Movember: The Evolution of Black
I’m happy to admit that I am a sports nut, and to be more accurate, a rugby nut. Since as long I as I can remember, I’ve loved the game and it’s always been interwoven into the fabric of my life.
Words by Rob Dunne, Movember Foundation NZ Country Manager
With the Rugby World Cup on its way, I’m reminded of my first memories of the men in black which came from the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Giants of our game like Sir Michael Jones, Sean Fitzpatrick, and Sir David Kirk creating memories that would stick in my mind for years and replicated (albeit poorly) by my mates and I at every opportunity. I would spend hours in the park kicking balls like Grant Fox with sand stolen from my sister’s sandpit or recreating John Kirwan’s famous length-of-the-field try, while sidestepping various tacklers (aka trees).
To an 8-year-old, these players represented the definition of what it was to be a man in New Zealand. Athletic, tough, uncompromising, often bloodied and stoic.
Recently, Trevor McKewen wrote an article for The Spinoff on how he views the book he authored in 1992 titled “Real Men Wear Black”. He reflected on how his views have changed and that it’s not a book that he would encourage his grandchildren to read today, perhaps because he thought the book portrayed masculinity in a way that doesn’t fit today’s societal norms. As a father of twin boys who love rugby as much as their Dad, these comments made me think about the role of the sport today in helping raise my boys, and the messages that our national game is communicating to the younger generation.
In previous eras, you would hear tales of All Blacks never giving up the jersey, an older player would certainly never help a younger player integrate into the All Black environment. The back of bus was owned by the veterans, it wasn’t uncommon for players to come to blows at training and victories were celebrated with green bottles long into the night.
While some of these practices probably remain in some form, they are tales of a past amateur era. Rugby is still played by tough men because the game demands it, but players and teams are more accessible because of the connected world we live in. When Richie Mo’unga made the All Blacks, he roomed with Beauden Barrett so the established player could work with the new. Even though these two were competing for positions, the focus is on the team and the actions of the individual are driven by the purpose of the jersey they represent, not their own.
While it’s not the role of athletes to raise my boys, it’s an important part of every young man’s life to have purpose and aspirations, which are so often so mirrored by what our heroes do. While I’m not particularly good at it, sport has personally given me so much and while I don’t force my boys to play, where there is enthusiasm, I encourage and support it.
Rugby might not be for everyone, but very few sports can bring an extremely diverse group of people in size, background and ethnicity together in the pursuit of a common goal. Relationships are formed with people that you may not have normally associated with and often form the basis of friendships that last a lifetime. Research shows that men are not as socially connected as our female counterparts and there is no doubt that this significantly contributes to the fact that while the incidents of depression is the same as women, 3 out of 4 suicides are men.
While the traits celebrated in yesteryear have contributed to the issues we face today, perhaps the future of the sport can become part of the solution.
At the Movember Foundation, we are in the fortunate position to fund men’s health programmes that are focused on helping Kiwi men live happier, healthier and longer lives. We have funded a number of programmes and most recently have partnered with the New Zealand Rugby Union on their mental health and wellbeing programme called “Headfirst”.
The Headfirst programme aims to deliver a national mental health and wellbeing education strategy that will develop positive shifts in attitudes and behaviours, enhance key coping skills, meet the varying wellbeing needs of the wider rugby community and help build a safe mental health environment. The purpose is threefold:
- To strengthen the individuals’ ability to improve or maintain positive mental health and wellbeing.
- To create an environment in the rugby community where people are comfortable talking about mental wellbeing and one that is receptive to help-seeking and receiving support.
- To aid in suicide prevention
The origins of Headfirst were founded on the knowledge that New Zealand rugby’s contracted players, as a sub-section of society, are just as susceptible to mental wellbeing issues. Research demonstrates that this group is vulnerable to a range of mental health problems which may be related to both sporting factors such as injury, pressure to perform and public scrutiny and non-sporting factors, for example limited support networks.
The intense mental and physical demands placed on athletes are a unique aspect of a sporting career and these may increase their susceptibility to certain mental health problems and risk-taking behaviors (Rice et al, 2016).
Today, Movember is working with New Zealand Rugby to not only help support professional players, but also the wider rugby community. Partnering with this programme is an acknowledgement that you have to go to where men are, and to truly reduce some of the most concerning mental health statistics, we need to take it on in our largest communities and not just hope men will seek out help.
Our goal at Movember is to create behavioural change and to get men to be more proactive with their health and the health of their friends and families. While it may not sound that difficult, getting men to change is hard work and partnering with an organisation that is on that same journey is not only exciting, but helps makes the job easier.
If the All Blacks and the culture of rugby can evolve, then so too can men in New Zealand and their attitude to their health.