Maybe. There is certainly no shortage of opinion on how to grow ruby and get more competitive rugby competitions in the USA. From how to promote the leagues we have and get sponsors to huge pipe dreams about existing professional tournaments establishing franchises or competitive sides in the USA. Most recently this article from the New Zealand Herald talked about the Super Rugby competition and its desire to expand into Asia and the Americas.
More after the jump....
This sounds great. I would love to see a professional team stateside playing against the likes of Munster or even the Crusaders. But, rugby has a long ways to go before something like that can happen. That isn't to say we aren't on our way. There has been talk of the Grand Prix Sevens circuit, with 4 dates in the USA. Personally, I would rather see a circuit with one date in the USA, and other dates in other countries. Not only does rugby need to grow in the US, but it also needs to grow throughout the Americas. Nations like Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia and Peru all need more opportunities to play rugby against Argentina, Canada and the USA. Having a competition nearby helps to keep the travel costs as low as possible. It could help to foster competitive rivalries for the USA with countries like Canada, Uruguay and Chile. While Argentina's Los Pumas play at a very high level and are honestly out of the US's league, it will also help to play a team that is Top Tier quality. Unlike SANZAR (South Africa-New Zealand-Australia Rugby), teams in North and South America would all be in close time zones. While a flight from Santiago or Buenos Aires to Toronto would be extremely long, you wouldn't have to deal with the same kind of time change as NZ to South Africa.
The bright side is the reality that rugby events are growing. They are receiving more exposure in the media and receiving higher attendance numbers. The College Premier Division final between Cal and BYU had about 11,000 people watching the event. Granted it was a hometown atmosphere for BYU in Rio Tinto Stadium, it still attracted a large crowd. In Sevens, the CRC and USA Sevens both did very well. This the second year of the CRC it saw growth in attendance at PPL Park in Philadelphia. It had about 11,000 people on Saturday and over 7500 on Sunday. The tournament in Vegas will keep growing. And they do the right things there. From having the elementary schools adopt a country to the parade that the city of Las Vegas puts on for the event. During the week before the tournament, they arranged for players from each country to visit the school that adopted them. What a great way to teach kids about another country and get them involved with the visitors.
The thing that Philadelphia and Vegas did, is they got behind the tournament. They went into the communities and spread the word about it. And USA Sevens did its part. It put together a great event from top to bottom. The only complaints I heard about the CRC was that the food was too expensive. That's really par for the course in sports entertainment. Well, with the exception of the Masters Golf Tournament, which is famous for having the cheapest concessions in a professional event.
While these events are successful and should continue to be successful, the truth is that America is not yet ready for a professional team. Maybe in 5 years. As the Olympics approach though, the momentum is rolling. And things like the College Premier Division, Collegiate Rugby Championship and the USA Sevens leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series will continue to pave the way with more exposure. By the way, you can still watch the CRC on Universalsports.com.
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