Abstract

ROJAS FLORES, Georgina. The National Women’s Rugby Championship Xs (2018-2019): The Eastern Region Experience. Región y sociedad [online]. 2020, vol.32, e1247.  Epub Jan 27, 2021. ISSN 2448-4849.  https://doi.org/10.22198/rys2020/32/1247.

This article focuses on rugby, due to this sport remains largely unexplored, particularly in its women’s category. The Rugby’s Eastern Region presents certain tensions among regional teams, women players, the spirit of sport, and the institutional decisions. The objective is to analyze weather the Federación Mexicana de Rugby’s nominal regional construction allows or not competition and competitiveness in Eastern Region during the National Women’s Rugby Championship 2018-2019. The investigation also pretends to inquire if the women players completely understand the lived region. The investigation exposes the main obstacles for rugby’s women category development. Evidence shows 1) the failure in competition and competitiveness due to the static nominal regional composition and other obstacles; 2) that the gender stereotypes still thrive; and 3) that the sense of region the women players have is different from that stipulated by the Federación Mexicana de Rugby. Semi-structured interviews, documentary review, a brief ethnographic exercise in social network cyberspace, and the use of gender and region perspectives are part of this investigation methodology. This work concentrates on Eastern Region but leaves invitation for the other regions studies and another research lines.

Keywords : women’s rugby; nominal region; lived region; dynamic region; competitiveness.