There appears to be some confusion within rugby league about what it means to be a man. Some seem to think that letting loose a couple of punches is part and parcel of what it means to be a ‘bloke’. Perhaps it is…
Australian men certainly aren’t the first in the world to fall for testosterone-fuelled morality. They won’t be the last either.
What is important to remember, though, is that this phase in a man’s development doesn’t last forever. At least that is usually the case.
Many players tend not to go for the macho aspect of the game anyway, and instead tend to just play the sport well and focus on that.
We sometimes call that maturity, and it is not related to age, though in general we expect older players to show that quality more than the younger ones.
If you endorse fighting in league, what you are actually doing is encouraging people to remain immature.
These days especially, the vast majority of players never get into a fight during a match. Are they somehow less tough, less masculine or manly than their more punch-happy counterparts?
Testosterone is part and parcel of masculinity. However, manhood encompasses more than just that. It also includes the poise and ability to step back and take a more expansive view of things.
Naturally, fights will occur in rugby league. It is a no-brainer that in such an intensely physical sport some people will snap.
Nonetheless, if you feel that these fights somehow need to be ‘protected’ or that your identity is being eroded by their absence, then perhaps you need to ask yourself some more probing questions.
Now, consider what is being said here.
It is not reasonable to assume that there will no longer be any fights given rugby league’s physical toughness. It is a hard sport and tempers naturally fray.
What is being said is that it is reasonable to put a limit on what is accepted, to punish those that transgress those limits (which actually doesn’t occur all that frequently anymore) and to not give their occurrence some kind of moral weight.
Rugby league is not life and death violence. It is a sport. Fights in league have no place other than as a natural error in judgement.
That these errors occur is not wrong, but to treat them as being worthy of some kind of respect is.
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