New post for Talking Rugby Union

I’ve been enjoying writing for rugby blog Talking Rugby Union over the past couple of months and have particularly been keen to explore the crossovers and differences between sports.

This was part of my motivation behind writing about the case of Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas and his contract dispute. Thomas was sitting out of practice but playing their matches in a demonstration of his belief that he warrants a large new deal.

The weekend just gone Thomas broke his leg, torpedoing his season and seriously weakening his bargaining position when he gets around to his contract negotiation.

You can read the article here:

http://www.talkingrugbyunion.co.uk/the-case-of-earl-thomas-and-the-precariousness-of-professional-rugby/21291.htm

One difference between Thomas and the rugby examples that I use is that NFL players have potential access to far more money. Rugby, especially at the lower level that I was largely involved with, is much less well remunerated for a similarly dangerous activity.

In future I’ll share some more stories and experiences about life in the outer reaches of professional rugby, using my own experiences and those of friends and former teammates to illustrate them.

For the meantime, enjoy this most recent article.