Fantasy Rugby

Fantasy Football, Why Not Fantasy Rugby?

In 1906 Theodore Roosevelt formed a committee to reduce the violence in rugby football establishing in many developing colleges across the nation. With no established rule of the game of rugby it became a dangerous sport to participate. An average of 6 deaths and 160 serious injuries per year raised concern for Roosevelt as his youngest son was enroll into college and joined the rugby team as a freshman.

The committee as known today as the NCAA developed rugby into American football is today. Introducing yardage penalties, the line of scrimmage and greatest difference of the down and distance rules. Influenced by presidential orders, the NCAA defined the difference between Football and Rugby on American campuses. Football became the sport of choice.

Rugby union’s pride of only being an amateur sport while athletic icons took payment for playing on teams that paid the highest salary to draw in the largest crowds. Football became a money making business in America in competition all across the nation. With no television broadcast to see such athleticism, player’s statistics were judged as to value of an individual.

Player’s statistics heavily weighed a person’s ability to play the game in all sports. Baseball cards and Football cards became collectible to fan base. Numbers mattered to team owners, managers, coaches and most importantly the fans.

In 1962 a partners of the Oakland Raiders created a sport with player’s statistics. Drafting players and interest in keeping track of top players was part of theses creator’s jobs apart of the Oakland Raider’s organization. Manually keeping track of statistics and point system was challenging but it was personally and professionally rewarding to being a fan of the game of football and player stats.

Not until 1996 when the internet boom did fantasy football take off on websites. Charging $300 for a group league to play for a computer to take the statistics and points systems for the fantast player. The next year in 1997 with advertisements fantasy football websites was free with popular demand of participates engaging onto advertising websites.

The NFL succeed widening is fan bases and longer hours of fans tuning in per week. In 2000 an average fan engaged five hours per week. While today 33.5 million fantasy football players engages nine plus hours per week. The NFL makes the profit off the audience of attention with T.V. contracts and sports news coverage programs commercials revenues.

The problem with rugby in America is the inability to pay great athletes to convert from football to rugby. Football players will not play rugby unless the pay is right. This is not possible unless the audience is willing to watch and track their favorite athlete perform in competition. Though football has able time to in between downs to keep record of player’s statistics. Rugby is a continuously playing game with many people on the field handling the ball. Is it possible for rugby to develop to be a fantasy sport to better interact with its fan base.

Rugby statistics currently consists of the player’s appearance on the field of a full game or short time. Because the game briefly stops, most recognition of achievement in a rugby game is when scoring a try. For the average game of rugby when there is only a few scores per game this could be lame fantasy sport. Some of the best players do not score but contribute to the team greatly.

What more is there to look for in statistics in a rugby game?

Twitter: @hawkeyerugby
Google+ MichaelKlostermannIowa

Who to Thank For Rugby

Who To Thank For Rugby.

Like Christopher Columbus we believe he sailed across the sea and became the first to discovered America. In history books we read of accomplishment about people, but is it in fact true. In recent discoveries many other generations previously set sail and discovered America before Christopher Columbus did. Some in fact walked from Asia to America and settled. Empires had already existed and passed before the claimed first foot to reach these American grounds.

As all the rugby world has heard the crediting story to who first created rugby. A young English school boy playing on ground of a boarding school in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. In 1923, a 17 year old boy by the name of Webb Ellis. The rugby world credits Webb Ellis with his action of playing a soccer-like game and catches the ball in his arms and then continued to run forward.

It took scholars years to figure the credit to who invented this game. Crediting to Webb after he passed in 1872 did Old Rugbeian Society in 1895 investigate. May the truth be unknown?

It is also unknown when the Olympic Games first started. It is estimated that the game ended near 400 A.D. when the Roman gained power and influence in Greece. Governments and religions dampened sport gathering in Europe.

Many sports across the world involved carrying a ball and running around and through people. Many countries commonly played an individual rough game of keep away with a ball with no goals but to only bring the ball home.  Some in entire towns in United Kingdom played Shrovetide. A game of one-half town versus the other one-half town fighting over a large ball to two points of town over a 3 mile distance. This has been known to go on for days with thousands of people participating all over town. On Shrove Day the town shuts down till the game is over. But Religions and governments discouraged the Shrovetide game to be played. Except for one town of Ashbourne in the United Kingdom.

It was known Webb Ellis’s father was in the military on campaigns to many countries to hold the peace in the UK when Webb was a school boy.

Did Webb Ellis’s father teach him to run with the ball? The like traits of today’s rugby.

On a school ground Webb Ellis picks up a ball and runs. Confined into the yards of a playground sets limits of boundaries a ball carrier can be chased to. Adopting a new idea of a game from Shrovetide but a game with closer goals and a shorter distance and can be played every day.

Surrounding schools yards practiced the trend of play and accepted competition each other. Wide spread of ability of a physical competition among school caused popularity. With gained interest thousands of spectators came to witness a school sanctioned sport. By popular demand communities of rugby players came together for form a union of mens clubs all across England to form a league of rugby competition.

War and conflict spread many European countries military into Australia and New Zealand. As well as immigration to the United States.

In 1963 The Football Association formed. An unconnection game of playing with the ball with hands using feet only. Using rugby football’s network of union competition clubs.

In 1981 Basket was invented by James Naismith, a sports coach, college professor and innovator. Designed a game for rugby players to practice in the off-season. Also invented the football helmet.

In 1896 International Olympic Committee (IOC) forms to coordinate an international competition of games.

In 1906 Theodore Roosevelt changes the rugby football game rules America to modern football more seen today because of his son was enrolling freshman into college joining the rugby team and the violence was averaging 8 deaths and 180 serious injuries per year. Roosevelt’s committee eventually formed what is known today as the NCAA.

In 1920 and 1924 United States wins gold in rugby, the last time rugby is an Olympic game.

Today Australia, New Zealand, England and France dominate the International rugby board rankings as the best rugby countries in the world including. Republic of Africa that credits Nelson Mandela and the game of rugby that made a nation.

Who Do We Give The Greatest Appreciation To For Giving Us All Of This?

Twitter: @hawkeyerugby
Google+ MichaelKlostermannIowa

Why Rugby? Why Not?

Why Rugby? Why Not Play Rugby?

Traveled across half the state coupe up five men deep in one car. $10 gas money to the poor driver for using his car and gas to lug 800 pounds of man to the opposing city and hopefully back. The condition of having to travel away, with the roster of twenty-two are below standard and illegal. Small compact cars supposably have the best gas mileage. Band of vehicles forming a convoy searching for the open field in the city on enemy territory. Reaching destination the home team stops their pregame warm up to watch the contending exit their Hondas and Toyotas. Strong and large bodies exiting their like sardine can car. The illusion of a clown car. This is how ruggers know they are amateur athletes. But this feels like the big leagues.

Return home after rugby match. Grabbing ice packs out of the freezer. The dead leg dance of a temporary limp from the abuse of the 80 minutes played out on the pitch. The dreaded shower to wash the sweat and dirt off the body. Water burns through the small cuts and scrapes as it cleans. Muscles too sore to bend forward to wash the stubbed toes and shoulder can bare reach to the shampoo hair.  Notice a few bruises starting to shine. Can’t wait for tomorrow to see how big that black eye can possibly show its black and blue colors. Smiling with pride and no regrets. Friends, co-workers and especially mothers continuing repeat the question. “Why Rugby?”

Twitter: @hawkeyerugby
Google+ MichaelKlostermannIowa