study. Also, I have a feeling it will be a lot of fun. In my field study, I have learned a ton of new things about both my field site and the rugby players who go there. What surprised me when I arrived at my first practice was how much older the group was than I anticipated. Although there was a much larger group of college kids present at the second practice I attended, it is clear that the core group of players who drive the team are all in their 30's. I didn't think that there would be guys of that age group still willing to put their bodies through such extremes, especially considering that most of them have families and other jobs. The size of the group also surprised me; there were about 25 people at the second practice I attended, with more sure to be coming on game day.

I was intrigued by the relevance of masculinity within the group; asserting one's manliness and toughness is essential to being accepted into the group, and they do not take kindly to having any of these qualities challenged, as I found out when I tackled a man larger than me and got punched in the face for it. This need for the men to prove themselves creates an underlying tension within the subculture as they all compete to out-do one another. I'm curious to see how this tension manifests itself within the group (aside from me occasionally getting punched in the face). I was also intrigued by the relative homologous make-up of the team as well. Aside from Reed, a young, thin black man whom I met at the second practice I attended, everyone of the 30 or so men I have seen at the practices have been white. I'm curious as to why this is.

There were a couple of things that genuinely disturbed me while I was attending practice. The location of the field itself and it's condition worry me. The field is located partly on a cesspool, and the odor of the location would suggest that the amount of bacteria in the air and on the field is probably appalling. The comment one of the players made that needles had been found on the field earlier in the season also worried me greatly. Needles could pose a huge risk if they are infected with HIV, and even if they are not, my mom warned me that Hep B is almost universally contracted among heroine users in Providence. I would rather avoid that. The fact the men at the practices just ignore the dangers this pose also concerns me; is there nothing these guys won't do to prove how tough they are? Are their priorities really in the right place? I'll have to see. More observation is definitely needed.

After a few days of agony, I think my body has finally recovered from my first rugby practice on last Thursday. This realization is a little bitter sweet, as it feels like I have recovered just in time to do it all over again tomorrow after class. However, I remain excited to move forward with my experiment and dive even deeper into my field site to see what else I can discover. Before I do that, however, I feel that I must first take a step back and evaluate myself so that I can understand how who I am will impact what I am seeing. My background impacts who I am as a person and affects how I see my world. I grew up in a working class area in a rich section of town, and I went to school with a lot of kids from both economic upbringings. In elementary school especially, there was a clear animosity between the "haves" and the "have nots," and I grew up resenting the rich kids who spoke down to me. Although I have learned to deal with being corrected and being told that I am wrong in an academic setting, I still do not receive criticism well. I have to make sure that being criticized by my fellow players and my coach while still learning the sport does not give me a negative impression of them. Even though I grew up in a working class area, many of the guys I play with have lived or currently lived in poverty, and I have to make sure living a fairly comfortable life style doesn't impact my ability to connect with them. Walking the walk and talking the talk will also be important in order to make the necessary connections. The rugby players at the club talk and act tough, and making sure I do the same will allow me to interact with them easier, gain respect and affection from my fellow players, and will hopefully keep hazing down to a minimum. I also have to acknowledge some of my previous conceptions about rugby players; not all of them are stupid, arrogant racists, and I have to make sure that these preconceived notions I have of them do not impact my research.With this in mind, I can hopefully keep my own subjectivities in check and make sure that this project is informative and successful. Wish me luck guys!

Rugby Championship 2013 Australia vs New Zealand Full Match HD

This is it: my first blog post. I am officially a member of the Internet. I'm writing this first post to give everyone an idea of why I created this blog and what I plan on writing about. I just recently joined a local rugby team as part of a field study that I am required to complete for one of my courses at my school, Rhode Island College. I'm planning on posting a bunch of videos on my YouTube account of me playing rugby, my team's rugby games, and some other instructional videos on the basic rules of rugby. I'll have photos to put up of myself and of my team as well, as well as anything related to rugby. My posts themselves will mostly be about the day-to-day lives of rugby players in America and what role rugby plays in our culture, along with my interactions with that culture. It's not a very well known sport here and I think it would be very interesting to see what its like to be part of the relatively small community of rugby players here in the US. So, come with me on this expedition into the unknown as I place myself out into the real world; risk social awkwardness and physical injury with me in my attempt to discover what rugby really is all about.