Unfortunately, another university rugby team has made national news for their off-field behaviour.

I’m referring to the London School of Economics (LSE) rugby team that produced a highly distasteful leaflet that was distributed at their freshers’ fair.

This isn’t a one-off situation, with teams from Durham, Nottingham, UEA and Sussex all having received university sanctions for poor behaviour in the last two years.

Abiding by the adage ‘he who is without sin cast the first stone’ it would be wrong for me to judge LSE rugby for their actions.

This doesn’t mean that I condone them, more that I can understand the environment that fostered them. Unfortunately, lad culture is pervasive in university life and has gone unchallenged for some time. I believe the psychological theory of gradual commitment explains how we’ve ended up where we are today.

It suggests that if asked immediately to commit a severe, heinous act, one wouldn’t. If they’re asked to do something minor but in the same vein, they will do so until they eventually reach the same act they initially refused to commit.

To contextualise this to LSE, everyday sexism such as a ‘banterous misogynistic joke’ is the minor act and the leaflet distributed is the severe act. Although I don’t know them all, I truly believe the LSE rugby team to be comprised of many decent individuals who have found themselves acting in a way that many wouldn’t be proud of.

It’s important to acknowledge they’ve been exposed to a bad system that’s led them to believe it’s acceptable to act in this way. The key is tackling the underlying issues that led the situation to arise. As I alluded to, everyday sexism and lad culture that normalises sexist and discriminatory behaviour are to blame.

The rugby team at Sussex, along with the help of the students’ union, has tried to tackle these issues. The steps we have implemented are as follows:

- Becoming trained ‘I heart Consent workshop’ facilitators 

- Continuing to support various charities including, GALOP an LGBTQ anti-hate crime charity - Running Good Lad workshops for all male sports teams throughout the year

- Collaborating and developing strong links with the University of Sussex Women’s rugby team and the Students’ Union

The ban LSE is facing will be difficult for them but with the right leadership and support they can create a new environment that creates a club that everyone at their university can be proud of.

Jonny Turpie, medical student at Brighton and Sussex University and captain of the unversity men’s rugby club