American rugby in danger of imploding
Roar Guru By Working Class Rugger, 4 Feb 2010 Working Class Rugger is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- American Eagles, International Rugby, Rugby Union, US Rugby
Related coverage
I recently read an article on Rugbymag.com regarding the future of the Rugby Super League in the United States. To informed Rugby fans, the loss of teams like Belmont Shore and Co. has raised questions about the development of US Rugby’s top line championship.
Whatever the outcome, the main issue is the identification of talent for the Eagles.
Any retraction could be possibly fatal to the ever improving Eagles, as they strive to improve their overall playing standard and competitiveness leading into a World Cup year.
The author of the article suggests the opening up of the RSL: introducing a number of new conferences to include much of the RSL and Division 1 Championship teams.
This, I believe, would be fool-hearted considering two of the nation’s strongest clubs have voluntarily dropped out of the RSL due to the financial pressure created by competing in the league.
The simple fact of the matter is that these clubs individually would not be able to sustain the finances necessary to remain competitive in such an open championship and could lead to the possible collapse of the RSL altogether.
However, amongst the angst created by these withdrawals, there is a glaring opportunity on the horizon. Some time ago, I posted an article regarding the consolidation and amalgamation of the current RSL teams.
The whole idea is the adoption of a streamlined Championship based along the one team, one city principle.
Some may say this is a retraction, but how can creating a potentially stronger competition be a retraction?
Instead of NYAC and Old Blue or the Chicago Lions and Griffins there would simply be New York Athletic and the Chicago Lions. The same could be said for Boston Rugby Club and the Irish Wolfhounds.
It could be the Boston Irish.
I’m not suggesting the death of any of the current teams – they would still exist as separate entities, competing as usual in their respective local leagues. But at the highest level, the combination of resources and talent would lead to a far stronger Championship.
Instead of sixteen teams in two conferences, the re-named RSL, to be known as the Rugby Football League (RFL), would consist of ten teams playing a home and away season.
Forming increasingly professional organisations would be to the direct benefit of American rugby. I would note that the Championship does not necessarily need to be professional. But it will give these teams the ability to draw in higher numbers of supporters and sponsorship, as well as increase the facilities and resources, like gaining access to better grounds capable of supporting future growth.
Considering that US Rugby are looking to establish an elite tier of College Rugby in the near future, and recent developments of BBC America broadcasting the 6 Nations into the States, as well as Fox moving to purchase the assets of Setanta USA, including their content, not to mention the momentum created by 7s inclusion in the Olympics, the time has come for a re-structuring of American rugby.
The RSL served a purpose, but that purpose has since passed. The RFL is the right step in the right direction.
Recommend this story.
The Turkey 10
The Turkey 10 teams have now been selected, as Wild Turkey Bourbon's sport sponsorship kicks into the next exciting phase.
Choose which side you're going to support and get in the running to win $2,500!
Simply visit Wild Turkey Australia on Facebook for your chance to win.
Find out more.
- Explore:
- American Eagles, International Rugby, Rugby Union, US Rugby
February 4th 2010 @ 3:52am
Jimmy Nellis said | February 4th 2010 @ 3:52am | Report comment
American rugby is fine. Enthusiasts belong to local clubs, play their season and have a grand time. This occurs at the mens Club, University, HS and Grade school levels (though far less common the earlier in age grouping you go).
The only “problem” is for those grasping at some whimsical notion that within the sport their is an NBA, NFL or MLB just waiting to be developed.
Not gonna happen.
If the USA Eagle Rugby brass is so concerned about talent evaluation they can at least start off with contracting viable athletes to compete on the world stage-NFL/NBA castoffs or wanna- be’s in BB or football or other sports. Place them in a training program to learn the game skill set and see if they pan out.
AT LEAST you would know that you have a high caliber of athlete (rugby players in the US would’nt be if they had the athletic ability to play any of the other $$ professional sport.).
ADDITIONALLY you would get massive media coverage due to the story line that former Whoever of the NFL or NBA etc is trying a new sport etc….
Rugby in the states viewed from the professional league or ever fielding a viable international team perspective…..without the above is best described as “Move along….Nothing to see here”.
February 4th 2010 @ 8:28am
Working Class Rugger said | February 4th 2010 @ 8:28am | Report comment
Jimmy
Expecting any Rugby competition in the US to one day transform into a NFL/NBA is just silly. And I don’t believe I brought that up anyway. What I was trying to get across is that currently the individual clubs competing are finding it difficult to maintain the long distance travel. My suggestion is simply that locations such as New York, Chicago, Boston and LA who all have multiples teams compete merge to form stronger, stable and competitive competition. Professionalism isn’t a necessity just an improvement on the current set up.
BTW, the title is rather alarmist and not my original. I keep an interest in the progess of Rugby in the States and imploding is hardly the word to describe its progress. All I ment was that the RSL has nearly run its course and should move toward a higher level of competition to better serve the growth of the game at the High School and Collegiate level aswell as the good work already being done with Rookie Rugby.
February 4th 2010 @ 7:07am
mitzter said | February 4th 2010 @ 7:07am | Report comment
WCR
I don’t know how the English rugby league body will feel about naming the comp RFL
February 4th 2010 @ 11:17am
Corey said | February 4th 2010 @ 11:17am | Report comment
Agree. And people would get confused with Rugby League and Rugby Football League, especially as both are fledgling new competitions in 2010/11.
February 4th 2010 @ 12:52pm
Michael C said | February 4th 2010 @ 12:52pm | Report comment
I had to re-read the first couple of para’s several times before I got my head around that this was ALL about Rugby Union and a Rugby Union Super League or a Rugby Union Football League,
February 4th 2010 @ 2:29pm
Working Class Rugger said | February 4th 2010 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
Michael C
The title is quite misleading. I never actually said that the League was in danger of imploding just that any retraction would be a disaster for their national squad leading into a WC year in terms of preparation. The loss of top quality competition in form of clubs would not benefit the Eagles.
February 4th 2010 @ 3:36pm
Bruce Ross said | February 4th 2010 @ 3:36pm | Report comment
Working Class, it seems you are yet another victim of the imperious Roar sub-editor who likes to change article titles in such a way that they have little connection with the theme of the article itself.
The writer of the article then has to fend off attacks from those whose blood pressure has been elevated by the misleading title.
Perhaps it is a devious ploy to encourage more posts.
February 4th 2010 @ 2:34pm
Working Class Rugger said | February 4th 2010 @ 2:34pm | Report comment
Corey
It wouldn’t be a fledgling Championship. Just a consolidation of the structures creating a higher quality championship to greater assist the development of the game outside the College and High School set ups that are growing nationally. Plus, having a clear and defined structure for any talent to be scouted for the European, Japanese or even Southern Comps.
The RFL name was simply a thought it likely won’t be called that as the rights to that particular name are already held by William Tatham Jr the same man who owns the rights to the establishment of a Pro 7s circuit in the US.
February 4th 2010 @ 3:08pm
True Tah said | February 4th 2010 @ 3:08pm | Report comment
WCR,
the only way rugby can improve its profile is by building up the grassroots, at high school level, and that approach will need to continue for the next few years. Next to the glamour of the NFL and NBA, a second rate rugby comp would get smashed.
Only when rugby has some standing as a partipation based sport in the US, then perhaps looking at the top tier. The positive thing is, at the high school level, the game is going well, and I suspect that in a few years, there will easily be more rugby players in the US than Australia. I might be overconfident, but after 10 more years of growth, the US could have 1 million registered players.
February 4th 2010 @ 3:18pm
rugbyfuture said | February 4th 2010 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
its sitting a bit under equal currently, the playing numbers.
February 4th 2010 @ 5:04pm
Corey said | February 4th 2010 @ 5:04pm | Report comment
Although numbers are important, we must recognise people play sports due different circumstances. In Aus, League has the highest percentage for parents trying to detract their kids from the sport (23%), than Union with 7.5%, so playing numbers are good but there would be more who would like the game than just those who play it.
In saying that America is 15 times larger than the US and Union still isn’t shown on FTA over hear, so if they still don’t have as many players as us, than the US won’t put it on FTA and so there will probably need to be a a loss of teams in cities that don’t support it well, like the NFL did with some of the smaller teams. But I do like the consolidation ideas.
February 5th 2010 @ 12:51pm
Working Class Rugger said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
True Tah
I’m not talking about the League going Professional. What I am saying is the RSL is becoming increasingly inviable for single organisations to cross the country in order to compete. By combining resources and forming a new RSL based on the one team one city principle they could provide a higher quality of competition with 10 teams instead of the talent being spread not only between the current RSL squads but the Div 1 teams aswell. Its about creating more competitve pathways to assist the development of the Eagles in particular.
I agree in terms of grassroots growth. And its is happening. The High School level is growing at more than 15% per annum. Add in the success of Rookie Rugby with 130,000 participants and in short time they will have more players than we do.
February 4th 2010 @ 5:46pm
brad said | February 4th 2010 @ 5:46pm | Report comment
If you look at rugby union in Australia over the last 20 years it was only played in 2 states. Later as it got more TV coverage and money we swa the Brumbies and Force emerge and soon Rebels. My view us that the IRB and USA should pump all of their cash into the states that already support rugby. If we see teams playing to bigger crowds and players making a living soon kids will move to these states to compete. As the eagles get better the game can slowly grow. Some of the US states are bigger than South Africa! so its not so far fetched to think that they will be a force even if 90% of the country does not compete. Common sense has never been a strong point at the IRB
February 4th 2010 @ 6:44pm
Sth Auckland 1st XV said | February 4th 2010 @ 6:44pm | Report comment
The profile of rugby union in the USA will increase dramatically due to inclusion in the Olympics. It’s a long term situation. After two olympics, the game could positively explode in popularity as sevens is such an easy game to play for both men and women, and is exciting to watch. Of course the fact that rugby union is the toughest sport in the world also helps to appeal to the American pysche. I think rugby’s on the verge of some great things in America, but it’s going to take a decade or so before we really see it. Similar to Italy. They were inlcuded in the six nations ten years ago, but it’s really been in the last two or three years that the popularity of rugby has exploded in Italy as the main stream media can no longer ignore the march of millions upon millions of rugby union fans worldwide, and the great contests of the Union ruck, maul and scrum. The rugby union scrum is the most awesome sight in world sport, and I am sure Americans will appreciate the strength and power of it as rugby spreads its wings.
February 7th 2010 @ 7:02pm
Bay35Pablo said | February 7th 2010 @ 7:02pm | Report comment
SA1stXV, “The rugby union scrum is the most awesome sight in world sport” – helps when the Tialians have a good scrum and forward pack, and that is their traditional strength (along with most of the Latin countries – interesting that).
Some would say we see too much of the scrum ….
February 5th 2010 @ 1:02pm
Working Class Rugger said | February 5th 2010 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
The Olympics will certainly give the game a boost in the States. However, what I find more exciting is the organic intiatives USARugby have underway. I’ve mentioned it a million times before but Rookie Rugby has been a great success thus far with very limited funding. With the funds they will recieve from the USOC they could greatly expand this program many times over. The other thing is the establishment of the United States College Rugby Association or USCRA. This group is devicated to growing the game at that level. One of their main aims is to establish ‘College Conferences’ similar to those that already in the NCAA format. There are already three I know of in the Carolinas, Florida and Texas Leagues. Organinsing the Collegiate game in this way adds wieght to there push for NCAA status.
February 6th 2010 @ 2:50am
Ian Noble said | February 6th 2010 @ 2:50am | Report comment
It is inevitable with a growing sport that there will be ups and downs. However providing the fundamental driver is at the lowest level, rugby union will continue to row and develope in the USA. As WCR has posted the growth of the game at rookie level has been impressive and as the profile of the game perhaps through the Olympics or by the USA performimg well in internationals is reinforced by onfield success so interest in the game will grow.
If I recall there are circa 150K registered players, which in itself is a pretty impressive figure when compared to other rugby playing nations. It only needs a relatively small switch of interest in the USA to rugby to take place for the sheer weight of numbers playing the game to potentially increase their influence on the world stage; possibly attracting interest from sponsors, TV and potential investors. It will take years but the significance of the growth at the rookie level increases awareness and in time the future players and spectators of the senior levels.
February 6th 2010 @ 3:17am
Ian Noble said | February 6th 2010 @ 3:17am | Report comment
The thought just occured to me, that ESPN may play a pivotal role in the growth of rugby union in the ‘States. It has invested heavily in RU in the England and France, for example, £30M for the rights to show a tranche of GP games in England over 3 years. It appears they also have the international rights for the 6Ns. Surely as the leading sports TV channel in the ‘States if they realise through their investment in rugby union in England and France the potential of this niche market, then surely it must be only a matter of time before that awareness of that potential to TV is shown in the game in the ‘States.
February 6th 2010 @ 10:00pm
Working Class Rugger said | February 6th 2010 @ 10:00pm | Report comment
Just finished reading about the explosion of junior Rugby in Southern California. Most impressive are the number teams and participants in the U14′s down. This season there are 118 teams competing through 6 age grades in this particular bracket (U14 down) that’s roughly 19 teams to an age grade. The efforts Rugby is going to to grow the game at the grassroots level are beginnning to pay dividends.
February 7th 2010 @ 2:44am
slagger knocker said | February 7th 2010 @ 2:44am | Report comment
There’s growing concern in the US with the long term neural damage effects from American Football, some estimates put it as high as 40,000 a year on an ongoing basis. Rugby is actually being touted as a safer full contact sport.
February 7th 2010 @ 4:00am
SideShowBob said | February 7th 2010 @ 4:00am | Report comment
Definitely a cause for concern.
Here’s a little bit more on the increasing identification and recognition of internal brain injuries in American Football:
http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,64253995001_1957921,00.html
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/19/091019fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all
Given the remote chance of reverting to playing American Football without the traditional hard helmet, both Rugby and Australian Football could emerge as alternatives to concerned parents.
February 7th 2010 @ 9:34am
Working Class Rugger said | February 7th 2010 @ 9:34am | Report comment
Wasn’t Rugby banned in most College’s for supposedly being too dangerous and American Football was ment to be the safer alternative?