Olympic Sevens the key to American rugby

Olympic status will be a catalyst for further expansion of the game. The extra funding should be used directly in youth development.

I believe there to be a significant (though still minority) group of rugby enthusiasts in the States that would welcome being World Champs at 7's. I think the 7's as interest generator to be fanciful, but I'm biased because I think the 7's game is SO LAME-from a spectator point of view. Think league would be more interesting actually if I had to choose. 7's rugby is like smoking dope and not inhaling.....

I agree that the sevens program is attractive, but you won't develop a proper Rugby program until you get among the grassroots - the primary and secondary schools, and teach the young kids the basics of the game. Natural athletes flourish in that environment. You need a strong schoolboys and Under 20's program. Doesn't mean that you do don't chase the athletes at college level, but skills are learned at a much younger age. If you just want to be the World Champs of 7's that's an entirely different emphasis, but it seems to me that putting emphasis on winning Olympic medals is not the way to encourage the all round growth of the sport or its longevity.

PolyW "It will be the end of rugby league,if rugby union) gets into the Olympics".Gee where have I read or heard that before. What a load of(tripe),we are talking 7s at last reports. Rugby union had a world cup in Oz in 2003,rugby league participation,Tv ratings,crowds has boomed since.Yet we were told by JON, that ru would be no 2 sport in the AFL states and no 1 in the northern states. I am for any sport getting into the Olympics

Rugby Union should stick to junior development. They are better off putting all their efforts into the grassroots. Rugby League for example, only now have started to realize the true value of junior development. The only realistic way to expand any major sport, is going to be through extensive grassroots based programs. Don't put the cart before the horse.

Bring it on . It will help rugby in a big way with governments help funding rugby . All those against it are rugby league fans who know that will be the end for their sport if Rugby gets into the Olympics .

I tend to agree with Nam Turk. Does the IRB want 7's to become the 20/20 of the international football codes???

So, Nam, do you think the casual fans (American or otherwise) are going to rush to a game where there are penalties handed out at scrum time, where nobody but the ref knows what it's for? Or an exciting 12-6 Guinness Premiership shootout in the mud? Not exactly made-to-order entertainment for the casual fan, is it? Or, do you think they would enjoy a high-paced, high-scoring, hard hitting, end-to-end athletic spectacle? Hmmmmm.... I know where I'd place my money. I love 15s, but it's not even the #1 sport in places like Australia and England, how in the world is it going to be accepted in America?

The whole concept of sevens is a joke and hypocrisy. It's nothing like rugby union. I would liken it to slamball (trampoline and backboard) compared to actual basketball. People get all uppity about league not being "proper" and then the IRB steamrolls this farce that's more about getting the ball to the really fast guy than it is about rugby smarts/skills. Show sevens to the American public and they'll either think it's a joke or they'll be accustomed to triple-digit scores and then be confused when they see the 15-man game.

Matt, I'm not suggesting poaching. Just recycling. The physical/athletic discards that get directed to "get a real job" post collegiate or professional (many due to salary cap alone) duties is a waste. Flash some basic cash at them to train and possibly make the team gives them the hope that a US professional team will take notice as they're active and in the sporting world still in shape or that they may be able to make a career out of rugby. This is by no means automatic. As I stated-I have huge doubts that the skill sets needed to perform at that sort of level could be attained in a year of intensive development-if ever. The premise is US pro/pro wannabes/ex-collegiate stars have a physical/athletic ability edge and the sheer numbers the US creates each year would offer ample selection-these two things may or may not compensate for that huge gap vs. Internationals. This may not be true. But a lot of folks in the US and worldwide would love to find out. It's one of those what if's (what if Babe Ruth faced todays modern pitching? What if Superman fought Batman(::) type things that would create a huge buzz and then the proof would be in the results. Like a B&I Lions Tour but with US former Pro Last Chance Charlie's trained and selected extensively to see if this thing could fly. Again, a big what if but something economically not too far fetched and loaded with marketability. With specialists in the team to smooth out some of the rugby skill intensive positions they may have a shot if the premise is legit. That said, look no further than Jim Brown, arguably the greatest halfback of all time (though I'm partial to Barry Sanders) for this argument's support. While attending Syracuse-he played Lacrosse. Many say he was the best to ever play that game as well! So if this were to occur-forget the US public starting out. This team of known players familiar to all fans (or many) in the US would create massive buzz by playing in a foreign competition. And if they win??? Magic. All the lame ESPN profiles and stories on far less novel stories would pale in comparison to the fodder this would provide. This team would have buzz prior to ever playing, if they won their coattails may very well grab a respectable portion of the US viewing audience (enough for ESPN or another network to put on over WNBA at least at times) just for the curiosity AND the Ex-NFL aspect. Could be abject gold-could be. I understand your way and I appreciate the points you make. My contention is that even if Olympic 7's team created a spark (and in my heart of hearts I think it would be minute for 2 weeks every 1400 days) and collegiate rugby gained then a pro league was formed......they would still be a bunch of Nobody's, it would take 30 years, no cache, no sizzle. By latching on to the NFL/NBA etc. familiarity the general public and media rugby could be carried into folks living room as if inside a Trojan Horse. Believe me-many a tv editor would have zero room for a rugby story in their nightly telecast....wrap the rugby aspect as secondary to ex NFL running back Tiki Barber (maybe bad example) and it would be readily accepted, even sought out. Your way is appropriate, based in good sense and logical. But I think it's akin to trying to get drunk on beer from shotglasses. My approach is much more like a speedball(: And highly unlikely. But that's what message boards are for......

Also, I'm not so naive as to think that Olympic 7's will be a magic bullet. But it will provide legitimacy, structure, funding and exposure. In short, I would hope it would be a catalyst for further development of the game. From there, I think that the NCAA adoption would be the next target. Realistically, rugby in any form will never compete with the mainstream "Big 4" American sports. I used to be optimistic, but I'm much more of a realist now. This is a gross generalization, but the average American sports fan doesn't really care about international competition (except for every four years). They're quite happy to just deal with their own domestic sports. As an example, look at NASCAR vs. F1. NASCAR is huge in the US, while F1 is viewed as a "foreign" event. NBA and college basketball -- huge. International basketball (Olympics aside) -- not so much. The American sports fan neither knows nor cares about TriNations, Six Nations, iRB, or the World Cup. Heck, the average fan probably doesn't even know that New Zealand is a country! But, they "get" the Olympics. Use that as a springboard, then start the NCAA push, develop a strong collegiate competition, and now we're developing a market for the game itself. Of course, this is all just the marketing of the game. Developing players and an infrastructure is a whole other issue for another time...

in the late 80s and early 90s, I was waiting for the USA to be a leading nation in sevens, The USARU had established a great sevens programme. They had a great sevens coach, Ernie Signes, who knew the game backwards and brought out the best in his players. The team knocked at the door but somehow, could not break into that top tier. Maybe they could, in time. However, the USA were short of money and the sevens programme was effectivelt scrapped and Signes was lost. The USA is still the sleeping giant of both sevens and XVs.

Nipper Exactly. Olympic status will provide Rugby with legitimacy in the US. Rugby could finally get NCAA recognition and Varsity status. This alone would allow Rugby to recruit higher quality athletes, get Rugby more exposure in the general public and even possibly establish some sort of professional league.

Marlin, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. In my mind, it's a pretty simple equation: Olympics > US audience excitement over athleticism and speed of 7's > Increased positive perception in US > increased marketability of the game and players > increased sponsorship interest > increased $$$ > hi-quality athletes. Without the $$, no high-quality athletes. Right now, even if they're playing some semi-pro arena football, they'd make much more than playing for the Eagles. And trust me, there is ZERO quality rugby on show here in the US, either live or on TV, other than pay channels like Setanta. Even the Eagles matches that have been on ESPN have been fairly boring affairs for the uneducated viewer (i.e., no tries scored in the July 4 game vs. Canada). So, hence, no exposure to quality matches, bar a few like Cal, etc.. Even if an average American sees a game, the perception is still of an seriously amateur sport. This isn't meant as a slight towards players or organizations, it's just that American sports fans are accustomed to high-quality, high production value events. Again, the Olympics would present rugby in this context -- i.e., legitimate. Heck, even seeing the Eagles on the IRB 7s circuit would elevate the perception.

Nipper, I really don't. The Olympics is evey 4 years. Rugby 7's would just be a sideshow-sure folks would route for the home team and some will watch. But they'd do that for synchronized swimming. It may feel like it helps, after all its "something" and will make those who are interested in rugby feel better about the sport-just as it does with ice dancing enthusiasts when they view that event. But in the big scheme of things.....it's unfortunately irrelevent (and the 7-man game is just the exclamation point). As far as the ploy I described to scalp NFL/NBA etc. dropouts....it would really be more for marketability outside of the US to get the thing going. The angle would be that here is a team of ex-gridiron/NBA -whathave you-physical specimens..scouted, selected, and coached in rugby intensively-sprinkle in a few specialized skill position non-Americans even and see if they could make it a go in a Magner's or Celtic or S14 (any would do) leaugue after a year of prep. It would be a gamble, but a compelling one. Assembling the above with current US players would be a snore. Throw in the ex-US pro athletes trying to make good and it would be something to see...maybe. I looked up the Leonard Peters guy described above. He went to Hawaii, is a safetey and only made the Bears practice squad. Dan Lyle is considered the best US rugby player and he went to VMI? The athletic gap between the gridiron guys who went to rugby and those who maybe play in NFL etc..is mindblowing. Much more of a domestic connection could be made for forme US pro players taking up rugby than the Olympics and much more consistant (not every 4 years and not 7's).

Marlin, don't you think 7's being a Olympic sport would lead to all that you outlined? Without that, professional leagues, NCAA adoption and attracting NFL/NBA crossover athletes are many, many YEARS away (if ever). The Olympics offers instant legitimacy for the sport, which is still viewed in the US as a collegiate, drunken social game played by hungover kids. The Olympics won't instantly solve all the problems in the USA, but it will solve perhaps the biggest -- perception. The media, sponsorship dollars, professionalism and fans will likely follow if a good show is put on (hopefully in Chicago!!).

7s rugby is a great game, but if you like it you probably won't like the 15 a side game. So the support base may end up being mutually exclusive.

I really don't get this Olympic fascination by American rugby evangelists. I appreciate the enthusiasm and zeal behind it-but I don't see it as anything more than desperation from those with the best of intentions grasping at the most recognizable next straw. The only historical bragging right of note for US Rugby is that we continue to be the defending gold medal olympic champs in rugby. Sure it was 1915 or so...but a prestigious and current title nonetheless. Rugby becoming an Olympic sport again kills that last and only vestige of accomplishment. Cynical? No doubt. But such is the tune when the national team has to slug it out with Uruguay (freaking Uruguay) for a World Cup spot. To create a better national team the focus should be a media backer (or US rugby but it's pretty plain to see that they could screw up making a cup of coffee) to finance a scout team to probe NFL cuts, NCAA wrestlers and College basketball NBA cuts or promising sorts. Offer them a developmental contract to fill a couple of teams train/learn/cut and add if necessary then enter a team with some expierienced specialists thrown in (flyhalf etc) and get the team in a European or Super 14 type competition. (I'm impressed with the betterment of the Italian team with their Aus League flyhalf running the show) NFL/NCAA dropouts turned good(Make it a reality tv show for extra $ for all I care ala American Idol (:) -it beats the heck out of this grassroots nonsense that is just disappointment spread out over a multi-year period. I think this has an audacity and panache that could take were the coaching and scouting selection correct. US sport sends hundreds (if not more) of specimens that would dwarf Pierre Spies or Bryan Habana( speed and size wise) to ho-hum jobs and sendentary existances.

I can't see that happening though. Once Sevens become an Olympic sport, I would expect that all countries would want to see that the best available players are being considered before they would provide any funding. That would include players of League (who frequently field sides in Britain) and American Football (given the vast pool of available players in the US). I would expect that, in the States at least, Sevens would become a niche sport accessing athletes from a number of sports, particularly at college level. I could particularly see it being popular with the gridiron boys - their one chance to participate on the biggest of all possible international stages...