Rugby is a sport anyone can play
How the sport is challenging stereotypes about women in sports
Students and alumni gathered at Concordia University to watch the Stingers take on the Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Oct. 4 in a women’s rugby matchup, reflecting on how the sport challenges traditional views of women in athletics.
Women’s rugby can be overlooked at times for its inclusivity, but the players and spectators help shed some light on how the game challenges gender stereotypes.
“Women can be any shape or size and be as dominant as anyone else in their role,” said Sandrine Dumont, forward of the Concordia Stingers women’s rugby team.
The narrative surrounding women in sports is actively changing. Laura Bellini, a winger for the Stingers, praised rugby’s ability to push boundaries.
“We have women playing such an aggressive, tenacious sport that requires us to be not only fast but strong,” she said. “It pushes the narrative that we can do whatever we want to do.”
Bellini also said that the sense of community that comes along with this sport is like no other.
Indeed, players say the sport is about setting personal goals and teamwork, regardless of body type or strength.
“Everybody is valuable and used differently on the field,” said Penelope Anderson, prop and No. 8 for the Stingers women’s rugby team.
Emma Krobath, a former back row player for the Bishop's University Gaiters women’s rugby team, agreed, emphasizing that everyone has a spot on the team, stressing the word “everyone.”
Krobath added that women’s rugby also confronts deep-seated stereotypes.
“[Rugby shows] that women can be just as tough and fearless as men, as well as break the idea that contact sports are just for men,” Krobath said.
Larissa Szaniszlo-Luty, a Concordia sociology alumna who attended the game, also pointed out that rugby helps break down tropes about traditional athleticism.
“This is a sport that is typically viewed as more masculine,” she said. “Therefore, it helps reshape perceptions by showing that regardless of body type, anyone can play the sport and excel at it.”
Players and spectators agree that women’s rugby is challenging gender stereotypes and promoting inclusivity within the sport. This notion is all the more meaningful as the sport gains visibility, especially during the Women’s Rugby World Cup, where Canada made it to the finals this past September.
“This kind of inclusivity sends a strong message that women in sports don’t have to fit a certain mold. Women in rugby are redefining what it means to be an athlete,” added Krobath.
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