By Frank Pingue
Sept 11 (Reuters) - Rugby players may be muscular, broad-shouldered athletes built to be seen, yet some of the sport's biggest stars barely turned any heads as they walked around Baltimore, Maryland this week.
"We had a few people recognise us, not me necessarily but the guys I walk with," South Africa number eight Jasper Wiese said before Saturday's deciding test against New Zealand in a series branded Rugby's Greatest Rivalry.
That anonymity captures the challenge, and the opportunity,
facing rugby as it looks to capture a thin slice of the lucrative and crowded American sports market where the NFL, with its massive TV ratings and giant business deals, commands unmatched attention.
But many of rugby's decision-makers are undaunted and hoping to harness what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow the game and its fanbase in the United States given the showcase events happening on American soil within the next decade.
Rugby sevens will be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and the United States will stage the men's Rugby World Cup in 2031 for the first time before hosting the women's tournament two years later.
USA Rugby has over 100,000 active members across youth, high school, college and senior club levels, a number the organisation would like to see reach 500,000 by the time the World Cups are held in the United States.
"Where it needs to go, we've got a long ways and a lot of work to do," USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren told Reuters.
'NOT AN EASY SPORT TO LEARN'
Saturday's match, at the 71,000-seat home of the NFL's Ravens, will see the All Blacks and Springboks continue a century-old rivalry as part of the sport's plan to better position itself for a massive breakthrough in the United States.
Rugby is essentially hoping to captivate fans in a landscape where the "Big Four" North American professional sports leagues, the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, dominate revenues, media rights and cultural impact. Soccer has also gained popularity in the United States, which co-hosted the 2026 World Cup.
Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing analyst in San Francisco, said rugby’s potential growth in the United States hinges on a reliable sponsorship pipeline and securing regular TV exposure, while also persuading millions of already-busy sports fans to learn and make room for another game.
"It's not an easy sport to learn, a lot of complicated rules," said Dorfman. "It’s so close to American football that I think American football fans who might be the most likely to get into rugby are so wrapped up in the NFL that who has time to really follow another sport?"
ALIGN ALL LEVELS OF THE GAME IN THE US
But Goren, who headed up Major League Rugby's marketing and business operations as deputy commissioner of the North American league before moving to USA Rugby, has a blueprint.
Part of the plan is to ensure all levels of rugby in the United States promote the game in the same direction, building opportunities and clear pathways that make it easier for a curious person to find a place to play.
"What it's going to take is a number of people coming together, alignment throughout our community, ... aligning to promote, drive the game, build the opportunity for people to enjoy the game," said Goren. "Today, it's a challenge."
Having success on the field of play and household names can also go a long way, he added.
Ilona Maher did her part at the 2024 Paris Olympics when she exploded in popularity on social media while helping the U.S. to bronze in rugby sevens. Maher understood the need for rugby to connect with a younger audience and gained fans through her posts about body positivity and femininity in the athletic form, plus her cheeky Olympic village flirting.
PLENTY OF WORK STILL TO BE DONE
Major League Rugby Co-President Alexander Magleby is hoping Saturday's game will give Americans a chance to fall in love with rugby fans similar to how they did with soccer supporters during the 2026 World Cup, when Scotland and Norway fans created some of the tournament's more memorable moments.
"If people love soccer fans, they're absolutely going to love rugby fans," said Magleby. "And so this is an opportunity to take over another city in that regard, which is super cool."
Still, there is plenty of work to be done to get rugby firmly on the map. As South Africa and New Zealand players prepared for their sold-out match, it was clear that rugby has work to do in a crowded U.S. sports marketplace.
"I think it's a bit hard to sell it to America as a sport because they don't know rugby like we do, and maybe they don't appreciate (the game) as much as we do," said South Africa's inside centre Damian de Allende.
"But the best way to sell it is to have them come to the stadium and enjoy the experience, and see us play as the two best teams in the world. That's the best rugby product they can experience right now in America, so to have the Springboks play New Zealand is the best way to sell the sport."
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(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, additional reporting by Nick Said, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
