Final Whistle: Why the NRL are taking their Las Vegas gamble

[Rugby League World]

THIS WEEKEND we will see the NRL introduce itself to the United States, with a double-header to be played at the Allegiant Stadium in Las...

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[Gomersall]

You either play the WCC or you play a genuine league game with points on the line. Catalans v Brisbane Broncos would still be a pre season friendly for the Broncos.

[Kayakman]

This whole thing is getting 'zero'  coverage or press over here.  No one knows about it except those dedicated to RL......basketball and hockey are mainstays at the moment.

Soccer is starting up and the new football league is getting some attention.  I literally have not heard one drop in the mainstream sports media about it.

[Sports Prophet]

3 minutes ago, Kayakman said:

This whole thing is getting 'zero'  coverage or press over here.  No one knows about it except those dedicated to RL......basketball and hockey are mainstays at the moment.

Soccer is starting up and the new football league is getting some attention.  I literally have not heard one drop in the mainstream sports media about it.

Where are you?

[Kayakman]

3 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

Where are you?

North America.....right in the middle of the celestial plane.   The Las Vegas Golden Knights are getting ten times the exposure in Las Vegas than this event.

Edited March 2 by Kayakman

[Click]

12 minutes ago, Kayakman said:

North America.....right in the middle of the celestial plane.   The Las Vegas Golden Knights are getting ten times the exposure in Las Vegas than this event.

How much blanket coverage do you expect to see, as a Canadian, living in Canada for an Australian event taking place in Vegas?

[Kayakman]

Just now, Click said:

How much blanket coverage do you expect to see, as a Canadian, living in Canada for an Australian event taking place in Vegas?

Lots since I follow the sports very closely...and I've been following this one closely.   I think the model they are using is wrong but we have been through this all before last time.  I predict its another one off.   More people are following the Grapefruit League out west than this event.  No one has even heard of it to be fair.

[Kayakman]

8 minutes ago, Click said:

How much blanket coverage do you expect to see, as a Canadian, living in Canada for an Australian event taking place in Vegas?

Just browsing the Las Vegas News'  no mention of the games...the headline is that UNLV (college footballl team) is beginning pre season practice...that about sums it up.

[gingerjon]

20 minutes ago, Kayakman said:

Just browsing the Las Vegas News'  no mention of the games...the headline is that UNLV (college footballl team) is beginning pre season practice...that about sums it up.

I suspect you're right in that there is much less than we think - because we are distorted by looking through the RL channels.

However, this is the top video I can see on KVVU's main page (Fox Las Vegas channel): https://www.fox5vegas.com/video/2024/03/02/nascar-drivers-swap-jerseys-with-rugby-players-las-vegas/

[Kayakman]

2 hours ago, gingerjon said:

I suspect you're right in that there is much less than we think - because we are distorted by looking through the RL channels.

However, this is the top video I can see on KVVU's main page (Fox Las Vegas channel): https://www.fox5vegas.com/video/2024/03/02/nascar-drivers-swap-jerseys-with-rugby-players-las-vegas/

Ha..ha...ha....of all the posters on here I would not have taken you as a Fox news fan...once again you have given me my laugh for the day.  Oh the tangled webs we weave when first we attempt to deceive.  Thank You. 

I'm heading into the Bush for a few days within the hour...Bush reports say black bears are waking up from hibernation early so will probably have a run in with a hungry fella while hiking....this is my prime concern right now...gotta be ready!

Adios.

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Kayakman said:

Ha..ha...ha....of all the posters on here I would not have taken you as a Fox news fan...

Literally looked up what are the most watched TV stations in Las Vegas and that was one of the major ones.

And its top video is of the NRL game at Allegiant stadium.

I was quite surprised and so shared.

Enjoy your walk.

[BladeHearts]

8 hours ago, Kayakman said:

This whole thing is getting 'zero'  coverage or press over here.  No one knows about it except those dedicated to RL......basketball and hockey are mainstays at the moment.

Soccer is starting up and the new football league is getting some attention.  I literally have not heard one drop in the mainstream sports media about it.

Covered on Fox and Friends this morning.

 

[Sports Prophet]

13 hours ago, Kayakman said:

North America.....right in the middle of the celestial plane.   The Las Vegas Golden Knights are getting ten times the exposure in Las Vegas than this event.

Where in North America? Why would anyone be surprised that the ever successful LV Knights as they approach the back end of the season are getting more coverage than the NRL?

[Click]

1 minute ago, Sports Prophet said:

Where in North America? Why would anyone be surprised that the ever successful LV Knights as they approach the back end of the season are getting more coverage than the NRL?

He's in Canada, and also doesn't understand the differences between local Fox broadcasts and Fox News as a whole.

[Sports Prophet]

Just now, Click said:

He's in Canada, and also doesn't understand the differences between local Fox broadcasts and Fox News as a whole.

And this is my point. I wouldn’t expect there to be much coverage in Canada of this event.

[Sports Prophet]

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/australian-rugby-league-to-open-season-at-allegiant-stadium-3010047/?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=latest&utm_source=sports&utm_term=Australian rugby league to open season at Allegiant Stadium
 

Las Vegas news

[Sports Prophet]

Front sports page on this local site too:

https://m.lasvegassun.com/news/2024/mar/01/australias-national-rugby-league-following-nfl-mod/

[BladeHearts]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/mar/03/fast-brutal-brilliant-nrls-las-vegas-gamble-comes-up-trumps

[frank]

Surprised Kayakman making  negative comments on the Las Vegas event . Made lots of comments on here when he supported the  Wolfpack.  Maybe he is a  little bitter in the way they were treated.

[Exiled Wiganer]

It’s a complete waste of resources. Had they invested that time and effort into the 2017 World Cup they would have doubled the crowd figures, and helped grow the game. As many people watched those 2 games at 3 SL games this round. Wigan would have easily sold more for the WCC if we had moved the game to a big enough ground Samoa were watched by 3 bigger crowds at the 21 World Cup. 
 

it’s great that the NRL have managed to sell State of Origin to a captive audience - hats off to them for that! - but there is zero point or strategic value in these games. Indeed playing it in Vegas reinforces it as a freakshow one off. 

Edited March 3 by Exiled Wiganer

[Pie tries]

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Only RL fans could be negative about 45k fans at an RL game in Vegas…

[Exiled Wiganer]

2 hours ago, frank said:

Surprised Kayakman making  negative comments on the Las Vegas event . Made lots of comments on here when he supported the  Wolfpack.  Maybe he is a  little bitter in the way they were treated.

What sort of person are you? I am reading the Agatha Christie book the Moving Finger just now, which shows how nothing is new under the sun, and they discuss the motives of people who stir for no reason. You should read it. 

[Exiled Wiganer]

1 hour ago, Pie tries said:

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Only RL fans could be negative about 45k fans at an RL game in Vegas…

It wasn’t 45k, it was 40k. The sense I get is that it’s all “Wow! Look at the NRL! Aren’t they superhuman!” applying a far far higher standard than was applied, say to the 21 World Cup, which was put back a year on 3 minutes notice by these clowns, and which had a total marketing lower than the NRL splurged on a “crowd” for a double header which was exceeded on 3 occasions for games involving Samoa over here: with 2 of those games being in Newcastle and London and the third not involving England. The NRL have managed to take a wonderful game, with fantastically deep roots and sell it to the converted in its core market, with a vast fawning press. 

If the conclusion is “NRL marketers are super humans”, then so were the hugely maligned World Cup organisers. I suspect the truth is somewhere in between. The World Cup did fine and this did ok. Strategically, it is a massive waste of resources, and anyone who thinks there is a gap in the US sports market, when literally every hour of sports prime time has multiple choice between infinitely resourced home grown sporting codes (the Mahomes triumph was watched by figures last seen for the moon landing!) is insane. 

[EggFace]

40 minutes ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

It wasn’t 45k, it was 40k. The sense I get is that it’s all “Wow! Look at the NRL! Aren’t they superhuman!” applying a far far higher standard than was applied, say to the 21 World Cup, which was put back a year on 3 minutes notice by these clowns, and which had a total marketing lower than the NRL splurged on a “crowd” for a double header which was exceeded on 3 occasions for games involving Samoa over here: with 2 of those games being in Newcastle and London and the third not involving England. The NRL have managed to take a wonderful game, with fantastically deep roots and sell it to the converted in its core market, with a vast fawning press. 

If the conclusion is “NRL marketers are super humans”, then so were the hugely maligned World Cup organisers. I suspect the truth is somewhere in between. The World Cup did fine and this did ok. Strategically, it is a massive waste of resources, and anyone who thinks there is a gap in the US sports market, when literally every hour of sports prime time has multiple choice between infinitely resourced home grown sporting codes (the Mahomes triumph was watched by figures last seen for the moon landing!) is insane. 

The USA has the population for NRL to try and grow especially with combines for College playes not making the NFL/CFL just lets have a bit of hope and faith and you never know something good might come out of this venture.

[Exiled Wiganer]

3 minutes ago, EggFace said:

The USA has the population for NRL to try and grow especially with combines for College playes not making the NFL/CFL just lets have a bit of hope and faith and you never know something good might come out of this venture.

Just to dig into that, if I may: 

1. The US is a continent, made up of 50 states. It is vast. 

2. Within those states, every minute of every prime time is, unsurprisingly, filled with top level, established sports with roots going back many generations. 

3. They are used to seeing the best athletes in the world, playing games they know and have a deep affinity with, in sports they love. 

4. Taking football, the world’s most popular game, as an example, look into how many decades and how many 10s of millions of pounds have been spent establishing a league, when they are selling it to a massive audience of people whose parents love the game. 

5. By all means we should be looking at seeing which NFL athletes we can persuade to play our game. 

6. As for impact, I would be interested if those citing those media sources today would let us know what the equivalents are on Wednesday. There is no place in the world with a shorter attention span than Las Vegas. They are as likely to follow TGG as they are to buy a tiger after watching the perma tanned resident magicians. 

7. The crowd was nothing to write home about, particularly given the thousands of leagues who flew there. 

8. These are the people who cancelled the World Cup on 3 minutes notice. They wanted a jolly, and they got a jolly, but there is no “grow the greatest game” plan. It’s a vanity project from people who have as had as hard a gig at actually selling our game as the Wigan Pie Sellers of Wigan.