USA creating a professional Rugby League?

[mj44]

new zealand could kiss that number 1 spot goodbye sooner than expected

What, like how Australia has a better cricket team than inda? Or why america is often not the best in baseball? Etc etc etc. Population doesn't necessarily decide how good a national team will be. Anyway, there are so many winter sports in the US that the rugby market will never get too large anyway, and thanks to much lower salaries will rarely draw first-rate athletes. In the end the US market might become large enough to become a competitive rugby nation, but not large enough to upset the balance between the international nations.

I hope rugby does grow strongly in the US, as I hope it grows more strongly in Canada, Argentina and Japan etc.

 

[Dmx#1]

I think if Rugby was Americas number one sport they would be the best. For one simple reason: Money. I wouldn't doubt that they would develop their own talent but they'd also buy players from overseas. Although i think NZers in general are pretty loyal, loyalty can only go so far. Money changes everything.

 

[Darkest Wish]

I seriously hope this league goes somewhere. It's really difficult to catch Rugby games anywhere here in the States.

Even with Satellite. And staying up all night.

 

[Brodizzle]

I would LOVE if the USA tried to follow the route of some of the other sports by having a World Series with only US teams And by love I mean pay personally for the Force to go over there and break some skulls. :bana:

 

[davymark]

Hey everyone, I'm new here, but here's my two cents.

One I saw a RSL game in Boston a couple of months ago, my team was the warm up game, and I would say that maybe 100 people were there for the main event. So I don't know how they run that league or advertise, but it seemed pretty amateurish.

Second, I don't know if someone has already posted this but I found this website:


http://www.super20rugby.com/news/default.asp

This seems interesting, anyway rugby will arrive eventually, keep your heads up!

 

[mj44]

I would LOVE if the USA tried to follow the route of some of the other sports by having a World Series with only US teams

To be fair they only do this with sports they invented. While the so-called "World Series" is inaccurate in that it only features american teams, it does feature the cream of the crop of international players, so effectively is a "world series" of domestic baseball.

Calling the superbowl winners "world champs" is unbelievable though.

 

[feicarsinn]

actually its because a paper called the world originally sponsored the baseball final thingy. and well who apart from the yanks cares aboot nfl

 

[DC]

I would LOVE if the USA tried to follow the route of some of the other sports by having a World Series with only US teams

To be fair they only do this with sports they invented. While the so-called "World Series" is inaccurate in that it only features american teams, it does feature the cream of the crop of international players, so effectively is a "world series" of domestic baseball.

Calling the superbowl winners "world champs" is unbelievable though. [/b]

but honestly who in the world could possibly beat the superbowl champion

 

[Hosscooper]

Well I've listened or read carefully to all the replys, and I guess I'll add a couple of things here. 1st America could be a force the question is will we be? There are a lot of ex football players who if they would could play rugby, and probably would be good at it. The problem as I see it is that they are entreched in the dream of playing NFL football, and the will not substitute anything else for that dream. Never mind they could be playing rugby right now! 2nd the American mind set is very similar, and tradition is a force to be reckond with, but! I belive rugby could be advertised as an Extreme sport. I think this is how alot of youth see it. Rugby no matter what has a reputation which is held by most people as a harsh, crude, rough, drunken sport with no thought other than to hurt the other guy. Having played a couple of games now, and watched several international games I can see there is much more thought put in to playing this game by all involved than football ever thought about. NFL football is all set plays. Rugby is set plays, but also making it up on the fly. Until we as players can get people to take rugby more seriously, and well give it a try for what it actually is, not just some drunken sport for thugs. Then our league will have a chance. I hope it does well ,and makes head way. Our team has a lot of High school kids ,and a good sized u-13 group of kids. We are trying to truly help our sport, by showing them what it's all about. I know USA RUgby is supporting this, but it's gonna take a while to change the minds of enough people to get a whole leauge off the ground. One thing that would help is some truly great leaders who people could look at and say I want my kids to grow up like that guy! Some of the international players are close to what people would like to see. Sorry this is so long, but This is what I think we need. HOSS C.

 

[DC]

i think something that will also help out a league here is how approachable rugby guys are, they arent stuck up dick heads like the guys in the nba or nfl and for the most part are very nice and approachable people.

i think the genuine good nature of most rugby players will help the sport a lot, and give kids real heroes.. ones who care about winning, and give it all just to get the job done on the field.

 

[O'Rothlain]

Well I've listened or read carefully to all the replys, and I guess I'll add a couple of things here. 1st America could be a force the question is will we be? There are a lot of ex football players who if they would could play rugby, and probably would be good at it. The problem as I see it is that they are entreched in the dream of playing NFL football, and the will not substitute anything else for that dream. Never mind they could be playing rugby right now! 2nd the American mind set is very similar, and tradition is a force to be reckond with, but! I belive rugby could be advertised as an Extreme sport. I think this is how alot of youth see it. Rugby no matter what has a reputation which is held by most people as a harsh, crude, rough, drunken sport with no thought other than to hurt the other guy. Having played a couple of games now, and watched several international games I can see there is much more thought put in to playing this game by all involved than football ever thought about. NFL football is all set plays. Rugby is set plays, but also making it up on the fly. Until we as players can get people to take rugby more seriously, and well give it a try for what it actually is, not just some drunken sport for thugs. Then our league will have a chance. I hope it does well ,and makes head way. Our team has a lot of High school kids ,and a good sized u-13 group of kids. We are trying to truly help our sport, by showing them what it's all about. I know USA RUgby is supporting this, but it's gonna take a while to change the minds of enough people to get a whole leauge off the ground. One thing that would help is some truly great leaders who people could look at and say I want my kids to grow up like that guy! Some of the international players are close to what people would like to see. Sorry this is so long, but This is what I think we need. HOSS C. [/b]

This "extreme sport" aspect is what I hate. A bunch of dumbf___s who don't actually know shite about rugby. We can't carry the current club format into proffesionalism, because a bunch of drunk lazy ******** won't draw crowds...that's what we have now...it's sure fun socially, but you can't actually talk rugby with anyone. I think this is the weakest way to over-promote it. I think patience and a generation will help Rugby solidify itself. Slow but steady should be the course.

 

[Prestwick]

This "extreme sport" aspect is what I hate. A bunch of dumbf___s who don't actually know shite about rugby. We can't carry the current club format into proffesionalism, because a bunch of drunk lazy ******** won't draw crowds...that's what we have now...it's sure fun socially, but you can't actually talk rugby with anyone. I think this is the weakest way to over-promote it. I think patience and a generation will help Rugby solidify itself. Slow but steady should be the course.
[/b]

 

[feicarsinn]

major league hockey figures are dropping to below that of mls so thats not really a great example

 

[Hosscooper]

I think DC got what I was after. The fact that anyone "could" walk up and talk to a rugby guy is exactly what would draw people to rugby. As far as the extreme thing well I'll agree I don't like the appelation either, but thats how it is viewed. A fringe thing. One of the reasons I like Hockey better than Football is because the players are more real "accesseable". Also there less whiney, and actually play because they still love the game. Not just money. If they mouthed off like some football players do they'd get whacked! I think rugby has all this and more. Slow and steady is always best, but at some point we're all gonna have to step up and get r done! HOSS C. :cheers:

 

[davymark]

Another huge problem in the US is that most people don't even learn of rugby before college. Or later, I didn't start playing until I was 24. Missing out on a decade or more of training sure doesn't help me. The revolution will start when more kids are playing touch or light contact. I think USA Rugby to their credit are doing a lot of grassroots organizing of youth rugby, so we will see.

 

[Drquinn2021]

I second Davymark. Most Americans don't learn the game until college. That means only a smaller number of American's know the game and can understand what's going on when watching it on TV. Without TV rights, not many professional sports will thrive in the US.

 

[moonnerd]

I seriously hope this league goes somewhere. It's really difficult to catch Rugby games anywhere here in the States.

Even with Satellite. And staying up all night.
[/b]

same here

 

[Lardinho]

Getting rugby a higher profile in the USA would be amazing for the game. I've said this to friends for years, that if the Americans could really take ahold of rugby and become a world force, it would only be good for the game in widening the elite teams. Also I think it would be superb to develop the game in China, Brazil and India. Think of the size of the US footballers they get, those guys are freakish in size some of them, and yes I know rugby will never be as popular as US football, but people love to be heroes and there will always be a few who will see their chance to do it on the rugby field.

Also someone mentioned about MLS not working well for the US, as far as I remember, they did pretty well in the last world cup and with Beckham's high profile move to the USA, the sport there has never been higher.

It would be amazing to see the USA get to the quarters of the world cup, just as the Argentine's got to the semi's this time, breaking new ground with more nations coming through. If they had enough money, they could pay Martin Johnson to help sell the game in the USA, world cup winning captain and huge Gridiron fan, he could do some talks on the similarities from Gridiron and rugby, the fact that Gridiron originally started as rugby with a few different rules and developed etc. and try and convert a few fans. I will be supporting Chicago rugby, being a lifelong Bears fan.