YSC received permission to publish this letter from Sue Parker, on behalf of the USA Rugby Women’s Collegiate Strategic Committee.
Join the movement! We’ve created a Facebook page for this issue, join today!
USA Rugby WCSC letter to BOD 120911 [PDF]
I’m sure I don’t have to express to you how important these issues are, not only is this a general disregard for women’s rugby across the board, but it is also an injustice for future rugby players. I urge you to pass on your support for gender equity to USA Rugby; the contacts that you can reach out to are below.
Also, please pass this on by using Facebook, Twitter (if you Tweet, please use hash tags #genderequity, #usarugby & #wrugby, so we can track) etc.
Join the movement! We’ve created a Facebook page for this issue, join today!
Contacts
USA Rugby Board
Kevin Roberts, Chairman of the Board – kroberts@usarugby.org
Bob Latham, Vice Chairman of the Board – blatham@usarugby.org
Bill Middleton, Director – bmiddleton@usarugby.org
Tom Wacker, Director – twacker@usarugby.org
Francois Viljoen, International Athlete – fviljoen@usarugby.org
Rob King, Director – rking@usarugby.org
Peter Seccia, Director – pseccia@usarugby.org
Julia McCoy, Congress Representative – jmccoy@usarugby.org
Christy Ringgenberg, International Athlete – cringgenberg@usarugby.org
USA Rugby CEO
Nigel Melville, Chief Executive Officer & President of Rugby Operations – nmelville@usarugby.org
NCAA Committee
*Some are duplicate members from the USA Rugby Board
Nigel Melville, Julie McCoy (Chair), Peter Seccia (Board member), Christy Ringgenberg (Board Member), Sue Parker (WCSC chair)
Ellen Owens, Congress member, WCSC member – eowens@usarugby.org
MaryBeth Mathews, WCSC co-chair – mmathews@bowdoin.edu
Tam Brackenridge – tamb@sunwave.net
Share this:
Discover more from YSCRugby | Women's Rugby News
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
I have not read the letter but I don’t really have to. It’s nothing new, this has been going on for over 37 years in rugby. The saddest part is the discrimination and sexism found in women’s rugby is often propagated by women (and good men unknowingly) who have been socialized to think of women’s sports as ‘second class’, less than, or somehow not of the same value. My generation, the pre Title IX (and shall I say the World Cup winning) generation, is fed up with lip service and media spinning toward women’s sports in general and women’s rugby specifically.
It’s time to ignore all arguments supporting the inferior treatment of women in sport since they are based on a prejudiced societal mindset towards women which makes them invalid. In our society women, who are 56% of the population, only hold 16% of government seats, earn 77% of men’s earnings, and receive 8% of all media sports coverage.
Consider this; US Women’s rugby is 1 third of the women’s world rugby population, 43% of rugby players in the USA are women, women are 55% of the college population, and women’s rugby is the fastest growing sector of rugby today. Can we overcome the prejudiced highly complex environment that surrounds women’s sports? An environment that gives women less opportunities, less voice, less resources, and less visibility? An environment that sexualizes and objectifies the female athlete instead of celebrating athletic prowess? Do we understand the environment we are trying to grow US women’s rugby in?
This leads to the real question, what do we do with the ball that may be at our feet? USA Rugby’s new State based model may work in favor of women’s rugby giving us a smaller forum to affect changes. Since we are in the IOC and USOC we now have a forum for grievances on discrimination issues in women’s rugby. Laws such as the Equal Pay Act can be used to fight for equal salaries in women’s rugby programs.
Let’s agree women should be allowed equal opportunity in rugby. Being pro-women’s rugby is being PRO-RUGBY!!
Cheers,
Candi Orsini
The WCSC should hire Candi Orsini!
“43% of rugby players in the USA are women”
Source? USAR has consistently maintained that women make up roughly 25% of its membership.
It’s also worth noting that international sports law has consistently maintained that funding only need be proportional to representation.
Those things being said, I agree that it’s sad that most male ruggers exhibit what are rather sexist views towards women and the women’s game.
I strongly agree with Candi Orsini, except on one point: it is something new. Yes, these arguments have been brough up again and again, and have been routinely shut down. In the past, these complaints have been made and USA Rugby has given lip service until deadlines run out and they no longer have to act. Not this time. Having worked closely with the WCSC and seen all the angles from which they have approached this issue, USA Rugby won’t find a way out again. A few significant committee members refuse to back down and are willing to take this as high up as necessary to win this battle that has been fought for far too long now. It’s truly remarkable the amount of time and work this committee has put in to ensuring USA Rugby steps up.
If money is coming in from sources like players and sponsors, why don’t we separate all of women’s rugby in the US and create our own USA Rugby? We can cosponsor things we want too like coach or referee training but ultimately run our own ship. (By all means men can be part of it) We should have an organization that wants to promote and improve women’s rugby as their goal, not be part of USARugby’s promotion of rugby which appears to be a 70% vs 30% deal. One day I hope athletes will be equal, but that day is not today.
Kevin Swiryn on thisisamericanrugby.com, powerful stuff coming from an Eagle.KS: Lastly, equality, for our passionate women rugby players. I wasn’t happy when they announced the full-time athletes for the 7’s players, and the Men are to have 15 and the Women only 8. If anything, it should be reversed. Let’s be honest, if the USOC and U.S.A. Rugby put the same amount of money in both men’s and women’s Olympic teamsm the women are more likely to bring home a gold medal. Let’s pretend that men’s and women’s teams are already receiving equal funds relative to the amount of possible tournament they can play in. Judging solely on past results, the Women have outperformed Men in all World Cup tournaments (and this is with a drastic difference in funding). This might be getting long, but let me explain further. The IRB tried to apply to the International Olympic Committee to bring 7’s in the Olympics before 2009 and obviously got rejected. For one main reason, they didn’t included women properly in their proposal. Everyone asks, “well what type of revenue do women bring, if it weren’t for men…” etc, etc. When in reality, rugby wouldn’t be in the Olympics if it weren’t for the trying efforts of the women’s rugby; who continue playing rugby whilst having to pay for dues, pay for flights, and/or pay for other travel costs (and I’m not talking about their club team, I’m talking about 7’s National Team).
Kevin just sent me this interview this morning, powerful stuff! The full article can be found here: http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2011/12/this-is-american-rugby-now-that-you.html