Author: Tad Friend
Summary: Yes, rugby is back as an Olympic sport. No, it will not be played by the customary 15 men hitting and hugging each other in the mud for 80 minutes, but rather by 7 for 14 minutes. In Rio de Janeiro, in 2016, they will play what they call rugby sevens. The last time rugby was played in the Olympics, was in 1924 when the Americans took home the gold in Paris. In the final, the Americans punished the French by a score of 17-3. The fans didn't seem to take it so well, and those drunk baguette-loving bastards (I mean... the French) threw rocks and empty bottles at the team. This prompted the halt of rugby in Olympic sports. The author says, "Rocks and bottles, of course, should be seen as rugby's natural milieu."
But, with the recent decision of the I.O.C to revive the sport, USA Rugby claims to be working hard to "derowdyize" the game. On the day of the vote, the USA Eagles squad head coach, Al Caravelli, expressed his excitement and said "We may not be paid full-time like players from other nations, but I expect full-time professionalism."
Oh, and as a side note, the celebration was being held in a pub by the name Mr. Dennehy's and sponsored by Guiness.
Yeah... Who really knows how professional the sport is going to be. Some might still just consider it a bunch of muddy, naked dogpile.
What I learned about writing: I am liking the sports related stuff I am finding in the New Yorker. The author in this article is very straight to the point: bam, bam, bam. I mean I read the first paragraph, and I was thinking to myself: "Yeah, I like how this guy goes about things." In reading Friend's article, I am beginning to learn how to be to the point, and exact, and giving the reader what they want to hear in a phrase or so.
Also, Friend does a fantastic job of a vocabulary to give a defined face to rugby. You can't help but to love hearing someone describe a sport like this: "pig roasts, flowing kegs, and a naked, swaying mass of players chanting chanting the lyrics to "Jesus Can't Play Rugby" and "Bestiality's Best."
Lets be real... This is how sports should be written, and you know why, because this is the way it simply is.
I love how frank and bold Friend comes across in this article.
Look at me, I am learning about writing AND sports. :)
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