Talking Everything American Professional Rugby
With the MLR season hitting the home stretch, we'll take a weekly look at the potential impacts of the coming weekend on the final playoff picture. Eastern Conference xNew England Free Jacks New England can clinch a home playoff game if: The total number of points gained by New England and dropped by DC is … Continue reading MLR Playoff Scenarios: Eastern and Western Conference Analysis
Stuck in Pool A with New Zealand and France, neither Italy nor Uruguay were ever likely to escape the group. Their meeting on Wednesday still holds tremendous jeopardy. World Rugby is expected to continue granting automatic qualification for Rugby World Cup 2027. Those spots have gone to the top three teams in each pool of … Continue reading Understanding the Importance of Uruguay v. Italy
The Major League Rugby Championship Final ratings on FOX haven't received much attention. Arguably, that's more than the game itself did. According to sportsmediawatch, the broadcast averaged 269,000 viewers. Compare that to the 2021 edition that drew over 2,000,000 viewers. In-stadium attendance for the 2023 Final topped the 2021 edition with over 10,000 versus 7,500. … Continue reading MLR Championship Ratings Land With a Thud
The removal of both the Austin Gilgronis and LA Giltinis prior to the 2022 playoffs left the MLR spinning. The 2023 Final faces a similar dilemma. According to a report from Jessica Sier of the Australian Financial Review, former Austin and LA owner Adam Gilchrist remains embroiled in disputes with at least five individuals (two … Continue reading Austin, LA Players Were Allegedly Offered Discounted F45 Franchises
Four teams will enter the MLR playoffs this weekend. Two will continue. Yet, any player could be the one to make a lasting impact on the league. As the players’ push for a recognized union continues, this weekend provides every player with the opportunity to push the message. Until this point, the messaging has been … Continue reading The Playoffs are a Platform. Will Any Players Use It?
The MLR postseason has potential to be one of the competition’s best editions. We’ll all have to toil through a weekend of glorified friendlies first. In the East, New England locked down the top seed weeks ago. New York and DC will play in the first round of the postseason with the location still technically … Continue reading With One Round to Go, MLR’s Stakes Could Hardly be Lower
Major League Rugby's all time win standings underwent a rearrangement last weekend. For the current basement dwellers, the door out is up some steep stairs. When Chicago, playing its fourth game in franchise history, hosted Dallas, playing its twenty-first game, a win for the home side was big. But where can the Jackals find their … Continue reading Where Can Dallas Find a Result?
It's early in the MLR season, but two sides could be facing the end of their local broadcasting arrangements. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Warner Bros. Discovery intends to exit the Regional Sports Network (RSN) business. The business, which operates under the AT&T SportsNet banner, is facing a cash crunch and its parent … Continue reading SaberCats, Warriors Could Lose Local Broadcasting Partnerships
The Dallas Jackals must be feeling like college freshmen: they have a new roommate they didn't pick, and their new friend has made a mess of the place. The Arlington Renegades of the newly launched (for a third time) XFL have taken co-residency at Choctaw Stadium. Viewers lamented the prominent gridiron markings with rugby lines … Continue reading Dallas Jackals Should have Their Field Back in Late April
After almost seven months, Major League Rugby returns tonight. If things feel a bit different, its understandable. Since the end of last season, both LA and Austin were announced as out for 2023 after sales of the franchises couldn't be completed in time to guarantee they'd be viable for 2023. Chicago was expedited into the … Continue reading MLR is Back. RFT is Still Here.
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