Rugby is an up and coming sport that is soon going to be a very popular sport all over the world. Rugby is not a big hit in America because it was never publicized as much as football, and because football has always been the sport to watch. I think that having USA Sevens sponsor the collegiate tournament on NBC two summers ago (which BG played in) was a great start to getting rugby more popular in the states. Then later in that same summer there was an actual USA Sevens tournament showing the skills of all of the big rugby nations such as New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia. These three countries are called the Tri-Nations in their own league.
I also think that having rugby in the 2012 summer olympics is going to have a large impact on the popularity of the sport. Rugby used to be in the olympics but it was played as full 15's rugby, but in the 2012 olympics it is going to be 7's rugby. Right now, the Rugby World Cup is going on in New Zealand. It is hard for the games to be broadcast here in the states because of the time difference. When the games are on in New Zealand, it is usually around two or three a.m. here. My hope is that rugby will continue to grow and become popular in the states because it is a great game that i think many people will enjoy watching.
Rugby is becoming popular globally but is United States is slowly adapting. The issue with televising the event in America isn't a major problem because of the time difference. The Soccer World Cup and the Olympics are always shown despite the time zone difference. I feel that televising the the event would be a waste In America especially around football season. Sports networks are only going to broadcast what the audience prefers to watch.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Intro to Sport Management class freshmen year, I did my project on the game play of Rugby. I wanted to research on something that I did not know much about, and boy was I impressed at the physicality of the sport! It is a very brutal sport that I am surprised more Americans are not aware of, being that it is very similar to American Football (even a bit more tough in my opinion). I also work with a BGSU Rugby player and we talk once in a while about the success of the team. I think that BGSU's team certainly does not get the credit they deserve, being that they are one of the best in the nation!
ReplyDeleteI feel that Rugby will get more popular around the world also. I did not know that it will be included in the upcoming summer games. I feel like BG should recognize the Rugby team a lot more even though it is just a club. It is probably the most successful sport we have and should be showcased more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in hoping that rugby continues to grow in the U.S. I hope that its exposure in the Olympics will help. Why do you think the Olympics chose to have sevens instead of the regular 15 players in the Olympics?
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