Issue taken with aim of rugby brickbats

It is possible to be interested in the humanities and enjoy rugby, writes Ann Barrowclough in response to Millie Lovelock (ODT, 18.8.16).

A bright blue hoodie purchased online arrived recently, with "Never underestimate an old woman who graduated from Otago'' emblazoned across the front. Not only did this old woman graduate in humanities with two majors and subsequent dip grads but shock horror, Millie, I used to queue in the early hours in winter outside the DIC in the Octagon for tickets to see our friends and others playing for Otago or the All Blacks at Carisbrook.

Most weekends after netball I'd be standing, freezing watching the boyfriend playing club rugby and attending after-match functions from time to time, never being assaulted, raped or harassed.

I happily survived med school class bashes and three or four years of wool-store hops and even the capping concert chorus-line.

The interest in rugby continues as Granny cheers on the grandsons at Saturday morning club rugby and enjoys watching the "big'' games on TV or in person. It warms my heart to see the young bloods, prime specimens of our species, our young warriors and gladiators locked in combat on the field, with speed, strength, skill, finesse and lots of grunt in those rippling muscles. It is they who will defend us in war, whose predecessors brought meat home to the cave and whose hard work and taxes will pay for our old age. Some may actually have degrees in humanities and go on to get Rhodes scholarships.

None of them are wimps. They are highly trained, skilled, hard-working, often get seriously injured and they provide entertainment for millions and are role models for young people. When sitting next to one of them on the plane one finds, beneath the dreadlocks and tats, a well-spoken young gentleman whom any mother or granny would be proud of.

It is true that humans use alcohol to celebrate victory or drown the disappointment of defeat and to celebrate or bemoan life events where things can get out of hand as peer pressure takes over, self-discipline slips and bad choices are made. I'm sure the wine flowed in the Greek gymnasia, Roman amphitheatres and medieval jousting tournaments as the thirsty spectators cheered on their champions just as we do today. As my nautical ancestors' shattered vessels limped back to port after defeating Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile, don't tell me what they were quaffing on board was water.

If women now endure harsher treatment from inebriated men could it be that in their fight for equality our sisters may have knocked the pedestal of noblesse oblige from beneath our own feet? One cannot but fear for our granddaughters, knowing the quantities of alcohol today's young women consume. She, who now sees herself the equal of males, is soon seen as the victim when things go wrong. The commercialisation of entertainment, greater spending power of youth and pervasive media hype all encourage the partnership of alcohol and spectator sport. We cautious young ladies of pre-Pill, pre-women's lib days, were expected to take responsibility for protecting our virtue and wellbeing by restricting our own alcohol intake and being aware that young men who drink too much are likely to "lose control of themselves''. We were to "set the tone'' and if we could not avoid or control the situation we would have to take the consequences, which in our generation, could be pretty dire. We may not have been seen by society as equal to males but our young lives were, I suspect, happier and possibly safer than today. I applaud the University of Otago's support of the Highlanders and the vice-chancellor's efforts to encourage a better attitude to alcohol among students. Millie may deplore the consequences for women of the combination of sport and male over-indulgence in alcohol but don't just blame the sport or denigrate the university.

Ann Barrowclough is a Dunedin resident.