AranhaHunter
Banned
Was talking to a friend about rugby and how its popularity is kind of rising in the US, a couple of my ex co workers were really big into rugby and actively participate in some type of city league. They both also said that rugby is getting bigger and bigger in the US. This got me thinking if Rugby could become the next "MLS" or "UFC" and become a major sport here.
A major professional sport leagues in the US is understood as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and some people say the MLS as well. There are other smaller professional leagues as well, such as WNBA, AFL, NASCAR, smaller hockey and baseball leagues, and so forth. According to wiki, out of the major sports, the average NBA game had the lowest average attendance with 17,274 per game and the MLS had the lowest annual revenue at $300 million.
The NFL is partnering up with the English Premier Rugby League with the intent of creating a professional rugby union competition in the US. There will be an exhibition game at Gillete stadium in Boston on August 10th between the London Irish and "US Barbarians" which will be a mix of International talent. The game will be televised on the NFL network.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbelzer/2013/05/17/nfl-plays-offensive-with-move-into-rugby/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/may/11/nfl-rugby-union-rugbylaw-barbarians-irish
Some problems I see is in trying to get Rugby mainstream are:
- Most people in the US still don't know much about rugby. Your day to day average Joe will not know the rules. I have done some researched, watched some games in the last WC, and I still have no idea how it all works. I know what a try is, but not sure when exactly they can kick the "extra point/field goal", or what a "ruck" or a "scrum" really is. So there will be some educating that will need to be done to educate young viewers and your average joe
- It's not a sanctioned sport by the NCAA and it's unlikely that it will ever be due to the need for parity for scholarships between male and female athletes and football being a male only sport. The schools can still compete against each other at the college level, but without the NCAA sanction, this could be a pretty huge deal and ultimately stop the ascension of rugby in the country
- AFAIK, there's rugby union, rugby league, and rugby sevens and they are all different things with different rules. I know sevens is seven people on each side and it'll be in the '16 olympics, but other than that I have no idea what the difference is or which one they plan on trying to build here in the US. This goes together with educating your average consumer
- There are a couple of rugby leagues in the US, but I don't think anyone has ever heard of them, I know I hadn't prior to doing some research
- I believe people were more familiar with soccer before the MLS than they are with Rugby. I went to Dick's Sporting goods this past week and there was no rugby equipment there, you could only get it online. Getting rugby to catch up here will be harder than it was for soccer
However, I also see some upsides:
- It is a violent sport, it is an exciting, non stop, action filled game and it could quench the thirst for folks that are pining for Football season to start during the spring season. Often times I hear people complaining that they can't wait for football season to start. Hell i'm hearing it now. This could, theoretically, give those fanatics a second, similar sport to watch during the spring and summer
- Utilize those top of the line, world class football stadiums during the NFL offseason and generate more revenue. If the NFL is being part of it, then I would assume the same stadiums would be used and some of the owners would create a rugby team for this new league. But then again, that might be wishful thinking and we can't expect rugby to fill up 80k+ seats, at least not yet
- Rugby is now an olympic sport, and while that doesn't guarantee american interest in the sport at a professional (volleyball, water polo), or even college/high school level (table tennis, team handball), it doesn't hurt
- The Rugby WC was televised in the US during late night hours and IIRC it did decent numbers
- I think it just recently got introduced in some HS at the varsity levels and there's youth programs out there now as well
Comparing it to soccer and how it is succeeding in the US, the MLS started with 10 games in '96 and is now at 19, with NY coming in in 2015, making it 20. They are now one of the Top 10 soccer leagues in the world and apparently looking to become Top 5 and expand further, back to having franchises in Florida, GA, and other markets. MLS - and futbol - are more popular in the US now than ever, IMO.
I think an American Rugby League could start the same way, I say start with 8-10 teams and expand from there based on popularity. Again, assuming NFL franchises are on board with this, and if I could pick any of them to start with, I would pick Giants/Jets, Cowboys, Dolphins, Falcons, Patriots, Bears, Broncos, Chargers, Steelers, Raiders with a season running from February until August.
My question is, could a rugby professional championship league in the US generate those type of numbers, at least $300 million in revenue, 20k average attendance, in 10 years? 20 years? I think it has every chance of succeeding and being profitable. Hell, even the WNBA is profitable and the WNBA sucks. It even has a chance of reaching major sport league status in the US, but then again, I think handball could be a relatively big sport in the US, as big as lacrosse or volleyball, due to it being a physical, non stop, high scoring game, but most americans thing of a kid's game when you mention handball, so you never really know.
tl;dr Do you think that a professional National Rugby League/Union could become a big, sustainable thing in the USA?
A major professional sport leagues in the US is understood as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and some people say the MLS as well. There are other smaller professional leagues as well, such as WNBA, AFL, NASCAR, smaller hockey and baseball leagues, and so forth. According to wiki, out of the major sports, the average NBA game had the lowest average attendance with 17,274 per game and the MLS had the lowest annual revenue at $300 million.
The NFL is partnering up with the English Premier Rugby League with the intent of creating a professional rugby union competition in the US. There will be an exhibition game at Gillete stadium in Boston on August 10th between the London Irish and "US Barbarians" which will be a mix of International talent. The game will be televised on the NFL network.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbelzer/2013/05/17/nfl-plays-offensive-with-move-into-rugby/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/may/11/nfl-rugby-union-rugbylaw-barbarians-irish
Some problems I see is in trying to get Rugby mainstream are:
- Most people in the US still don't know much about rugby. Your day to day average Joe will not know the rules. I have done some researched, watched some games in the last WC, and I still have no idea how it all works. I know what a try is, but not sure when exactly they can kick the "extra point/field goal", or what a "ruck" or a "scrum" really is. So there will be some educating that will need to be done to educate young viewers and your average joe
- It's not a sanctioned sport by the NCAA and it's unlikely that it will ever be due to the need for parity for scholarships between male and female athletes and football being a male only sport. The schools can still compete against each other at the college level, but without the NCAA sanction, this could be a pretty huge deal and ultimately stop the ascension of rugby in the country
- AFAIK, there's rugby union, rugby league, and rugby sevens and they are all different things with different rules. I know sevens is seven people on each side and it'll be in the '16 olympics, but other than that I have no idea what the difference is or which one they plan on trying to build here in the US. This goes together with educating your average consumer
- There are a couple of rugby leagues in the US, but I don't think anyone has ever heard of them, I know I hadn't prior to doing some research
- I believe people were more familiar with soccer before the MLS than they are with Rugby. I went to Dick's Sporting goods this past week and there was no rugby equipment there, you could only get it online. Getting rugby to catch up here will be harder than it was for soccer
However, I also see some upsides:
- It is a violent sport, it is an exciting, non stop, action filled game and it could quench the thirst for folks that are pining for Football season to start during the spring season. Often times I hear people complaining that they can't wait for football season to start. Hell i'm hearing it now. This could, theoretically, give those fanatics a second, similar sport to watch during the spring and summer
- Utilize those top of the line, world class football stadiums during the NFL offseason and generate more revenue. If the NFL is being part of it, then I would assume the same stadiums would be used and some of the owners would create a rugby team for this new league. But then again, that might be wishful thinking and we can't expect rugby to fill up 80k+ seats, at least not yet
- Rugby is now an olympic sport, and while that doesn't guarantee american interest in the sport at a professional (volleyball, water polo), or even college/high school level (table tennis, team handball), it doesn't hurt
- The Rugby WC was televised in the US during late night hours and IIRC it did decent numbers
- I think it just recently got introduced in some HS at the varsity levels and there's youth programs out there now as well
Comparing it to soccer and how it is succeeding in the US, the MLS started with 10 games in '96 and is now at 19, with NY coming in in 2015, making it 20. They are now one of the Top 10 soccer leagues in the world and apparently looking to become Top 5 and expand further, back to having franchises in Florida, GA, and other markets. MLS - and futbol - are more popular in the US now than ever, IMO.
I think an American Rugby League could start the same way, I say start with 8-10 teams and expand from there based on popularity. Again, assuming NFL franchises are on board with this, and if I could pick any of them to start with, I would pick Giants/Jets, Cowboys, Dolphins, Falcons, Patriots, Bears, Broncos, Chargers, Steelers, Raiders with a season running from February until August.
My question is, could a rugby professional championship league in the US generate those type of numbers, at least $300 million in revenue, 20k average attendance, in 10 years? 20 years? I think it has every chance of succeeding and being profitable. Hell, even the WNBA is profitable and the WNBA sucks. It even has a chance of reaching major sport league status in the US, but then again, I think handball could be a relatively big sport in the US, as big as lacrosse or volleyball, due to it being a physical, non stop, high scoring game, but most americans thing of a kid's game when you mention handball, so you never really know.
tl;dr Do you think that a professional National Rugby League/Union could become a big, sustainable thing in the USA?
I bet that would be fixed if they just picked one and only showed matches from that style but that isn't how coverage works here just yet.
