Abolish American Football Just to Show the World 10/12/2015 7:38:05 AM
My argument why the US should abolish American Football in favour of rugby. At least to the next World Cup. Last night, the US Rugby team crashed out of the world cup failing to win any of its four matches. (I didn't watch the game by the way but I did see a little of the post game.) One thing I have discovered is that apparently, rugby is the fastest growing sport in the US. It is played widely in American universities. Furthermore, even non-Americans agree that the US is capable of putting 15 players like New Zealand legend Jonah Lomu on the pitch at one time. So the question is, "Why doesn't the USA fare better at the Rugby World Cup?" The answer is quite simple: American Football.
Any player in the US with the potential of Jonah Lomu, who can run the length of the pitch, scoring a try between the post while dragging the entire New Zealand back row over with him, knows that with that much talent, an NFL team is going to throw ridiculous amounts of money their way to play for them. On the other hand, they will make little if any money playing rugby.
Therefore, my solution is simple. Abolish American Football for four years. Turn the National Football League into the National Rugby Union League (NRUL). In order to entice the disenfranchised players, double their playing salaries. Then get the best coaches from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, England, Scotland and France to coach the teams by offering them all more money than they will ever see coaching in their own country and probably still less than what NFL coaches make. Furthermore, build a stronger foundation for the sport in universities by giving players the same scholarships American Football players get. When these things are in place, the US will have a rugby team that can not only compete on the world stage but beat the powerhouse nations of the sport.
One final note: With Japan's surprisingly brilliant performance at the World Cup, they definitely deserve to host it in 2019.
