After adopting the sport of rowing, we become ravelled in its communal and collective nature which makes it difficult to remember our perspectives prior to rowing life. We are encompassed by the cultural identity which although is positive in many ways, can have some negative effects on the society beyond rowing.
Having had many conversations with non-rowers, there seems to be a distinct reoccurring ideology that creates boundaries for further participation. The misconception is as follows: ‘rowing is an elitist sport dedicated to rich white males of wealthy heritage’. The question is, why is this still the case even after years of change and emancipation?
Historically, rowing began as a means of transportation in Ancient Egypt which later developed into racing between the pharaohs and noble Egyptians. In 1715 it was brought to England and the main participants were those of a higher class who possessed disposable income and time to place into the sport. Naturally, this steered rowing into a rich man’s sport, creating exclusive clubs and groups. With this knowledge, it becomes easy to assume that the hypocrisy of exclusion and elitism stems from its early formation.
Typically, rowing is an expensive sport, especially if you want to be competitive within it. There are many considerations including: membership fees, racing fees, travel, and additional entities such as personalised equipment. For the vast majority of people, in the midst of an economic crisis, participating in rowing would only to add to their bills and outgoing expenses. For those who are unable to afford it, there is a sense of envy towards those who can, specifically the sports supposed appearance of ‘rich white males’. This seems to create a continuous unhealthy cycle where the wealthy continue to row, and those in economic deficit continue to ridicule.
As a result of their renowned titles and antiquity, non-rowers tend to place a model rower into the exemplary classes of Cambridge and Oxford. Despite their being many other commendable clubs, the representation of rowing in the UK always refers back to these typical responses. At junior events, there is a common concern when Eton College has an entry, it is recognised that they have more money and access to facilities and coaching allowing their experience to capture at rowing events.
When younger people are asked what they associate rowing with, the typical answer is boats, athleticism, and posh people. The stigma around rowing seems to start off with the association to ‘posh’ people. Arguably, this later develops into a sport affiliated with wealth and social hierarchy when a teen becomes an adult and learns about the economy and need for money. The principle reason that numerous teens cease to row, is a lack of advertisement and information about the sport and the fact that it is not ordinarily classed as a mainstream sport such as football. These barriers are what lead to a reduction in participation and although many schools provide indoor rowing clubs it is never pushed any further than just a club after school. As well as this, many young people refuse to use the rowing machine out of embarrassment or fear of using it incorrectly. Instead, rowing is just left to the higher class, and privately educated students and athletes to partake in. Consequently, the cycle continues, and rowing remains with its misconceived title of ‘rich white males of wealthy heritage.’ It is important to note however, British Rowing has implemented many initiatives nationwide to undo this stigma with large success- from Fulham Reach boat club to Greater Manchester Youth rowing, it is fair to say that slowly these barriers are being deconstructed.
The traditional description of rowing lacks one large and impactful Group: women. As a result of the past and subordination of women, all of its descriptions seem to lack this vital half of the sport. At international level it wasn’t until 1951 that women were allowed to start racing but by then it was too late because the label of rowing was sealed. This has created difficulty for women and girls to perceive the sport as anything more than a ‘man’s’ sport. This divide has caused women to feel they need to be strong, athletic, and powerful ‘like a man’ instead of ‘like a woman’ and in many competitions, events are not gender equal, for instance Henley Royal and National Schools’ Regatta. Subsequently, some women believe they don’t possess the qualities to try the sport due to the unhinged category that the concept of rowing has been placed into, a concept I believe could be broadly applied to many other ‘rich, white’ sports such as cricket or rugby.
As rowers, educators, competitors, or coaches it is our responsibility to attempt to change the misconstrued interpretation of rowing that has infiltrated itself into society. The bias and unfairness is what has created a divide in the rowing culture, and the gap will only continue to separate if the culture is not altered. We should discard the vision of a social hierarchy within rowing to a point where it does not exist; if it does not exist internally within rowing then it is unlikely to exist externally within society.
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