In a rare moment for US television, a rugby test match was played on primetime television. And the viewer reaction was priceless.The US may not be a big force in international rugby but the country has a long history of playing the game, thanks to their European roots. Still, rugby is not ‘America’s game’. It is completely foreign to a majority of the population. There is no national professional league, and even though some colleges have excellent rugby programs, beyond that, participation in the sport isn’t very high.So when NBC, a national television broadcaster, showed the USA play the All Blacks at Soldier’s Field, people didn’t quite know what to expect.Some were fascinated by what they saw.In fact, many on social media were saying the broadcast commentary was actually the best part of the whole encounter.There were high hopes for the US side to finally record a try against the World Cup champions, however they were unable to capitalise on their good field position early in the game.
Outside North America, rugby is already the world’s second-most popular game, behind soccer, and a major money-maker. According to research firm Repucom, the level of interest in rugby has risen significantly in Italy, Spain, Thailand, India, Malaysia and the USA and says this growing fan base will interest the sport's marketing strategists. During the last five years, the number of rugby participants has increased 14 percent year-over-year to climb to a total of 1.2 million participants throughout the country. Americans tend to think of Rugby as “Football without the pads,” but the truth is, tackling and other physical contact takes a different form when done without pads.While rugby has a reputation for being “dangerous,” it is a surprisingly safe sport.
