Should Women and Men Play Against Each Other in Sports?

This question is asked often when it comes to sports, but it is rarely answered. The thing is, men and women strive for equality but when it comes down to it, are men and women equal? In some sports, and in some areas, yes. But more could be done.

The Argument For

Take football for example. It's the most popular sport on the planet, it pays incredibly well and the rules are increasingly being tightened to prevent foul play, so what's so harmful about allowing men and women to play together? Men are not necessarily faster, or more agile than women (look at tennis' Serena Williams, for example), and so physically, there really should be no reason to separate the sexes.

Of course, women can play football, and the female version of the sport is gaining in popularity all the time. There is one issue, though: women's football still lags behind the men's game in terms of viewership, and so women's chances to succeed are limited - most have to hold down a part-time job alongside their sporting careers. It would be more than fair (and easier, if they played together) to give women exactly the same opportunities as men: the chance to get paid hundreds of thousands of pounds every week and have their faces plastered on billboards, with all the fame being a talented footballer in the public eye affords.

The Argument Against

In rugby, where four or five men aim to bring an attacker to ground with a strong tackle and those involved in the scrum experience head trauma to such an extent they end up with 'cauliflower ears', the argument to involve women is perhaps not such a convincing one. Of course, men and women are built differently and therefore on a rugby pitch, it might pain viewers to see men tackling women and vice versa in the same way they would attack someone of the same gender. There is the matter of having the same opportunities in life, the same chances to do well at something you love to do, but if you're risking your body every time you go out on to the field of play, is it really worth it?

Conclusion

The general consensus might be that, in sports such as football and tennis, where contact is minimal, men and women should play together - but in the more physical sports such as rugby or wrestling, the two sexes should probably be kept apart. For now, at least.

Contact: Janie Rabet
https://sports.gentingcasino.com/
jane.rabet@gentingcasino.com

A Brief Guide to the Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is held every four years and sees the top international rugby union teams compete for the William Webb Ellis Cup. Here’s a brief insight into the history of rugby union's biggest prize.

Although rugby union has been around since the 19th century, it was not until 1987 that the first Rugby World Cup took place. The tournament was jointly hosted by New Zealand and Australia and over 600,000 people attended matches played in both countries. There was no qualification process for the competition at this time and so the 16 competing teams were automatically split into four leagues of four teams.

Within each pool, teams played each other once and were awarded two points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. The top two teams at the end of the group stages then qualified for the knockout stages, which began with the quarter finals. The eventual winners of the first ever World Cup were New Zealand, who defeated France in the final.

The tournament has since continued with the same ‘group stage’ format, but, from the 1999 finals onwards, 20 teams compete instead of the previous 16. This change was accounted for with the creation of an extra pool.

The World Cup is hosted by a different country every four years and some of the hosts have included England, South Africa, France and Japan - with England being the tournaments home on three occasions.

There have only been four winners of the competition since its birth in 1987 with New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England all getting their hands on the prized William Webb Ellis Trophy. It is the Kiwis, however, who boast the best tournament record - winning three finals (1987, 2011 and 2015) and coming runners up in one, when they were memorably defeated by post-apartheid South Africa in 1995, watched by Nelson Mandela.

The most recent World Cup was held in England in 2015 and a near two and a half million people attended matches played across 13 stadiums. The tournament was eventually won by New Zealand, who defeated Australia in the final. The next tournament is to take place in 2019, with Japan chosen as the hosts. This will be the first time an Asian country has hosted the finals and it will be incredibly interesting to see how the country reacts to the sport, with it becoming a burgeoning cultural pastime. Also of interest will be how the players adapt to the local climate.

Contact:  Janie Rabet

https://www.gentingcasino.com

jane.rabet@gentingcasino.com