Rugby in the USA

The other day, I was asked if I would like to contribute to a rugby website in the USA, RugbyNation.com. Mike, founder and creator, has a goal to grow the sport. Defiantly something we should all be going for. There is a huge market out there for rugby to build, particularly in the States and Canada. But as far as I know, there aren't any plans to expand rugby in America. There was talk of a domestic league to go above the current collegic level that is the top of American rugby, but nothing has come of it yet, at least not that has come across the Atlantic.
In my mind, a country as sport mad as America, more should be done to get the wonderfully mad game across the country. The groundwork is being laid. Las Vagas hosted a leg of the Sevens World Series, the All Blacks are heading across in November on their way to Europe, and with Sevens now an Olympic event, the USA and Canada are really upping their commitment to the shortened form. But we need more to capture the hearts and minds of the US audience, and I have a cunning plan, Mr Blackadder. (Ask your parents if you don't get that reference.) I'd expand on the quotes but it might be best to move on. I actually have several ideas that may benefit the American Rugby Union.
The first is using the success of one of America's biggest sports: the AFL, and the Super Bowl. Instead of the half time show, or perhaps as well as, put an exhibition 7's match on the pitch. The Nielsen ratings from the last Super Bowl was an estimated 115.3 million, and that's just the USA audience. You'd need a good opposition for the Eagles, and I can't think of any better opposition than the Canadians. The USA/Canada rivalry is as intense as the Anglo/Welsh, and it's just the sort of thing that we like to see to boost audiences.
Next in my cunning plan is to used the Aviva Premiership. Aside from already having some sort of broadcast deal across the world to show off the best of English rugby, I think there is an untapped resource that could be used by the US. And that is the A league. It's a great concept, using the players in a squad who don't quite make the match day 23, but still gives them game time. The theory being they have a chance to work into the squad and are match fit should a first team player get injured. However, instead of running parallel to the Premiership, twelve teams playing each other, the A league is split into two conferences. Place in the top two, and enter the play offs, and the whole thing is done by January. Which is unfortunate, since the length of the Premiership season keeps it going until May. So, my thought is, take these young players Stateside. Select twelve, no, make it fourteen states. Give each one a team, (allowing for promotion and relegation), and use the bulk behind the Premiership to create a real buzz across the continent. Can you imagine the buzz you could get for each match? The rivalries of the Premiership combined with the interstate competitiveness? You could even include the Canadians again, giving one or two the provinces a team. So much potential for college students to get involved in the professional set up if there are injuries, and players are needed to be called back home, and the TV and sponsor opportunities are wide open. Sure, it would be costly to get started, but as an investment for American rugby, it would be a fantastic starting point,
Finally, there is the potential to get a true buzz for the country's rugby. The All Blacks are one of the biggest names in world rugby, and the game planned this November is expected to sell out to the tune of 61000 supporters. But there is one big name that could really push the world forward in terms of rugby. The British and Irish Lions. The best of Northern Hemisphere need to do something for the world of rugby. The Lions went to Hong Kong as a financial booster, and that's good. There are a lot of ex-pats in Hong Kong that would've loved the experience. Recently, Brian O'Driscoll said he thinks the Lions should play a test in the Pacific Islands, against Samoa, Tonga, Fiji. I completely agree with him, but why limit ourselves? Here's what I envision. A Lions world tour. Select sixty, seventy, eighty of the best of the British isles, split them into two groups, half goes east, the other goes west. Stuart Lancaster and Warren Gatland, or any of the national coaches for that matter, could take half each, keep tabs on the squad, giving them an ultimate world tour. First, start with one squad (we'll call Squad A) in France and Italy, whilst the other half (Squad 1) goes west to the east coast of the US. Squad A then flies south and plays the Springboks in Durban or Johannesburg, whilst Squad 1 plays the Eagles on the East coast, Florida or New York, perhaps. Squad A flies across from South Africa to the Pacific Islands to play tests against Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. Squad 1 goes north-west to Quebec or Montreal to play Canada, then south-west for another test against the Eagles in California. Whilst Squad A jumps the Pacific islands, Squad 1 would play Argentina, Japan, and then fly south to Australia, and play one test against the Wallabies. That gives six tests to each squad, plus the possibilities to play midweek games against the South African, Australian and New Zealand conference leaders from Super Rugby. Finally, both squads would meet up in New Zealand and play a three test series, with two midweek games against so the Maori All Blacks. Yes, this would be exhausting for the players, but with a squad so large you can afford to send advanced parties to each country to beat the jet lag. This isn't about the money, though the influx for the host nations would be huge. This is about the home nations doing something incredible for, not just American rugby, but for every one of the nations involved. Think about how much potential a tour like this has. The power behind the Lions will draw ex-pats from the home nations to the stadiums, bringing their work colleagues and families with them.
The cheers I saw on TV during the Pacific nations cup and the World Cup qualifiers were amazing, and I know the USA can embrace the sport like they have but something needs to happen to grow the sport. Plant the seeds, and watch them grow.