I joined the UConn Men's Rugby Club my freshman year. I had never played rugby before, but soon enough it became one of my favorite sports. It’s a great source of camaraderie, competition, and brotherhood. However, one downside is constantly having to explain it to people who do not know what rugby is, which, in America, is quite a lot of people.

When someone sees that I play rugby, the conversation usually starts with “That's like football right?” I assume this connection is made because of the physical nature and similar ball shapes of both sports. Rugby can be explained in relation to football to a point. In both football and rugby the goal is to get the ball into the end zone (football) or try zone (rugby). Unlike football, though, rugby is a continuous play sport without downs and stoppage.