Sports and Culture
I remember seeing a Rugby match for the first time down in Norfolk, Virginia. I was visiting my brother who happened to be in the Navy at the time, and as he was busy, I decided to take a walk in the park that was nearby. I happened to notice a bunch of burly guys playing a game that was unlike anything that I had seen before. Although it was a little like soccer, and somewhat like American football, it was something foreign to me. I stood there for about an hour watching and trying to figure out how the game was played. I never did quite get it. Later on I realized that part of the problem I had understanding it was that I was trying to relate it to games that I had played and understood like American football and soccer. Rugby has it own rules and culture. That's part of the reason people who didn't grow up playing a particular sport, don't understand it, and since it makes no sense, never really "get it". It's like one of my favorite sports; Ice Hockey. While the game and rules seem very simple to me, I've had people say to me, "why do they stop skating all of a sudden", or "why did the ref blow the whistle"? They have no understanding of "icing", or "offsides" and therefore the game makes no sense. While there is no one sport that is participated in by all cultures, it is nevertheless interesting how the various sports have developed, and makes one wonder what kind of new games that future generations will be playing? How about Rugby on skates?
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