NEWS

A sleeping giant? Warriors, MLR trying to bring rugby into USA mainstream

HERRIMAN — In Year 2 of its existence, the Utah Warriors and Major League Rugby have lofty dreams.

The second-year league has nine teams, with teams in Boston and Washington, D.C., set to join in 2020. As the league continues to grow, Utah Warriors general manager Kimball Kjar is optimistic about MLR’s future. Kjar has a deep-rooted belief that rugby can take off in America, calling the United States the “sleeping giant” of world rugby.

A study done by Nielsen Research following the 2016 Olympics found that there were 33 million Americans who are either interested or very interested in rugby. Kjar and MLR are trying to tap into some of that fan base and help rugby become more mainstream in Utah and around the country.

“The reason why everyone is so motivated behind this concept of Major League Rugby, domestically and internationally, is because everyone knows that this is the last frontier for the world’s second-largest sport to be able to make not only a financial foray, but a cultural and professional foray into the world’s largest economy,” Kjar said.

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