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#Post#: 2065--------------------------------------------------
O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: Boonie
Date: July 30, 2018, 4:43 am
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There's been a lot of talk on here about injuries, player
burnout, length of season, internationals vs Premiership vs
Lions vs cup comps etc. I'm not sure that Foden has this right,
but it is an interesting take on player welfare:
HTML https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/44967091
Rugby union should learn from American sports when it comes to
player welfare and growing the game, says former England
full-back Ben Foden.
Foden has signed a deal as player/coach at New York-based Rugby
United, who are joining Major League Rugby next season.
The 33-year-old becomes the highest-profile Englishman to play
in the States, and believes rugby in America "is there is be
cracked."
"American attitude towards sport is perfect for rugby," he said.
Foden added to BBC Sport: "One of my problems with the
Premiership is that with Premiership rugby, European Rugby, cup
rugby and being an international player, you just play too many
games a year.
"In American sport you play for four or five months and that's
it. The NFL is four months, then it goes to the basketball
season and then into the baseball season.
"And they are doing the same thing with the rugby. And if it
gets too big they are going to conference it. It is how I think
a sport should be run, otherwise you will have guys who only
play for five or six seasons instead of having a 10- or 11-year
career."
Former Lions captain Sam Warburton is the latest big name to
retire prematurely, with the flanker quitting the game at the
age of 29 after an injury-plagued career.
"My argument is that it is not realistic to ask people to play
30 games a year, and expect them to perform at the highest
level, and be 100% fit week in, week out," Foden said.
Foden also believes American clubs are prepared to market their
sports and brands better than their counterparts in the UK.
"In England, no-one really wants any rugby player to be bigger
than the game. Even when you play England U18s you have media
training to be humble. But in America they want superstars. They
are all about building a brand," Foden continued.
"We have the characters [in England], but say if you are in
trouble and you have done something in a game - a Haskell or a
Vunipola or an Ashton - instead of releasing them to the media
and letting them be honest or talk about things they are
normally hidden away and protected.
"That works to a certain degree, but if you want the pull, and
the headlines, and the attraction - that's what the Americans
want. You watch anything that is successful and you need a hero
and a villain and they [the American audience] want the villains
and the heroes, they want David versus Goliath. They love all
that, it is all part of the show to them.
"That's what they view sport as: it's about the show and the
bigger picture."
Foden won 34 England caps between 2009 and 2013, and played 250
times for Northampton over the course of 10 years at Franklin's
Gardens. He says he did not entertain moving to another English
club after leaving Saints at the end of last season.
"I didn't really shop around. The options were more in France
but I have never fancied going over to France to play. So it was
about finding something that fitted for me," he explained.
Foden's switch to New York was part brokered by former England
and Lions prop Alex Corbisiero, who is a leading analyst for NBC
Sports in the USA and an expert on American rugby.
"He was the one who suggested it first. We share a management
company, and he is always in New York to do his NBC stuff and
met [Rugby United owner] James Kennedy, who said it would be
nice to get someone over here to lead the charge," he said.
"Corbs sold it to me, and he is of the same mindset as I am -
that the opportunity is massive. I think [rugby] could be taken
to a whole new level, and the Americans are hungry to do that."
#Post#: 2069--------------------------------------------------
Re: O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: RodneyRegis
Date: July 30, 2018, 6:24 am
---------------------------------------------------------
C r a c k e d
Is censored...
#Post#: 2079--------------------------------------------------
Re: O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: Monte
Date: July 30, 2018, 7:52 am
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Well count me out on this one - if I want to see a show I go to
Cirque due Soleil if I go to a rugby match it is part of a
season - whilst I don’t want an 11 month season I certainly
don’t want a 4 month season. Foden seemed pretty useless at the
end for Saints and clearly he saw himself as a performer not a
sports person who was a member of a squad or team.
#Post#: 2080--------------------------------------------------
Re: O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: T-Bone
Date: July 30, 2018, 8:11 am
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Just look at the lawsuit against the NFL for US sports' approach
to player welfare. Or look at the average length on an NFL
players' career, or the number of games a basketball or ice
hockey player plays in a season.
As for all thios heroes and villains nonsense, I watch rugby as
I enjoy the sport. I don't need a sideshow of heroes and
villains, "characters", wannabde celebs, etc. There's plenty of
reality TV to satisfy those demands. I got the impression he
always wanted to be a celebrity and this would seem to provide
confirmation.
What a prat.
Still, good luck to him over there, at least he's got the guts
to do something different.
#Post#: 2087--------------------------------------------------
Re: O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: Boonie
Date: July 30, 2018, 8:46 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: RodneyRegis link ---
>
> C r a c k e d
>
> Is censored...
>
--- End Quote ---
That makes no sense!!
#Post#: 2090--------------------------------------------------
Re: O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: BedfordshireBoy
Date: July 30, 2018, 10:47 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Boonie link ---
>
> [quote author=RodneyRegis link=topic=143.msg2069#msg2069
date=1532949855]
> C r a c k e d
>
> Is censored...
>
--- End Quote ---
"Cracked" is the word replaced by the asterisks in the original
piece.
That makes no sense!!
[/quote]
#Post#: 2092--------------------------------------------------
Re: O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: DOK
Date: July 30, 2018, 10:55 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Just you wait till you try and name the position of the player
with number 2 on his back!
#Post#: 2093--------------------------------------------------
Re: O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: RodneyRegis
Date: July 30, 2018, 11:28 am
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Hooker
#Post#: 2094--------------------------------------------------
Re: O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: RodneyRegis
Date: July 30, 2018, 11:28 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Oh fgs
#Post#: 2098--------------------------------------------------
Re: O/T - Rugby Union should learn from US sports over player
welfare, says Ben Foden
DIR By: Fearless Fred
Date: July 30, 2018, 12:24 pm
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I can sort of understand the #2 one, but I'm struggling to see
how the first censored word ended up on the list! I wonder, does
the word without the "ed" at the end also trigger it?
Crack
Edit: It would appear not!
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