Vegas baby!!

[Copa]

34 minutes ago, Dave T said:

What does this line mean? 

"The new partnership will see UFC build upon its already strong links with NRL to reach thousands of potential new fans" 

Is there already a link? 

 

Possibly the ex RL players that are now fighters? I’m just guessing here.

 

[Copa]

This is all starting to look quite impressive. Link ups with UFC, nascar, a 9s tournament, a talent search etc.

It all means nothing though if, after a few years, it fails to create an ongoing income stream.

[Gav Wilson]

On 13/12/2023 at 08:40, whatmichaelsays said:

NRL board: "World Rugby is being more stringent about head contact and lowering the tackle height to avoid concussion. How do we respond?"

Peter V'Landys: "hold my beer. Then smash it over that guys head, and stomp on his head when he hits the ground!"

Soccer kicks to a downed opponent are illegal in the UFC. 

Current Featherweight champion Alex Volkanowski used to be a rugby league prop(!) and has been on the Matty Johns show a few times.

[Tex Evans Thigh]

The 9s has a $20k prize pot, no indication on the split, and it is $500 to enter. The organization has been a bit laboured so far but it should be a good event once we get there. The USARL are also trying to get an international game organized with Canada but sounds like some issues in trying to get the NRL to endorse it (not sure why they have to) as it would overlap with the 9s finals. USA v Canada masters also confirmed.

[Tex Evans Thigh]

I really wish we could travel back to 1895 and come up with a more distinctive name for our sport. In situations like this it's quite frustrating. Having said that, we'll probably get a ton of casual American fans rocking up to see 'Rugby' because at least the term is well known.

Was the same in Denver, I had a taxi driver who thought he'd been to see the All Blacks, even after the game, and he claimed to be a fan, yet couldn't recognize he'd been to watch a completely different sport.

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Tex Evans Thigh said:

I really wish we could travel back to 1895 and come up with a more distinctive name for our sport. In situations like this it's quite frustrating. Having said that, we'll probably get a ton of casual American fans rocking up to see 'Rugby' because at least the term is well known.

Was the same in Denver, I had a taxi driver who thought he'd been to see the All Blacks, even after the game, and he claimed to be a fan, yet couldn't recognize he'd been to watch a completely different sport.

No word of a lie, in the Leeds shop today there were England RL mugs.

On one side was the badge, on the other was a dictionary definition of "rugby"...

Not Rugby League, just Rugby...

Edited December 14, 2023 by Tommygilf

[Big Picture]

2 hours ago, Tex Evans Thigh said:

I really wish we could travel back to 1895 and come up with a more distinctive name for our sport. In situations like this it's quite frustrating. Having said that, we'll probably get a ton of casual American fans rocking up to see 'Rugby' because at least the term is well known.

Was the same in Denver, I had a taxi driver who thought he'd been to see the All Blacks, even after the game, and he claimed to be a fan, yet couldn't recognize he'd been to watch a completely different sport.

So much for @The Rocket's claim that newbies who've seen RU and/or encounter it after seeing these matches will obviously know they're two different sports and therefore RU won't be able to benefit from this.  It would be interesting to know just how common the sort or reaction you describe there is.

[The Rocket]

1 hour ago, Big Picture said:

So much for @The Rocket's claim that newbies who've seen RU and/or encounter it after seeing these matches will obviously know they're two different sports and therefore RU won't be able to benefit from this.  It would be interesting to know just how common the sort or reaction you describe there is.

Interesting for you, because you`re just dying for it to fail.

[The Rocket]

Sydney Morning Herald reporter Andrew Webster posting from Las Vegas this morning.

Las Vegas: And here comes Aaron Woods, charging onto the ball, steaming up the middle of the Glitter Strip, brushing off the spruikers and urgers, ignoring the blackjack tables and watered-down margaritas and tearing into the critics of the NRL’s double-header at Allegiant Stadium on March 2.

The veteran prop has been popping up everywhere here to promote the concept alongside Roosters recruit Spencer Leniu, Souths centre Campbell Graham and Broncos hooker Billy Walters.

All four have been fine ambassadors for the code. Every request has been met with a smile and a laugh. They’ve been a lot of fun. Woods was prepared to slip into an Elvis jumpsuit if required.

Having spent the week here, though, I’ve been surprised by the enthusiasm of Las Vegans, either on the street or local media. Hitching its wagon to the star of the UFC is a windfall most won’t understand, but the crossover between the fan bases is considerable.

 

Good things happen when rugby league officials do bold things. Many people wanted John Quayle and Ken Arthurson sacked when they launched the Tina Turner campaign.

ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys and chief executive Andrew Abdo are about to have their Tina moment. Let’s see if they’re just as successful.

 

[Whippet13]

2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

No word of a lie, in the Leeds shop today there were England RL mugs.

On one side was the badge, on the other was a dictionary definition of "rugby"...

Not Rugby League, just Rugby...

https://www.eliteprosports.co.uk/product/england-rl-noun-mug/

[frank]

6 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

https://www.eliteprosports.co.uk/product/england-rl-noun-mug/

 

6 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

https://www.eliteprosports.co.uk/product/england-rl-noun-mug/

From what I  remember League was called  Rugby and the other game was Union. Maybe it's a carry over.

[Dave T]

Rugby League is still Rugby, the mug is fine  although I don't like the elegant violence things, that is very Union. 

[Lowdesert]

UFC confirming partnership etc 

https://www.zerotackle.com/nrl-announces-partnership-with-ufc-204167/

[footy_fan_nrl]

5 hours ago, Dave T said:

Rugby League is still Rugby, the mug is fine  although I don't like the elegant violence things, that is very Union. 

Around the world I don’t think it is

[Pulga]

On 15/12/2023 at 04:37, Tommygilf said:

No word of a lie, in the Leeds shop today there were England RL mugs.

On one side was the badge, on the other was a dictionary definition of "rugby"...

Not Rugby League, just Rugby...

Good. It's as much ours as it is theirs.

[iffleyox]

23 hours ago, Dave T said:

Rugby League is still Rugby, the mug is fine  although I don't like the elegant violence things, that is very Union. 

Or Brian Redhead on RL, circa the Game That Got Away?

Given the number of people seemingly raging against any suggestion of a move back to a game of avoidance from a game of collision (and the puff quotes from the NRL players in Vegas about what the public should expect to see…), it strikes me it can only be the ‘elegance’ or otherwise that’s the issue….

[Whippet13]

 

[Gomersall]

10 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

 

I really don’t get why the NRL didn’t reach out to the URL rather than engaging with a union team.

Edited December 18, 2023 by Gomersall

[Whippet13]

1 hour ago, Gomersall said:

I telly don’t get why the NRL didn’t reach out to the URL rather than engaging with a union team.

They probably see Union players and fans as a target audience as this is about promoting the NRL first, growing RL second. Both overlap of course, but they know their priority. What's really dumb is that they didn't engage both the RL and RU set ups.

[Damien]

12 minutes ago, Whippet13 said:

They probably see Union players and fans as a target audience as this is about promoting the NRL first, growing RL second. Both overlap of course, but they know their priority. What's really dumb is that they didn't engage both the RL and RU set ups.

I'd say they probably didn't even know about the RL setup or make any real attempt to find out. I do wonder if the whole USA domestic RL politics played a part too and if the USARL told them (if they asked the USARL that is)......

[gingerjon]

37 minutes ago, Damien said:

I'd say they probably didn't even know about the RL setup or make any real attempt to find out. I do wonder if the whole USA domestic RL politics played a part too and if the USARL told them (if they asked the USARL that is)......

This is one of the USARL affiliated ones.

[Damien]

23 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

This is one of the USARL affiliated ones.

Is it. Its easy to lose track of the USA Rugby League politics and it changes on a weekly basis!

[gingerjon]

9 minutes ago, Damien said:

Is it. Its easy to lose track of the USA Rugby League politics and it changes on a weekly basis!

I’ll just say that it says they are on their social media. But that may or may not mean anything.

[The Rocket]

NRL 2024: Why UFC boss is all in on league’s Las Vegas adventure (smh.com.au)

One of the heavy hitters in US sport has praised the NRL for its Las Vegas strategy, saying the use of Sin City as a launching pad will “turbocharge” its entry into the American market.

Lawrence Epstein is Dana White’s right-hand man at the UFC and fronted the NRL’s official Las Vegas launch. It’s a sign the UFC, where Epstein is the chief operating officer, is very serious about its partnership with the NRL, which was announced on Thursday (AEDT).

“Las Vegas was crucial for our sport, and the NRL are very smart in using that as their launching pad,” Epstein said. “There is no question Las Vegas can turbocharge your entry into the sports market. They are doing this the right way.”

The biggest thing I have learnt from my week in Las Vegas is how strategic the NRL has been in its approach to marketing and promoting its season-opening double-header in March.

The NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders rolled out the red carpet for the NRL. They didn’t have to do it, but it is testament to the respect the Raiders have for the sport and what it is trying to achieve. Their president even took time to mingle with NRL players Aaron Woods, Campbell Graham, Spencer Leniu and Billy Walters in a corporate box.

It’s the grit of rugby league and its continuing flow that will appeal to our fans,” Raiders boss Sandra Douglass Morgan said.

The UFC took it a step further by including a dedicated NRL media event in its fight week program. The UFC and NFL were genuinely excited about having the NRL in their city and the opportunity to engage with their audience.

There is no question the NRL has a lot of work to do to compete with other sports in Las Vegas. It most likely never will, but it doesn’t want to compete, it wants to grow, and the NRL believes NFL and UFC fans are the most likely to adopt rugby league. That is smart. It’s not blowing cash and, if it works, there is a real chance the NRL will find a permanent home in Las Vegas.

 

 

Edited December 18, 2023 by The Rocket

[The Rocket]

 

Edited December 18, 2023 by The Rocket