Dwain Chambers joins the Super League
By Craig Cayton
Thursday 3rd of April 2008
The disgraced British sprinter, Dwain Chambers has made a controversial career switch to Rugby League. The sprinter has signed for Super League bottom club Castleford Tigers on a 30 day trial.
Drugs cheat Chambers, returned to the track two years ago after serving a two year ban for taking the steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). The ban which was handed down in February 2004 but was backdated to August 2003, not only saw him stripped of all the medals he had won in the two years previous and the repayment of his £120,000 prize money, but also the banning for life of representing Great Britain at the Olympics. During his ban in 2004, Chambers had a brief unsuccessful spell in American Football with NFL team the San Francisco 49ers and also signed a deal last march with the Hamburg Sea Devils, an NFL Europa team but however didn’t play for the club. Castleford Tiger’s announcement of the signing of Chambers however coincides with Castleford’s submission to the Rugby Football League of their application for a three-year Super League licence from 2009.
Many fans are now split however over the media spotlight which is now in full glare over the sport, however many fans believe that Castleford have actually done a lot of harm to the Super League in the signing of Chambers. With Chambers openly admitting that not only does he not know the rules of the sport but he doesn’t actually know how many players there are on a team with many already believe he is been disrespectful to a sport even though he has been welcomed with open arms at Castleford. Many also believe that this lack of knowledge is also detrimental to the future of the game in that the 30 year old is holding the place of an emerging 20 year old that not only loves the sport but has trained and dedicated their youth to the prospect of a career in sport.
Many fans believe the sport should be trying to do everything it can to distance itself from drugs and the cheats involved, however here the sport is actively working to involve a drugs cheat at the highest level sending out a message of disbelief to aspiring youngsters. Many fans also see his presence as a direct insult and show’s his disillusionment, Rugby League is one of the most skilful sports in the world, yet Dwain seems to believe that all you need is the ability to run fast. This is also been seen as a publicity stunt for Chambers who himself openly admits he still hopes to be able to compete in the 2008 Olympics and is still optimistic of mounting a legal challenge to his Olympic Ban.
But, some fans actually think that Chambers should be praised for his contribution to Rugby League, even though he hasn’t even played yet. With the media’s glare firmly on Castleford and the Super League the sprinter has put the sport firmly on the back pages for the first time in a long time, with chambers having more column inches than the sport has received for the whole first month of the Super League. Many also believe that this can only be good thing for the sport with it receiving interest from further a field than the M62 corridor. The benefits to Castleford are potentially huge with the leagues bottom club desperately in need of a boost on the pitch, off the pitch and in the bank, and the signing of Chambers gives the potential to solve them all in one move. Castleford Tigers Media Manger Craig Poskitt says, “It is a very positive move for both the team and the sport. His pace is electric and the team can only benefit from him playing”.
Just as Chambers is harbouring ambitions of swapping the track for the field, so too did Berwyn Jones, the British 100 yards record-holder who joined Wakefield Trinity in 1964. However he only played one game and then decided that infact he preferred it on the track and went back to sprinting. So could that be all that it would take to end this 30 day trial, just as some are calling for him to be thrown in against St Helens at the weekend could that actually bring an end to his Super League career rather than been the first game of many?
Even though Chambers will never be the next Lesley Vinakolou he does have the physical attributes to perform well especially as a winger and his bravery to move to one of the world’s toughest sports also has to be commended. If Chambers can silence his doubters, keep the spotlight on the sport and get the fans to flock to the jungle and cheer the Tiger’s to an unlikely win, then he could be the best thing to ever happen to Castleford and the Rugby Football League.
By Craig Cayton
Thursday 3rd of April 2008
The disgraced British sprinter, Dwain Chambers has made a controversial career switch to Rugby League. The sprinter has signed for Super League bottom club Castleford Tigers on a 30 day trial.
Drugs cheat Chambers, returned to the track two years ago after serving a two year ban for taking the steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). The ban which was handed down in February 2004 but was backdated to August 2003, not only saw him stripped of all the medals he had won in the two years previous and the repayment of his £120,000 prize money, but also the banning for life of representing Great Britain at the Olympics. During his ban in 2004, Chambers had a brief unsuccessful spell in American Football with NFL team the San Francisco 49ers and also signed a deal last march with the Hamburg Sea Devils, an NFL Europa team but however didn’t play for the club. Castleford Tiger’s announcement of the signing of Chambers however coincides with Castleford’s submission to the Rugby Football League of their application for a three-year Super League licence from 2009.
Many fans are now split however over the media spotlight which is now in full glare over the sport, however many fans believe that Castleford have actually done a lot of harm to the Super League in the signing of Chambers. With Chambers openly admitting that not only does he not know the rules of the sport but he doesn’t actually know how many players there are on a team with many already believe he is been disrespectful to a sport even though he has been welcomed with open arms at Castleford. Many also believe that this lack of knowledge is also detrimental to the future of the game in that the 30 year old is holding the place of an emerging 20 year old that not only loves the sport but has trained and dedicated their youth to the prospect of a career in sport.Many fans believe the sport should be trying to do everything it can to distance itself from drugs and the cheats involved, however here the sport is actively working to involve a drugs cheat at the highest level sending out a message of disbelief to aspiring youngsters. Many fans also see his presence as a direct insult and show’s his disillusionment, Rugby League is one of the most skilful sports in the world, yet Dwain seems to believe that all you need is the ability to run fast. This is also been seen as a publicity stunt for Chambers who himself openly admits he still hopes to be able to compete in the 2008 Olympics and is still optimistic of mounting a legal challenge to his Olympic Ban.
But, some fans actually think that Chambers should be praised for his contribution to Rugby League, even though he hasn’t even played yet. With the media’s glare firmly on Castleford and the Super League the sprinter has put the sport firmly on the back pages for the first time in a long time, with chambers having more column inches than the sport has received for the whole first month of the Super League. Many also believe that this can only be good thing for the sport with it receiving interest from further a field than the M62 corridor. The benefits to Castleford are potentially huge with the leagues bottom club desperately in need of a boost on the pitch, off the pitch and in the bank, and the signing of Chambers gives the potential to solve them all in one move. Castleford Tigers Media Manger Craig Poskitt says, “It is a very positive move for both the team and the sport. His pace is electric and the team can only benefit from him playing”.
Just as Chambers is harbouring ambitions of swapping the track for the field, so too did Berwyn Jones, the British 100 yards record-holder who joined Wakefield Trinity in 1964. However he only played one game and then decided that infact he preferred it on the track and went back to sprinting. So could that be all that it would take to end this 30 day trial, just as some are calling for him to be thrown in against St Helens at the weekend could that actually bring an end to his Super League career rather than been the first game of many?
Even though Chambers will never be the next Lesley Vinakolou he does have the physical attributes to perform well especially as a winger and his bravery to move to one of the world’s toughest sports also has to be commended. If Chambers can silence his doubters, keep the spotlight on the sport and get the fans to flock to the jungle and cheer the Tiger’s to an unlikely win, then he could be the best thing to ever happen to Castleford and the Rugby Football League.
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