Sports societies may have a problem—but they’re not the problem

The sports society is in dire need of some good press. Its recent coverage has been, albeit for good reason, particularly negative. Across the bridge Cardiff men’s cricket has faced suspension following an SU investigation into their initiation rituals. Here in Bristol, it was not long ago that the men’s Hockey club was suspended and banned from socials after the discovery of a club culture so abhorrent it warranted a change to the SU’s code of conduct. Couple these examples with the image of the loutish, chino clad rugby society behaving badly in Gravity or the horror stories, filled with accounts of body fluid laden initiations and seemingly endless nudity, it is scarcely surprising that the sports society is held in low regard. But there is another story to tell about the sports society.

I make no attempt to justify the behaviour described above. There are real and serious problems that sports societies, particularly male sports societies, must face up to. The stories of poor conduct are all-too common, but things are changing. Men’s rugby, previously a byword for bad behaviour on the triangle, has, I’m told, seen a pivot towards a more professional environment as part of their push for promotion to super BUCs. Men’s Hockey has also managed to stay out of the headlines since its SU investigation, apart from the occasional mention of the slightly ridiculous £16,000 they raised for Movember, which can only be a good sign.

I do think it is important to herald the positives of the sports society, aside the from the obvious mental health benefits of physical activity, the social benefits of sports are extensive. Physical effort towards a shared goal is a uniquely bonding experience, accompanied by the prearranged common interest that the chosen sport provides makes for the ideal social setting. There is an idea that sports societies only cater for the elite athletes; relegating the needs of the rest of us mere mortals, but this is far from the case – all the major sports have a team for almost all levels. Both the uni rugby and hockey teams have a sixth team for the more socially motivated members. Even outside the uni teams, Bristol has a healthy intermural sports set up. Netball, Badminton, five aside and rugby all have intermural leagues. The most impressive is of course the intermural football that takes over the downs on a Wednesday afternoon in a sea of brilliant amateurism. These more informal expressions of the sports society are, I think, its best. Student run and student funded; they are kept going only by their members love of the game and the club. Some, like the Medics ruby team, have been going for up to 80 years, a testament to the commitment of its members.

Initiations make up a large chunk of the bad sports society press. We’ve all heard stories of the friend of a friend and what they had to do in order to get on the team sheet for the water polo 3s or bat at eight for the cricket 4s. The Cardiff example obviously shows there is a line that should not be crossed but a little bit of exclusivity isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The initiation, like all good tradition do, creates a common experience with people who have come long before you and will come long after you. Once passed, a level of equality is established that, along with the additional social lubricant of a few pints creates the ideal platform for sociability.

On a more serious note, the widely discussed but rarely addressed crisis of male mental health at university is very much a reality, suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and men are almost two and half times less likely to seek out help for mental health problems than women. Alongside this, there is an apparent epidemic of loneliness at university with government surveys showing that rates of ‘loneliness’ at universities are on the rise with 92% of students admitting to feeling lonely and 52% ranking it one of their most pressing concerns. The regularity of a training session or a social provides structure to the week and definite point of contact in a way a lecture or a seminar can’t replicate. Even the most zealous safeguarding measures put in place by the university can’t replicate the safety net a society can provide. In place of a nondescript room at the end of a warren of corridors where you would be faced with the prospect of discussing the worst of your problems with a stranger you could turn up to a prearranged pitch, court or pub and participate in a shared interest and have a moment of escape from the university grind.  

The sports society must be considered in the whole, both its obvious issues and its often-overlooked benefits. The work to eradicate the problems the sports society faces is happening and must continue. But we should also take time to celebrate this pillar of the university experience that is now more than ever fighting to justify its cost.