More News on a Professional American League

[Peat]

I play rugby in england and have seen this done on numerous occasions, even at the 1sts level. Don't feel bad.

Also, there's no way you guys are that slow. Does your coach yell at you for moving the ball out of a ruck too quickly because the entire pack is still on the floor from the previous 2 breakdowns?

Do you play teams that trash talk after the game saying "if you ran the ball at us (forwards) we would've beat you."

My club generally kicks then wish we'd gone for the tap... he really shouldn't feel bad!

 

[LittleGuy]

The London Irish match has been delayed: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1662885-rugby-union-american-pro-rugby-project-pushed-to-2014

No surprise here, in fact soon you'll be reading that it was cancelled, this plan looked dead from the start to me and it's definately heading that way.

 

[Jayatron]

No surprise here, in fact soon you'll be reading that it was cancelled, this plan looked dead from the start to me and it's definately heading that way.

Typical. Probably the last we hear of this one. But three companies interested, there is obviously potential in North America or you wouldn't have so many of these companies.

 

[Jayatron]

http://www.espn.co.uk/premiership-2013-14/rugby/story/192919.html

"Leicester Tigers chairman Peter Tom has confirmed discussions have taken place between Premiership Rugby (PRL) and four American franchises over the possibility of taking the English domestic game to the USA.
With the future of the Heineken Cup still uncertain, PRL is looking at alternative options. The English and French clubs have served notice to leave both the Heineken Cup and the second tier Amlin Challenge Cup after this season unless the tournament structure and commercial arrangements are re-vamped. The PRO12 sides have so far refused to concede any ground on either issue."

Interesting. Further testing of the water perhaps?

 

[ratsapprentice]

http://www.therugbyforum.com/showthread.php?31511-Saracens-CNBC-sponsorship&p=588333#post588333

Potentially relevant?

 

[sigesige00]

Is it possible to have a North American Professional Rugby Union Trophy? Rugby Union is also popular in Canada, particularly in British Columbia.

 

[dudeabides]

Anybody else sketchy about what kind of rugby you'd see from cut NFL players? And wonder why they put 'league' in the ***le if it's rugby union.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...l-rugby-football-league-soaking-up-nfl-talent

 

[LittleGuy]

Anybody else sketchy about what kind of rugby you'd see from cut NFL players? And wonder why they put 'league' in the ***le if it's rugby union.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...l-rugby-football-league-soaking-up-nfl-talent

Agreed, I saw that a while ago, and it's a total joke(which is why I didn't post it earlier), these are the same guys who failed to get that pre season game going in the Spring. That league is going absoultely nowhere, surprised Jeff Hull gave them that much time of day but I guess he needed some traffic on his bleacher report blog.

They were also very dismissive of current rugby fans, have a look down that column for the comments section and the buisnessemen running this ideas'.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

It all makes sense.

National Football League
National Hockey League
National Basketball League
Major League Baseball
Major League Soccer

I think, it's ridiculous they named a code Rugby League, when the word "League" is so generic.

 

[dudeabides]

Agreed, I saw that a while ago, and it's a total joke(which is why I didn't post it earlier), these are the same guys who failed to get that pre season game going in the Spring. That league is going absoultely nowhere, surprised Jeff Hull gave them that much time of day but I guess he needed some traffic on his bleacher report blog.

They were also very dismissive of current rugby fans, have a look down that column for the comments section and the buisnessemen running this ideas'.

Man that's nuts. I've also heard pro rugby players thinking they're not needed while they've devoted their whole life to the sport and that's a bummer. Hull let everyone know he did a podcast today: http://www.arugbylife.com/2013/09/the-state-of-play-podcast-episode-2.html and wish I could have listened but at work they don't let us have speakers maybe later. It involved the Nrfl and the USA and the Nrfl replied to him:

https://twitter.com/TheNRFL/status/376408027337072641

.@rugbyscribe .@arugbylife terrific podcast with Jeff Hull - we take his criticism/ "challenges" to heart - he is only "total picture" voice

 

[Jayatron]

Haven't heard anything from this in a while. Anyone read anything new?

I saw this today in the news. MLS on the march once again. Will there be room for rugby in North America?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24737606

Also I would like to add that, I do not dislike football, I just dislike the manner in which it is played and supported.

 

[Patchey]

Here is a question, how long did it take for soccer to really gain a profile in the States? Did hosting a World Cup have an impact or was it when massive names like Beckham and Henry started coming over that things went large?

 

[Jaguares]

Here is a question, how long did it take for soccer to really gain a profile in the States? Did hosting a World Cup have an impact or was it when massive names like Beckham and Henry started coming over that things went large?

The soccer never will greatly impact in USA, from the time it's considered a feminine sport, never have so many followers. In USA is:

1- NFL 2- MLB 3- NHL 4- NBA

In USA is consider the sport of Latinos, some Europeans and women because there is no female american football, but never have great impact.

Cheers

 

[norcalbuff]

Here is a question, how long did it take for soccer to really gain a profile in the States? Did hosting a World Cup have an impact or was it when massive names like Beckham and Henry started coming over that things went large?

It took a long time. The World Cup in '94 did a lot for soccer in the US, as did the concurrent establishment of the MLS. Beckham and Henry have certainly raised the profile, but still most of the interest in soccer here is in the top European leagues and in the national team rather than the MLS which is largely viewed as an inferior league. It's mostly been a steady rise, as more kids grow up with the sport and more of the older generation who did not die off.

The soccer never will greatly impact in USA, from the time it's considered a feminine sport, never have so many followers. In USA is:

1- NFL 2- MLB 3- NHL 4- NBA

In USA is consider the sport of Latinos, some Europeans and women because there is no female american football, but never have great impact.

Cheers

This post is not even close to right. Firstly, the order for the traditional American big 4 is NFL>NBA>MLB>NHL and it's very clear cut in that regard. Soccer has made huge strides in the past 20 years. Its progress comes not just from Latinos but from the younger generation growing up with the game. It's not considered a feminine sport (at least any more than basketball or baseball would be) at all by anyone under the age of 40. Not sure why you answered his post as you clearly don't live in the US and don't have the slightest clue about sports here.

 

[norcalbuff]

Haven't heard anything from this in a while. Anyone read anything new?

I saw this today in the news. MLS on the march once again. Will there be room for rugby in North America?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24737606

Also I would like to add that, I do not dislike football, I just dislike the manner in which it is played and supported.

The US is a huge place with a large appetite for sports. Baseball has been on a downward slide for the past 20+ years and I don't see that changing. Hockey is limited by weather. I believe there is plenty of room for rugby, a sport that can be played in any weather.

BTW, the Eagles are going to sell out an 18,500 seat stadium in Philly for the NZ Maori match in 2 weeks. This comes on the heels of a crowd of over 20,000 in Houston for Ireland in June. Rugby is booming here, albeit from small beginnings.

 

[LittleGuy]

It took a long time. The World Cup in '94 did a lot for soccer in the US, as did the concurrent establishment of the MLS. Beckham and Henry have certainly raised the profile, but still most of the interest in soccer here is in the top European leagues and in the national team rather than the MLS which is largely viewed as an inferior league. It's mostly been a steady rise, as more kids grow up with the sport and more of the older generation who did not die off.




This post is not even close to right. Firstly, the order for the traditional American big 4 is NFL>NBA>MLB>NHL and it's very clear cut in that regard. Soccer has made huge strides in the past 20 years. Its progress comes not just from Latinos but from the younger generation growing up with the game. It's not considered a feminine sport (at least any more than basketball or baseball would be) at all by anyone under the age of 40. Not sure why you answered his post as you clearly don't live in the US and don't have the slightest clue about sports here.

That's not clear cut at all I very rarely see anyone in the States state that Basketball is ahead of Baseball(unless it is in their own regional market) I would rank it NFL>MLB>NBA>NHL (In Canada it would be NHL>CFL & NFL>MLB>NBA with MLS very close behind NBA). I would say Conrad was a little over exageratting the critique of it being considered feminine but I do know tons of people under 40 who cannot stand all the diving and flopping around like a fish that the Central Americans in particular take to an art form.

I would take issue with the baseball in decline for 20 years straight, the game was in god awful shape in the mid 90's after the strike and is in fact stronger today than it was then. Baseball's problem is a massive disparity between teams that are consistently succesful and one's that are regularly awful.

@ Jayatron, MLS actually had a team in Miami before in the late 90's early 00's that folded(when the league was run nowhere near as well as it is today) so it's more a return to a market rather than a new expansion. If I were MLS I's wait a while longer before heading over 20 teams there is a risk of diluting the product, the Canadian player pool is exhausted with three teams already LOL, and it might be a few more years till the States and other domestic qualified countries get enough players of quality to fill the reserved spots.

 

[norcalbuff]

That's not clear cut at all I very rarely see anyone in the States state that Basketball is ahead of Baseball(unless it is in their own regional market) I would rank it NFL>MLB>NBA>NHL (In Canada it would be NHL>CFL & NFL>MLB>NBA with MLS very close behind NBA). I would say Conrad was a little over exageratting the critique of it being considered feminine but I do know tons of people under 40 who cannot stand all the diving and flopping around like a fish that the Central Americans in particular take to an art form.

I would take issue with the baseball in decline for 20 years straight, the game was in god awful shape in the mid 90's after the strike and is in fact stronger today than it was then. Baseball's problem is a massive disparity between teams that are consistently succesful and one's that are regularly awful.

You must not talk to a very wide spectrum of Americans, then.

TV ratings for last year's game 7 in the NBA finals drew an average of 26.3 million viewers in the US. Last night's World Series clincher drew 14.9 million and that was the biggest rating in years (largely due to the matchup). Basketball regularly out-rates baseball in both the regular season and in the postseason.

Playing numbers are down for baseball too. IIRC it was down about 10% for the past decade. Attendance was down 1% in 2013 compared to 2012. It's a game in decline.

 

[LittleGuy]

You must not talk to a very wide spectrum of Americans, then.

TV ratings for last year's game 7 in the NBA finals drew an average of 26.3 million viewers in the US. Last night's World Series clincher drew 14.9 million and that was the biggest rating in years (largely due to the matchup). Basketball regularly out-rates baseball in both the regular season and in the postseason.

Playing numbers are down for baseball too. IIRC it was down about 10% for the past decade. Attendance was down 1% in 2013 compared to 2012. It's a game in decline.

Yeah I never ever see the constant media coverage or visit American websites or watch live events from there, especially not if the Jays or Raptors or the NHL Canadian sides are playing in the States...once things cross borders I just put a paper bag on my head and try not to see anything. Even if I granted you that NBA was bigger than MLB which maybe just maybe it is, it sure as heck isn't clear cut we wouldn't be having this debate if it it was! See that I'm not arguing NHL being bigger than NBA or anything being bigger than NFL!! Those are clear cut.

I have a feeling we could just cherry pick numbers all night like I can here....MLB, Attendance that was still an average of some 30,500 a game! While over 74,000,000 in total, wow I'd sure be worried about a massive 1% decline in those numbers,(which is probably mostly due to the Yankees lower attendance this season and you know that). The NBA drew 17,274 average a game in 2011-12 which was about bang on with the NHL's numbers, but I wouldn't use that to say the NHL is bigger than NBA which it clearly isn't.

Is there a sport in the United States where playing numbers aren't down with youth? Maybe soccer? Plus some niche ones that had low numbers to begin with? Ice Hockey participation is way down in Canada(as are virtually all sports due to aging populations, less active youth etc.) but it isn't going anywhere for a long time.

 

[Nielsch]

The soccer never will greatly impact in USA, from the time it's considered a feminine sport, never have so many followers. In USA is:

1- NFL 2- MLB 3- NHL 4- NBA

In USA is consider the sport of Latinos, some Europeans and women because there is no female american football, but never have great impact.

Cheers

Your views are outdated. Sorry.

 

[norcalbuff]

Yeah I never ever see the constant media coverage or visit American websites or watch live events from there, especially not if the Jays or Raptors or the NHL Canadian sides are playing in the States...once things cross borders I just put a paper bag on my head and try not to see anything. Even if I granted you that NBA was bigger than MLB which maybe just maybe it is, it sure as heck isn't clear cut we wouldn't be having this debate if it it was! See that I'm not arguing NHL being bigger than NBA or anything being bigger than NFL!! Those are clear cut.

Maybe you do. The TV ratings are pretty clear which is more popular as a spectator sport.

I have a feeling we could just cherry pick numbers all night like I can here....MLB, Attendance that was still an average of some 30,500 a game! While over 74,000,000 in total, wow I'd sure be worried about a massive 1% decline in those numbers,(which is probably mostly due to the Yankees lower attendance this season and you know that). The NBA drew 17,274 average a game in 2011-12 which was about bang on with the NHL's numbers, but I wouldn't use that to say the NHL is bigger than NBA which it clearly isn't.

TV ratings aren't just some number to suit my argument. They are the direct measure of how popular a sport is amongst spectators since it counts the number of people watching the sport.

You really can't compare attendance numbers because basketball and hockey arenas are pretty much capped with regard to how big they can because if you get any further away from the action than the furthest seats currently, you really can't see a whole lot. Looking at pure attendance also ignores ticket prices.

By the way, the general trend for stadiums in baseball is to downsize. Coors Field just announced plans to replace part of its upper deck with more bars.

Is there a sport in the United States where playing numbers aren't down with youth? Maybe soccer? Plus some niche ones that had low numbers to begin with? Ice Hockey participation is way down in Canada(as are virtually all sports due to aging populations, less active youth etc.) but it isn't going anywhere for a long time.

Rugby and lacrosse are way up. For mainstream sports, football, hockey and baseball are down and basketball has remained the same. Not sure about soccer.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/spor...2011-04-18-gen-y-sports-for-socializing_N.htm