(Note:  Dennis Justice is President of United Rugby League LLC, a proposed 11-a-side rugby league competition with rules modified to fit American football fields, and Gridiron Rugby League, the non-profit organization formed to promote the game at high school and collegiate level.  The websites for these organizations are www.unitedrugbyleague.com and www.gridironrugby.org)

The recent news that the two warring sides of American rugby league, American National Rugby League (AMNRL) and USA Rugby League (USARL), are trying to mend fences should be welcome news to those who feared the spat could sabotage America’s chances of making the next Rugby League World Cup.

In that press release, the USARL mentioned that the two sides will try to come up with a proposal to Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) by the end of this year.  Upon looking at their website, www.usarugbyleague.com, it is more than fair to say that it light-years better in design than the AMNRL’s (www.amnrl.com), or even the top two semi-professional football leagues, the NAFL (www.nafl.org) and GDFL (www.gdfl.org).  Their recent news that they sent a couple of USARL representatives to London for a conference on coaching is encouraging.

This may be a bit brutal, but the recent actions until now should be a wake-up call that rugby league has squandered potential.  Indeed, some in rugby league are muddying the waters and confusing sports fans in this country riding the coattails of rugby union.

This is your virtual “come to Jesus” meeting.  If you want rugby league to be taken seriously in America, more seriously than lacrosse, more seriously than soccer, here’s but a few suggestions that need to be seriously considered:

1.  The purpose of the AMNRL should be totally redefined.  

When the AMNRL was running the amateur aspects of the sport and the only league, that was one thing.  Events that caused the USARL to be formed, bolting from the AMNRL, now shows that the AMNRL should not be in the business of running leagues anymore.

Instead, what the AMNRL should be doing would be similar to the United States Soccer Federation (USSF):  Run the national teams, promote the sport at the amateur level, and establish criteria for professional leagues and sanction them.  (Some would argue that “Mediocre League Soccer” uses USSF President Sunil Gulati’s power to hold down other potential leagues, but that’s another story.) 

First of all, not every team left the AMNRL to join the USARL, so right now their status is uncertain.  Maybe they join the USARL, or maybe they start a new league?  Or down the road the United Rugby League is sanctioned even though it’s 11-a-side (fat chance).  Or another league wants to take on territories in this large country of ours and have real competition.  In any event, it is clear that just shuffling the chairs isn’t enough.  There needs to be a clear revision on what roles everyone has.

2.  The AMNRL and USARL need to stop riding rugby union’s coattails. 

When AMNRL President David Niu was proposing his ill-fated “NRL-US” professional competition, he was reported by Mascord (2009) for misleading NBC Universal about the growth of rugby in America, mixing numbers from rugby union and rugby league and later Niu’s dubious defense.

Excuses, excuses.  Well, it was wrong then and it was just as wrong recently when USARL did the very same thing, posting a story on their website touting the growth of “rugby” in America when it clearly was talking about the growth of rugby union.

As I responded on that page, it was wrong for Niu to do it and it’s wrong for USARL now.  It was also wrong when NBC had their rugby union collegiate 7s tournament last year and had a profile on “rugby” history that included Russell Crowe as a “rugby owner,” when he’s obviously with rugby league.

It’s one thing when an American sports fan is confused.  It’s another when people who should know better are confusing American sports fans.

Rugby union and rugby league are different sports.  Some would say “muddying the waters” is a fraudulent act.  You’re at a point when the whole game of rugby league in America is being reconstructed.  You’re going to be mocked and ridiculed every single time you do this and you deserve to be. 

Because if you’re just trying to make everybody in the two codes happy, heck, let’s just merge them then.  No?  Then pull that link now and never do this again!

3.  When you present your proposal to RLIF, ask why there is no NRL or SuperLeague on American television? 

I have argued that maybe Australia and England don’t really want the United States as a major player in rugby league.  Maybe they don’t want their leagues threatened by us.  If we ever took off as a serious professional league, we’d be the third largest league immediately.  God forbid if the NRL and SuperLeague pay higher wages to keep their players when an American league gets its legs and really gets going.  Not to mention that if America ever took this sport seriously we’d be a real threat to win the Rugby League World Cup within 20 years.

I hope that’s not the case.  That’s wrong thinking.  Manchester United is a powerful international marketer.  It can be argued that the English Premier League is more popular in the United States than MLS.  (Actually, it can’t be argued, it’s a fact.)  Why isn’t NRL and SuperLeague on television?  No, I don’t mean Internet streaming or some game from years ago shown on late night regional sports networks in grainy “substandard” definition.  We had the game shown on Spike TV a couple of years ago, where’s the follow up?

4.  Give Steeden one last chance to start selling their equipment in the United States. 

Steeden is the official rugby league ball for the NRL and SuperLeague, basically, the official ball of the game.  But you can’t buy Steeden equipment here.  You’d have to order from England or Australia and pay outrageous shipping charges.  Imagine thousands of high schools having to do this.  They wouldn’t, and that’s why we can’t grow the game beyond a few die-hards. 

I have tried to contact Steeden in the past.  The one time they responded they told me to go to the Gilbert USA rugby website (Gilbert and Steeden are owned by the same company), which does not mention Steeden at all.

Professional leagues should use whatever ball they want, as long as it’s an actual rugby league ball.  However, the AMNRL could sanction one ball for all play at the amateur, high school, and collegiate levels.  They could basically tell Steeden, “Look.  This sport is going to take off.  Either please open an American distributor, tell Gilbert USA Rugby to sell league equipment, or we’ll have to find another company to exclusively sanction for twenty years.”  I can promise you that is the mentality of Gridiron Rugby League.  I’m sure a company like Baden (who has great equipment) or others would be more than interested if Steeden doesn’t see the light.

5.  Under no circumstances should USARL accept “affiliations.” 

The surest way to scream “minor league” is to say, “We want ‘x’ team to be the ‘South Sydney Rabbitoh affiliate.’”  Real Salt Lake of MLS had a “marketing agreement” with Real Madrid that was laughable. 

Americans will accept a league that’s minor league when it’s starting up.  What we will never accept is being another country’s minor league.  “Oh, but it’s temporary.”  Uh huh.  And people thought the single-entity system in MLS was going to be temporary and American soccer would have finally joined the rest of the serious soccer world with promotion and relegation by now.

Along those lines, any professional league should not under any circumstances accept ownership stake in the league or any team from SuperLeague and NRL owners, and from broadcasting networks.  No, you do not want Russell Crowe owning part of a team one day.  It’s a conflict of interest.  You need to set up a league to eventually be able to buy and sell contracts like the big boys. 

There is another way Crowe could help, and that’s with getting NRL games on American television and marketing South Sydney merchandise like Manchester United sells their jerseys on Fox Soccer Channel.  And as we seen with NBC and Arena Football League and the XFL, having broadcasting networks with ownership stakes reduces pay for players and is generally a conflict of interest.  Don’t sell out just to get on TV. 

6. Stop the insane idea of hosting the 2017 World Cup.

I'm still dumbfounded the AMNRL even suggested this.  We first have to get the game on American television for a few years. People need to see and understand the game. Having said this, 2021 is not unrealistic at all IF there's a serious push for a league in this country. It wouldn't be a bad idea to ask for conditional approval of 2021's World Cup, if there's a truly professional league in place by 2017.

Along those lines, somebody needs to explain to RLIF that their system of rewarding the powers of the sport with automatic entry in the World Cup hinders the growth of the sport. Only the host nation and maybe the defending champions shouldn't have to qualify. FIFA has it right: Half the fun of their World Cup is qualification. Even if the teams are the same, making them qualify at least gives people in other countries a chance to see them, and when one of the big boys fail, the sport will explode in popularity.

(Another thing FIFA has right:  Promotion and relegation.  MLS loves to claim "the infrastructure is not there" for promotion and relegation in America, like it's not their job to create it after 15 years.  Okay, well, the infrastructure is there for rugby league, if it was 11-a-side.  Promotion and relegation is a way to get our game more popular here at the grassroots level.  Don't be surprised if a lot of upset soccer fans join us if American rugby league dared to do it.)

Also, don't rule out hosting the women's World Cup. Why not? It would help grow the women's sport, especially if they pursued my Gridiron Rugby proposal. It's "Title IX-friendly."

7.  Play a World Challenge Cup game at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. 

Let me repeat that:  Play a World Challenge Cup game at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.  You read it right:  Get a NRL and a SuperLeague team to play an exhibition game at that palace.  Did you know that Northwestern University’s women’s lacrosse team played a game there last week?  Granted, didn’t draw much in attendance, but they did it, and it’s a great recruiting tool for future talent.  If 11,000 can show up for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Leeds Rhinos in Jacksonville a few years ago, you can get 20,000 in Dallas if promoted right.

Now, let’s all get in “Les Nesmann mode” (“these are lines…where walls will someday be…”).  Imagine a game in early March at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.  The lights darken.  A scintillating video about the hard-hitting action of rugby league is shown on the giant television screens overhead.  “O Fortuna” is played during the video and at the dramatic end the two teams run out of a smoke-filled tunnel, running past the trophy and thousands of photo flashes are going off.  Then as the lights come on, the instrumental version of “Simon Says” by Pharoahe Monch is blasting while the LED ad boards on the sideline are turned on.  It would be awesome.

What?  They’re not willing to pay for a grass field to be put in (and later removed) for “official” rugby league rules?  Not willing to use the NFL goalposts?  Not willing to use existing lines and go 11-a-side?  Painting extra lines would be a hassle and people would be confused?  Oh well…

8.  Learn to adapt, and then take on the world. 

The Cowboys Stadium example illustrates why neither code of rugby is in our high schools as a varsity sport.  Understand that Americans are not going to change their football stadiums to accommodate rugby league.  The whole point of “Gridiron Rugby” is to make the game fit American football fields so the game can be played. 

So what if it’s 11-a-side?  Sean Fagan once wrote that this has been discussed in the past, although in fairness it was about reducing costs and expanding play. 

Never mind that rugby league is supposedly the game willing to change.  Never mind that their willingness to change resulted from the split from rugby union in the first place.  Never mind that one USARL team actually played a 9-a-side version with “Ireland A” recently.  Suggest that American rugby league go 11-a-side and they act as though one is advocating another “schism.” 

Um, how do you divide by zero?  There is no serious pro league in America.  99.99999% of Americans don’t know there is a “rugby league” played here. 

And what can RLIF do?  More importantly, what have they, NRL, and SuperLeague DONE to promote the game here up to now?  It’s not like rules for international matches would change.  Every pro league has variations from RLIF rules anyway.  Get the foot in the door…

Once you tweak the rules to fit American football fields, the ability to get this game in high schools is dramatically easier.  Getting a professorial league in football stadiums unused in the spring and summer (including NFL venues) is dramatically easier.  A lot of sports commissions would love to have something, anything, in those venues and if approached right they can be of great help.

Oh, sure, current rugby league officials can thump their chests, say we don’t have to change, and they should just accept the game the way it is.  It’s wrong on two counts:

For one, Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters had that level of hubris years ago.  When Senator John McCain was calling UFC “human cockfighting,” fighters there were all but saying they don’t have to change, accept them as they are.  UFC almost died due to that hubris.  They were lucky Dana White got new ownership for them and changed the sport in time. Now they make more money than all of MLS.  And rugby league has never had that kind of success UFC had even during UFC’s darker days.  Learn to adapt to survive, and then learn to adapt to thrive.

Secondly, American football is by far the most popular high school sport.  Recently, one high school in Texas acquired funding to build a $60 million football stadium.  I don’t think they even thought of rugby league.  “Hey, we need to put the field in meters instead of yards, put in goalposts on the goal line, and beg NRL to put rugby league here.” Don't think that idea ever happened when the stadium was first considered.

High schools are not tearing up tracks to build “official” rugby league fields.  And if you think the sport can grow with kids wanting to play in parks and cow pastures instead of the high school stadium, think again.  Make the game fit the field, like arena football does fitting inside hockey rinks.

Gridiron Rugby fixes those issues, especially for fields with artificial turf.  Perfect sport offseason to football, with football players who need conditioning, in the Spring.

Despite all of the success of rugby union, facts are facts.  Neither code is recognized as a varsity sport by any state high school athletic association in the United States.  Union used to have California and Vermont (albeit only about 700 kids), and now apparently that’s not even the case. 

Rugby league officials can scoff at the idea all they like. And ten years from now they will still not be recognized as a varsity sport by any state high school athletic association.  Why do I know that will be the case?  Because American rugby union is far more developed than rugby league and over decades they haven’t been much more successful.

Now imagine if American rugby union, who has been pushing the 7s version for a while, suddenly decided my crazy idea will work, but with rugby union at 11-a-side.  By the time the rugby league officials finally take the scales off their eyes, it would probably be too late.

Whichever code of rugby figures this out first will be the truly dominant code in America. 

So American rugby league officials have decisions to make while it’s reorganizing:  Hubris or progress?  Do we want to truly get in schools, really develop a serious professional league, or do we just give guys a way to avoid yard work playing semipro ball forever? 

It’s not just that I don’t think 13-a-side won’t work.  It’s that it hasn’t worked and it won’t work in America.  It's nice to see that the two sides are claiming they will work together, but if there's no real plan to adapt, nothing will change.

So until or unless American rugby league is willing to accept these realities, Gridiron Rugby League and the United Rugby League will be operating on its own.