Date of Award

4-20-2015

Document Type

Research Paper

Department

Whittier Scholars Program

First Advisor

Kristen Smirnov

Second Advisor

Susan Gotsch

Abstract

The United States has a unique opportunity to become one of the top rugby countries in the world. Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the United States with youth, high school, college, and club players growing every year. Now is the time for USA Rugby to take the next step in exposing the game to mainstream audiences across every country. With sports being a billion dollar industry in the United States, there is always room for a sport to gain exposure. The next decade will be important in seeing where the future lies for American rugby. One of the biggest events happening in rugby is the inclusion of rugby into the Olympics. Sevens Rugby will be shown worldwide for the first time at the Olympics. This exposure is expected to increase the popularity of the game around the world including in the United States. United States Rugby will get another change to showcase its talents to the world at the 2015 World Cup in Egland. This will be huge for potentially growing the sport here in America. The USA Eagles will get the chance to play against the best teams in the world and with a good finish at the competition, fans in the USA may finally get hooked on rugby like they did with soccer at the World Cup. The best way to develop the sport in the United States is to focus on the youth and college levels. What makes countries like England and Australia powerhouses is their ability to develop the youth of tomorrow into terrific rugby players. If the United States can further develop their youth and college programs, they might have potential to one day be a rugby nation. It will take dedication and the right people to help structure and develop the game to the next level if we want to one day want to see the United States become a rugby nation with the rest of the world.

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