I reckon the social distinction in England was originally in the players ... amateur status was always less appealing to a coal miner or mill worker.

I had thought the social distinction in the stands for Rugby Union football evolved more with respect to Association football ... as in the old aphorism that (association) Football is a game watched by thugs and played by gentlemen, and Rugby Union is the opposite.

Mind you, Australia inherited the class distinctions between the two Rugby codes of football, with Rugby Union better supported in the big end of town and Rugby League better supported in the little end of town ... at least in Sydney and Brisbane.

OTOH, the class distinction in Australian Rules, in the "southern half" of the country, is more in terms of where you are sitting in the stands, like the NFL in the US.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.