The Las Vegas Thread

[Sharpie]

I’ve never heard rugby league referred to as rugby in my life. It’s ‘league’ ‘rugby league’ or ‘footy’. In fact I’m hearing it referred to as simply NRL a lot these days. Not sure why it matters mind you.

Given your 65 years of experience, this comment highlights how little travel you must have done in your life.

I've had that conversation more times than I've had hot dinners!

Sorry to hear about your financial struggles.

Please reach out here: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

And didn't the NRL accidentally involve union last year, so it might not be rocket science but it seems like it's still confusing for even the governing body of our competition

They didn't confuse a Union club for League. They were leveraging off Union's popularity and success to the betterment of our game. Unfortunately, they were unaware that our game also had a presence in the area.

Do they search for 'Rugby' though? America is pretty unique in the sense that most/all of their sports are referred to only by their main league names. They don't say they're going to go see American Football tomorrow or the Basketball. They say they're going to see NFL and NBA, even CFB - MLS, NHL - point is, they are in the habit of knowing sports by 3 letters only.

If we market as Rugby in the first few years to draw the existing Rugby fanbase in, then in years 3, 4 and 5 focus solely on marketing it as the 'NRL' and build that as the brand.

As long as they have all NRL related search terms on lock and key with SEO, so when someone searches 'play NRL' in the USA, an NRL based website comes up first, I don't see a problem with it.

Case closed. We have a winner. Well done.

Thats more of an indictment on the way the Super League has been run, that they let their brand be taken over by Football. Possibly time to rebrand as NRL Europe, so they can actually market themselves in the UK effectively.

I wouldn't be too worried about people searching Super League anyway. If a CFL game was played as a warm up to the NFL in Australia, you wouldn't get a whole heap of people searching for CFL. Most people are going to watch the main event. + I think they may realise they weren't watching womens football and add 'Super League Rugby' to their search in that case.

MLR, RFL, NRFL are all very clearly different branding to the NRL, 4 letters or vastly different in spelling. Thats why you hammer the NRL branding. It's NFL, but with one letter difference - easy to remember. After you've built exposure to the existing Rugby market in America - you barely mention that it's Rugby. It's just NRL.

You think the NFL cares that there are 50000 leagues with 'FL' at the end of their name in Australia? Different scales, but you get the point. Get the casual viewer that cares to know, that the NRL is the Premier Rugby competition in the world. That's how sports work in America - 3 letters and they want to see the best in the world - not too different from Australia honestly.

You're too smart to be wasting your time here.

 

[Vlad59]

Given your 65 years of experience, this comment highlights how little travel you must have done in your life.


Sorry to hear about your financial struggles.

Please reach out here: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/


They didn't confuse a Union club for League. They were leveraging off Union's popularity and success to the betterment of our game. Unfortunately, they were unaware that our game also had a presence in the area.



Case closed. We have a winner. Well done.



You're too smart to be wasting your time here.

A new Alt. Nuff said.

 

[Murishido]

They didn't confuse a Union club for League. They were leveraging off Union's popularity and success to the betterment of our game. Unfortunately, they were unaware that our game also had a presence in the area.

That seems plausible... but if so wouldn't that then just reaffirm that they don't think there's a difference in the US between the two?

Worth noting the player they sent referenced it being a league club, so it doesn't really add up with the back track.

 

[Canard]

Given your 65 years of experience, this comment highlights how little travel you must have done in your life.


Sorry to hear about your financial struggles.

Please reach out here: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/


They didn't confuse a Union club for League. They were leveraging off Union's popularity and success to the betterment of our game. Unfortunately, they were unaware that our game also had a presence in the area.



Case closed. We have a winner. Well done.



You're too smart to be wasting your time here.

Oh look, @Wb1234 has another alt

 

[Sharpie]

That seems plausible... but if so wouldn't that then just reaffirm that they don't think there's a difference in the US between the two?

Worth noting the player they sent referenced it being a league club, so it doesn't really add up with the back track.

Do you have a source for that?

 

[Murishido]

Oh look, @Wb1234 has another alt

Makes sense now

 

[Sharpie]

Is this website not inclusive to new members? I thought this was in the inclusive sport of Rugby League. Not the exclusive boys club of Rugby Union

 

[Murishido]

Do you have a source for that?

Sure you got a source for yours?

 

[Sharpie]

There are more creative, well paid, minds than mine that can answer that one.

Ah okay. I am of the thought process that you never bring up a problem without having a solution or an idea for a solution for it.

Like has been said either work a deal globally for the sport to become known as NRL and just use that or come up with something totally different that includes the word 'League'.

Oh sorry, I am confused. Didn't you just say that "well paid, minds than mine that can answer that one."?

 

[Sharpie]

Sure you got a source for yours?

RLA podcast.

 

[i0Nic]

I think using the term Rugby works because most of the world have heard about it and understand what it's all about. The issue is the word League, because League literally means Competition and it's super confusing pairing it with Rugby as a different sport.

Could rebrand it to something like Action Rugby, Fast13 Rugby, or simply 13s Rugby, to actually make it clear it's a type of Rugby but it's own unique thing.

Also pushing the NRL brand is good and building it up as the premier club competition of any form of Rugby.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

What about Xball? Or iBall?

Penrith are playing this year in Vegas so Smugby League?

 

[i0Nic]

I think Rugby 13s suffices as it’s easy to explain. It’s a faster version of Rugby with less players.

the problem is it still makes it seem like it’s governed by the same body, that’s it’s just a different version of the same sport rather than a different sport.

Maybe this could all be fixed if the NRL get rich enough and buy Rugby Union since it’s going broke all around the world. Take all the assets, keep the best brands and players and turn the game into Rugby League and just rename it to Rugby.

 

[Murishido]

RLA podcast.

Anymore detail? Like who, when etc. Or is the back up source your uncles mate knows a bloke?

Please tell me it wasn't the same people who mislead us about the Accomodation.

Here's one example of the media coverage for mine.

NRL’s embarrassing Vegas blunder exposed: ‘Way to grow the game’

The promotional tour hit a significant snag that has left someone threatening to pull the pin.

7news.com.au

4th to 6th paragraphs

Leniu attended a clinic at a local high school in Park City, Utah, which he said was “the pinnacle of rugby league in America.”

But there was one major problem.

It wasn’t a rugby league club. It was a rugby union club.

 

[Wb1234]

Anyone who thinks the name of the game is an issue for the Vegas experiment is either trolling or an idiot

The game sells itself

Aussies will educate Americans that’s it’s rugby (take a deep breath….) league.

If Vegas is still happening in ten years and selling out then it will be a huge huge success for Pvl.

Funnily the people complaining the game should change its name also were never fans of going to Vegas in the first place

 

[Sharpie]

Anymore detail? Like who, when etc. Or is the back up source your uncles mate knows a bloke?

Please tell me it wasn't the same people who mislead us about the Accomodation.

Here's one example of the media coverage for mine.

NRL’s embarrassing Vegas blunder exposed: ‘Way to grow the game’

The promotional tour hit a significant snag that has left someone threatening to pull the pin.

7news.com.au

4th to 6th paragraphs

Leniu attended a clinic at a local high school in Park City, Utah, which he said was “the pinnacle of rugby league in America.”

But there was one major problem.

It wasn’t a rugby league club. It was a rugby union club.

Leniu? The man that didn't know calling someone a Monkey would cause such an issue. I wouldn't take his word for any insight into head office.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Anyone who thinks the name of the game is an issue for the Vegas experiment is either trolling or an idiot

The game sells itself

Aussies will educate Americans that’s it’s rugby (take a deep breath….) league.

If Vegas is still happening in ten years and selling out then it will be a huge huge success for Pvl.

Funnily the people complaining the game should change its name also were never fans of going to Vegas in the first place

Go back through the thread and you’ll see I’ve supported the Vegas experiment from the very beginning - still do and think we should be marketing ourselves as the NRL. Newbies confused about what you are exactly isn’t ideal. NRL/NFL. It’s easily digestible for the Yanks. Not losing sleep over it mind you.

 

[Éamonn an Chnoic]

I don't really think it's that hard for anyone remotely interested to figure out and grasp the concept that there are two types of Rugby with different rule sets.

But the goal is to get be who are NOT interested to BECOME interested.

why would you put us such a barrier?

imagine branding it as “Football” and just expecting everyone to know the difference from the 30 other forms of football there are…

Volleyball/Beach Volleyball
Ice Hockey/Hockey
Indy Car/Indy Kart (back in the day)
Union 15s and Union 7s
Alpine Skiing / Nordic Skiing
Greco Roman Wrestling / Freestyle Wrestling
Bowling (ten pin) / Lawn Bowls
Ice Skating/Skating
Snooker / Pool

People aren't stupid. If they want to know more a 5 min google search and maybe a couple of YouTube videos will explain everything they need to know to understand they are different sports with a shared name.

Major difference, most of these are easy to tell apart visually…

do you think anyone will look at the ice hockey on the tv and confuse it with field hockey?

for the uninitiated, RL and RU will look almost identical

 

[Wb1234]

But the goal is to get be who are NOT interested to BECOME interested.

why would you put us such a barrier?

imagine branding it as “Football” and just expecting everyone to know the difference from the 30 other forms of football there are…




Major difference, most of these are easy to tell apart visually…

do you think anyone will look at the ice hockey on the tv and confuse it with field hockey?

for the uninitiated, RL and RU will look almost identical

League and Union do not even look remotely similar let alone almost identical

 

[Éamonn an Chnoic]

Nrl is a fantastic brand ?

As long as we don’t tell people what the r stands for

lol

No one is suggesting we stop using “Rugby” altogether. But using it as the PRIMARY brand, is f**king dumb.

just like with sports using “football”. It works as a general indicator, but no one would be dumb enough not to as a distinguishing name

American Football
Australian Football
Association Football