By Working Class Rugger -
August 16th 2009 @ 5:38am
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Loading ...Sleeping giant could be waking from a slumber
For as long as I can remember the USA has been referred to as the next great Rugby giant. The only problem being waking it up from its 80 year plus slumber.
Well it looks as if US Rugby is determined to give it the jolt needed for the necessary impetus for a further explosion.
This won’t be a long article. I suggest everyone who reads this posts visit this link.
This outlines US Rugby’s ambitions for the future of Rugby in the States. Some of them are as follows:
1. To crack the magical 100,000 player mark by December, 2009. Currently, according to their projections, they have a touch over 91,000.
2. Give the best indication yet of the plans underway for an elite College competition planned for 2010.
3. Early details of a six team city based Pro Competition planned for the autumn (fall) of 2010 prior to the America’s Rugby Championship. Supposedly talks are well underway with several investors and ESPN.
4. Finally, to facilitate further growth of media exposure of Rugby in the USA. In 2006 it totalled less than 10 hours. This year it will total more than 100 plus hours.
These are just a few points. It is rather interesting reading. With the possible inclusion of Rugby at the Olympics, the giant may be beginning to stir.
By the way, there has been another Rugby movie or more accurately a documentary made called A Giant Awakens.
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LeftArmSpinner said | August 16th 2009 @ 8:42am | Report comment
Lets hope so. it will add a lot to international rugby. big fast players. I like it. Hmm, sounds much like the Boks at the moment. I’m interested in how they choose to play the game, hopefully entertaining the crowds.
Hansie said | August 16th 2009 @ 10:22am | Report comment
Watch out if the USA ever gets serious about rugby. Imagine all those NFL rejects playing rugby. What an outlet for great athletes.
Robbo said | August 16th 2009 @ 10:30am | Report comment
Well if it ever happens I can’t wait to see what the African Americans might do.
sylvain said | August 16th 2009 @ 12:40pm | Report comment
Thanks for the link and talking about US rugby ! There’s currently no way to make a living out of rugby in the US. There’s a quote from one of the Eagles in the documentary “All around the world players are paid to play rugby. in the US, it’s generally the other way around!”. True, even in D1, players are paying due and for their plane trips ! Creating a pro sevens and XV league will help attract cross athletes from football or track, and inspire high school and college players, to make a career out of rugby in their own country, hopefully soon !
Dave said | August 16th 2009 @ 3:00pm | Report comment
There is a way to make a living playing league in the US though
http://www.nrlus.com/nrlnews/23-rugbyleagueworldarticle.html
therealalekid said | August 16th 2009 @ 9:40pm | Report comment
The NRL-US website hasn’t been updated for four months now and the details have always been at best obtuse. There has been article recently, but that provided more questionmarks than answers.
They stated that they wanted to base their League on the pro Lacrosse League, as we see below though Major League Lacrosse is a small geographically tight league comprising of six teams to keep costs down
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Major_League_Lacrosse_team_locations.PNG
. How can NRL US fund an 8 team League including teams from California to Chicago and Texas. All within a budget of $25 million.
Is attendances of 5 to 10000 even a realistic prediction of potential gates.
Lastly this whole scheme is based on getting Rugby Union players to switch, especially graduates. This begs the question how much they can afford to pay them in England the everage wage is 60k for jouneyman player. i’ve read that potential average wages could be as low as 18k a year for college kids, will they go professional for that.
As a comparison 10 years ago Germany had an excellent RU youth team and their great rivals were the Georgians. After one major tournament team from France both offered a number of players from each team pro contracts. The Georgians to the man signed professionally as earning 20k playing Rugby France. the Germans though rejected and they all returned and want to get further education or jobs it was financially not worthwhile to go pro. This is partiallly why the Germans have had to fund their own national RU academies.
Many people believe the NRL-US was defunct to begin with, I’m not to sure. i think they’ve realised that RU is growing to fast catch up via grass roots. So, the only option is to try and launch a pro League first and hope that the players, colleges and high schools will all jump ship.
As for a Rugby Union pro comp, I’ve seen other formats before and its important not to get hopes to up. The elite college league is the most important piece of news and it is good to get some commitment on writing.
I also find this a staggering achievement:
//1. To crack the magical 100,000 player mark by December, 2009. Currently, according to their projections, they have a touch over 91,000.\\\
I was under the impression that current projections were at 82,000 that is way above that.
USA rugby is on the move, although if I was a betting man I would say that Russia is the sleeping giant that will make the next breakthrough.
Working Class Rugger said | August 16th 2009 @ 2:51pm | Report comment
The most siginificant development has to be the planned establishment of the College League. They will be very important towards manning the planned Pro Comp both now and into the future. Could be the start of something big. First 6 add in the Canadians could soon be 10 and from there who knows.
Working Class Rugger said | August 16th 2009 @ 3:13pm | Report comment
USARugby are looking to use it as a selection platform for USA Select team in the Americas Rugby Championship. With this plan it does seem the Rugby in the USA is beginning to connect the dots. The College League is the most exciting. A Pro Rugby Comp. will be fanastic especially in lifting the standard of the Eagles. Chasing some more info down it appears that USARugby are discussing TV coverage via either ESPN or ABC or even a mixture of both. Basically it will be an expansion of their current relationships. The College League is planned to be broadcast too.
Dave
Mate, I heard that it was reported in Big League magazine that plans for the nrlus nad been put off for 2010. And that the supposed TV that was touted to be announced come March 09 never eventuated. It no secret I’m not the biggest League fan, but I’d still rather see it at some level in the US than their native football code. But how can this League possibly be viable. There doesn’t appear to be any real infrastructure below the current RL comp.
Pippinu said | August 16th 2009 @ 3:20pm | Report comment
Anyone who can get their hands on those College students who just miss out on professional contracts is on to a good thing.
There have been some involved in aussie rules who have dreamed about this since the mid 70s (but no one has ever really given it any serious consideration).
Dave said | August 17th 2009 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
The Swans got their hands on a Rugby player from canada.
However, not many blokes that tall can run that fast and play on the wing in Union
Working Class Rugger said | August 16th 2009 @ 4:49pm | Report comment
Pip
Their is a section in the report that outlines a program that they have launched to do that very thing both in College and in High School. In High Schools alone there is a wealth of talented athletes running around in Basketball,Wrestling, Athletics and Gridiron that Rugby could realistically provide a avenue through to College alternatively to the original sport.
Only a tiny percentage of all High School athleyes go onto College in their field. Many often miss out by the smallest of margins. Their still fanastic athletes but the guy ahead of them was that one one-hundredth faster and he/she got the spot.
The American Secondary and Tertiary School (Jnr High, Hign School and College) are probably the most competitive elite talent identification model in the world.
Pippinu said | August 17th 2009 @ 12:44pm | Report comment
Dave
no doubt the Swans wouldn’t have had a look at him unless he had the athletic goods (which he clearly does).
WCR
I’m not an expert in this field, but I gather there’s a gold mine of athletic talent wating to be mined if anyone can get in at that exact point (still young enough, have shown stacks to just miss out on a scholarship, etc)
True Tah said | August 16th 2009 @ 6:53pm | Report comment
Would love to see what Barry Sanders could have done with a rugby ball, that bloke could make space in a telephone box with an elephant.
The Americans are going about this the right way, in that focusing on getting the game into schools around the country, and from what Ive heard, plenty of young African-American men are getting introduced to the game.
Working Class Rugger said | August 16th 2009 @ 7:25pm | Report comment
USARugby and Play Rugby USA are working on getting Rugby into disadvantaged communitiesnationally in the States. Not to mention their work in other demographics. Already there is a trickle of Polynesian Americans arriving in the Eagles squad expect that to strengthen along with the greater involvment of African-American players in the future. For all the critism that USARugby cops from within its community they fif identify this issue early on and are trying to develop it.
Working Class Rugger said | August 16th 2009 @ 7:26pm | Report comment
One example of the slow but increasing success in involving African Americans look toward the Hyde Comphrensive High School in Washington DC. Americas first all black Rugby program. A highly successful one at that.
Stash said | August 16th 2009 @ 7:33pm | Report comment
A 6 team series – that’s got to be interesting.
The movie Invictus should bring about a lot of awareness for rugby in the US. While many americans know little about Mandela or rugby – Eastwood brings in the crowds at the box office, so the US will be talking rugby – which has to be good.
Clint Eastwood filming the Haka – that sounds great (the ABs are the evil team while the Boks are the golden team).
Ben J said | August 18th 2009 @ 9:38pm | Report comment
You would not even have imagined it 20 years ago.
Stash said | August 16th 2009 @ 7:36pm | Report comment
Actually Eastwood is a big rugby fan – so the rugby scenes are bound to be from a fans perspective.
Shahsan said | August 16th 2009 @ 7:52pm | Report comment
Thanks for that. Good article and good links.
Working Class Rugger said | August 16th 2009 @ 7:56pm | Report comment
Stash
Old Clint is a Rugby fan. You learn something new everyday Thanks to my Dad’s obseession with his movie’s I tend to cringe hearing his name but hey he must be a good bloke. If the AB’s are the evil team then big Jonah Lomu is the devil himself in the movie. I’m looking forward to its release. Eastwood is a fantastic director and this movie should draw alot of interest. Should go well at the box office. And expose many Americans to the story of Nelson Mandela and of course the great game of Rugby Union..
sheek said | August 16th 2009 @ 8:10pm | Report comment
And at the risk of sounding like a scratched vinyl record (for those who can remember), when the Yanks eventually get their rugby act together, they’ll kick the Aussies down another rung.
Unless of course, the Aussies themselves get their act together!
Working Class Rugger said | August 16th 2009 @ 8:16pm | Report comment
Sheek
I just look forward to the day when the Wallabies can play the Eagle in a real test match. I’d pay to go see that.
sheek said | August 16th 2009 @ 9:16pm | Report comment
WCR,
Be careful what you wish for – one day the Eagles might be as good as the ABs & Boks combined. Now that’s a scary thought!
Dean Pantio said | August 17th 2009 @ 3:43pm | Report comment
It’s also one not grounded in reality.
OldManEmu said | August 16th 2009 @ 8:22pm | Report comment
Working Class Rugger said | August 16th 2009 @ 9:46pm | Report comment
Sheek
Rugby is an increasingly international game. The same nation cannot dominate forever. Though I not that worried. Rugby is a cultural thing with NZ,SA and even Aus (though admittedly alot that is RL). We have always punched above our weight, iot will continue.
pothale said | August 17th 2009 @ 1:04am | Report comment
Without wishing to be pedantic, I don’t understand how US rugby could be a sleeping giant finally awaking from slumber.
Does this metaphor not imply that the US were already or previously great, and are now, according to the author, waking from slumber to be a giant once again?
US rugby is but a small boy in comparison to other rugby nations in terms of talent, competitions, leagues, and professional players. Is the author postulating that the US small boy is potentially growing into a giant of the game?
For that, I’m gonna wait and see.
Yikes said | August 17th 2009 @ 8:00am | Report comment
pothale – well, they are the reigning Gold Medal holders in rugby at the Olympics!
Ziggy said | August 17th 2009 @ 11:00am | Report comment
To be sure they are the Sleeping Giant and they appear to be going about tit the right way. If they ever got serious they would soon be No 1 as they bring their athletes and coaching prowess into the arena.
MarkH said | August 17th 2009 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
Any sport thats in the Olympics gets noticed by any nation that can compete. I suspect that the USA will place as much emphasis on it as it does swimming or anything else.
Look out. Mr Henry or Mr Deans could find themselves offered something they wont refuse.
Pippinu said | August 17th 2009 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
To be honest – and this is not to downplay the acceptance of rugby into the Olympics, which I favour – there are stacks of sports in the Olympics that are pretty much ignored by, well, everyone.
Working Class Rugger said | August 17th 2009 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
The Realalekid
At the beginning of 2009 Rugby in the USA had 82,000 players. The projection of 91,000 is for December 2009. But they have stated that they will be working to topple the 100,000 mark.
Yes, I have heard of and read plans of the like of a Pro League several times before. And it would be a positive step in the right direction but the College Leagues is by far the most significant. A College League is the key piece of infrastructure thar Rugby needs to supply not only the talent for any future League and the fan base to follow it. Will also have a significant flow on effect to the Eagles.
I questioned the ability of League in the US to establish a Pro League of there own. You need the infrastructure to ensure success. They seem to be hoping to just feed of Rugby. It seemed a bit of a cop out ti me.
USRugbyFan said | August 17th 2009 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
An elite league consisting of the top college programs in the US playing regular nationally televised games against one another throughout the spring, when football is on the back burner and basketball is over, is the best thing that could happen for rugby in the United States. American fans recognize names like Cal, BYU, Army, Navy, and Penn State, and running a successful competition that brings in fans, receives alumni support, and would hopefully gain support from the involved school’s athletic departments would boost rugby tremendously.
I’m suspicious of this “city based league” that’s only supposed to run for two months before the American Rugby Championship. If USA Rugby tries to set this up as a warm up competition with all the focus on the ARC it’s going to fail. I don’t believe the ARC will be that successful from a marketing standpoint. American fans don’t care about what is essentially an A side competition with a few teams from Canada and Argentina. They’ll rightly see it as a bush league set up. To be successful, USA Rugby needs to look at what MLS has done and take a page from their book. Maybe start out with a 6 team league, with 2 teams in Vancouver and Toronto, and run it from February to June or July, perhaps with a 12 or 14 game schedule. Get it on ESPN or ESPN2 and sell it to sponsors and market the crap out of it, any way you can. Even than it’s no guaranteed success. Lacrosse, which has deep roots on the East Coast and is the fastest growing youth participatory sport in America is still struggling to market itself professionally.
Working Class Rugger said | August 17th 2009 @ 2:32pm | Report comment
USRugbyFan
I’m hoping they see sense and play the proposed ‘City Based League’ on a home and away basis. With a final series. So hopefully 12 weeks in total. At first they should play the first year independent of Canada. But I definitely support the introduction of Canadian teams. They have established their own U20’s League so they’ll be competitive. Maybe the second year. Getting televised would be essential. Which I actually won’t be that much of a stretch. Play it after the NFL season. Try and capture some of that audience on a regular basis. If marketed correctly it could have potential. But as you have made clear no one should even begin to believe this will be easy.
The College League could be the Pro League’s strength. I’m assuming that the Pro teams would recruit directly out of this League. A College League with actual programs would drastically boost the quality of Rugby being played in fromt of new and existing audiences. College sports seem to be the backbone of all sports in the USA. That seems to be the case when viewing from afar. Already teams like Cal, BYU and Kutztown drawn 2-3,000 a game.
Its good to see that Rugby in the US is planning to move away from the SuperLeague. Admirable attempt but ultimately flawed as the Premier Club Comp. With a prospective Pro League the Super League should be looking to develop itself as the step directly below it. Establish working relationships with the Pro teams. Help to develop depth. Many possible Rugby athletes won’t always go to College. So the Super League would be the ideal place for the to develop in the view of the possible Pro League.
Working Class Rugger said | August 17th 2009 @ 2:41pm | Report comment
UsRugbyFan
Rugby has an advantage over Lacrosse. It is similar enough in repects to American Football. To be honest I haven’t seen alot of Lacrosse but from what I have seen it lacks the bit hits and spectacular athletism that Rugby and American Football offer.
It’s has been an interesting time watching the progress of Rugby in the US. The Women’s CBL looks promising. They are already looking to expand that from 4 teams to 12 with the possibility of 16 for next year.
Pippinu said | August 17th 2009 @ 2:57pm | Report comment
WCR
I played a bit of lacrosse in my youth (there are a few lacrosse clubs in the Western suburbs of Melbourne). Certainly a great game to play, and requires a bit of skill to play properly.
It’s pretty huge in Canada (where it originates), and I presume it’s a fairly well known across the border, but probably not as popular as it is in Canada.
But the thing is that it’s completely different to most games (although North Americans may liken some aspects of it to Hockey).
Wtih Rugby having some similarities to Gridiron, I imagine that that can be both a positive and a negative (recalling just how massive the NFL is), i.e. you don’t necessarily want Americans to compare the two because their loyalty will always be with their own brand of football – it’s actuallly more important to emphasise the difference rather than any likeness.
Working Class Rugger said | August 17th 2009 @ 3:01pm | Report comment
Pip.
The similarities are a double edged sword. It will be up to USARugby to create and emphasis of its points of difference. But it would be those similarites that would at least initially attract them to watch.
Marlin Roberts said | August 18th 2009 @ 12:33am | Report comment
The USA is a “sleeping giant” at soccer too.
The US soccer team is seeing some improvement, but if you look at the difference in participation in soccer vs. rugby (maybe 100-1 in favor of soccer) it looks bleak.
I know people are excited for rugby 7’s in the Olympics…..but it’s just a fetish. Only way to amp up the Int. game is to take rejects from NFL and jam them into rugby. There is a guy (Leonard something…) who just started playin 7’s for the US and he use to be a saftey in the NFL for the Bears…..But let’s be serious. He only made their practice squad and only for 1 year. Talk about on the margins….he went to the University of Hawaii to only add to the marginality.
When we start getting guys that went on to play a bit in the NFL (not practice squad) or from bigtime football programs cross over….that’s when interest will start to cook stateside.
Imagine if US Rugby signed Mike Vick? Now that’s buzz….and buzz is all that;s necessary to get the gam on tv and get people into it. The spring and summer post NFL season is a very depressing time in the states for sports fans. Rugby could capitalize on this-especially if they had some former NFL guys in the mix. Everyone would want to see how they do “without the pads” because it’s considered crazy by gridiron sorts-only if they have never played rugby before.
If they have they know how counterintuitive it is….because the pads make collisions hurt so much more than without.
This sort of gimmickry would catapult rugby interest more than 50 years of “grassroots” funding and involvement. It’s just a matter of time before someone with pull “gets it”.
captain nemo said | August 18th 2009 @ 9:49am | Report comment
“if” the USA ever evolved into a top 8 international side, would be a huge spring tour for the wallabies, AB’s and Boks. London, Paris New York, sounds like a perfume bottle!!!!
USRugbyFan said | August 18th 2009 @ 3:05pm | Report comment
WCR:
Ideally a pro rugby league in the US should start in late Feburary soon after the Super Bowl to capitalize on the legions of despondant football fans suddenly lacking in a contact sport. It would help rugby establish itself as the “spring contact sport”. I think even more than getting NFL and college football castoffs into rugby, USA Rugby really needs to push high school rugby for football players. If high school football coaches saw rugby as a legitimate way to keep their players in shape and working on related skills throughout the spring rather than running track or something, it would be huge. Not only would it help legitimize rugby to their peers, but high caliber athletes might realize they enjoy rugby more and if they had an opportunity to play high level rugby in college (College Super League) than you might see more great athletes choose rugby over football over basketball.
Re lacrosse, sure it looks strange but US Lacrosse has been doing everything that USA Rugby hasn’t to grow the game and it’s working for them. Kids love it, it’s on TV and in the public eye more and more, games are being played in NFL stadiums, and draw crowds rugby can only dream of. Hard to argue with that.
Marlin Roberts said | August 18th 2009 @ 8:02pm | Report comment
Having USA Rugby “push highschool football coaches to push rugby for football players off season etc…..
1) I would bet against USA Rugby being able to push a shopping cart-but even if they did….
2) Why would a football coach want to expose the player to the injury risk? Unless he didn’t have use for them?
3) Even if they did…..it would take 100 years to work. Develoment occurs when the kids themselves want to play like…
4) From the current status….it looks like USA Rugby has been emulating Lacrosse. They’re in a race to see which sport can be the most irrelevent to Americans.
Just jam ex nfl guys in and see who makes it. Think ESPN would cover all the rugby highlights of Edgerrin James or Donte Stallworth….how bout Plaxico Burress. Buzz would be MONSTER and kids would dig seeing how they’re hero’s handle the no pads game. 100 yrs of coaches whispering sweet nothings to their charges about the benefits of rugby couldn’t hold a candle to seeing if T.O could give it a go.
Pippinu said | August 18th 2009 @ 9:22pm | Report comment
This post makes the very most sense since, well, since I last read one of my own!!
ThelmaWrites said | August 18th 2009 @ 9:11pm | Report comment
Just a thought: if the United States becomes a force in world rugby, we can expect refereeing to be of a higher standard than at present. We wouldn’t be bleating about the refs day after day, week after week. They’d be singing from the same page.
Pippinu said | August 18th 2009 @ 9:25pm | Report comment
This would be especially useful in games played in Melbourne. The ref could turn to the main stand and say through the loud speaker: “infringement against that big bugger down there looking like a beached whale for failing to release the ball in an offside position betwixt the advantage line and the three quarter blind side Freddy or something or another”.
We Southerners might finally understand what the hell’s going on!!!
Working Class Rugger said | August 18th 2009 @ 9:48pm | Report comment
USRugbyFan
That’s pretty much my thinking in regards to High School Rugby. Marlin keeps saying get an ex-NFL player to increase exposure. Which would probably work. However, this is unlikely unless they are exposed to Rugby. High School would be perfect. Rugby needs to focus its effeorts toward High School Football player’s and Wrestler’s as an appropriate off season sport. It could work. With a Elite College league to go to those who miss out on Football/Basketball/Wrestling scholarships would have another option and some of the most talented might choose it as their first.
If both Leagues are established and televised it would be prudent to give explanations via the refs and on screen to familarise the rules to new audiences.
The College League would be pretty predictable in terms of who. Cal, BYU etc. Being a College thing most of the hard marketing and promotion will be done within the circles to build attendance. Whilst TV promotion would grow the general public’s awareness.
For the possible Pro League, hopefully more details will arrive by early next year. It would be essential for all parties to get it established asap. They will need to set up shop early on so they can promote the Comp in their local communities intensively to draw support. Six months should surfice.
ThelmaWrites said | August 18th 2009 @ 9:53pm | Report comment
Pippinu
“it’s actually more important to emphasize the difference rather than the likeness”.
My grad school supervisor was a kiwi who earned his MS from Victoria Uni and his PhD from U of Wisconsin. He liked both rugby and gridiron because of their difference: gridiron is like a military campaign wherewas rugby was more random. Let’s hope the Americans see it that way too.
Working Class Rugger said | August 18th 2009 @ 10:21pm | Report comment
Thelmawrites
Their is a lot of differences. But it the few similarities that would intially draw people to the game will certainly help.
Working Class Rugger said | August 18th 2009 @ 10:45pm | Report comment
This is completely off topic. But still focuses on Rugby. The Dutch Rugby Board has established its own Rugby Academy in its West District. I’m assuming that the West of the Country. From what I have read. It will involve a 6 year program for player’s 12 to 18. U12’s player’s at the Academy will train an average of 12 hours a weeks and will increase each year. The 18’s will train up to 20 hours a week with the Academy. The DRB are expecting the jumior Dutch squads to be entirely dominated by these Academy player’s in the years to come.
They are obviously trying to boost the standard of Dutch Rugby. Should be interesting to see if it does.
Working Class Rugger said | August 18th 2009 @ 10:57pm | Report comment
It’s based in the North-West City of Alkmaar. And there are plans to expand their talent development program Nationwide in the next year aswell as opening another Academy.
USRugbyFan said | August 19th 2009 @ 7:38am | Report comment
Marlin:
What’s better, getting athletes to learn the strategy and nuances of rugby at a young age like in other established countries or taking a bunch of guys who know nothing about the sport, chucking them a ball and saying “Here, play”? Sure, the former will take a longer time but it will pay off better. Look at soccer, just now we’re beginning to see players like Altidore, Donovan and Onyewu establish themselves and the team, and it’s still a work in progress.