User:Bastun/sandbox/MLR

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Major League Rugby
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2023 Major League Rugby season
SportRugby union
Founded2017
First season2018
CommissionerNic Benson[1]
No. of teams12 (from 2023), 13 (from 2024)
Countries United States
(11 teams)
 Canada (1 team)
HeadquartersDallas, Texas, United States
ConfederationRAN
Most recent
champion(s)		Rugby New York
(1st title)
Most titlesSeattle Seawolves
(2 titles)
TV partner(s)
Official websitemajorleague.rugby

Major League Rugby (MLR) is an autonomous semi-professional rugby union competition for privately owned, for-profit franchise clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada.[2] While operating outside of the governance and oversight of the national governing body, the league is officially sanctioned by USA Rugby—a member union of Rugby Americas North (RAN)—and is consequently part of World Rugby. The league was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

MLR began its first season in 2018 with seven teams. The league has since expanded several times - the 2022 season was marked by the disqualification, and subsequent departure, of two teams from the Western Conference, LA Giltinis and Austin Gilgronis. This setback was offset with the announcement of a new franchise in Chicago, starting 2023, opening the competition to the Midwestern United States for the first time and bringing the circuit back to twelve teams.

Major League Rugby implemented its first collegiate MLR Draft in 2020.[3][4][5] Also in 2020, Major League Rugby teams started forming youth academies.[6][7]

History[edit]

Founding[edit]

See also: History of rugby union in the United States

In September 2016, with at least five amateur rugby union clubs across the United States discussing a possible professional league, Dean Howes,[8] who had previously been an executive with Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, stepped in as senior strategic advisor for Rugby Utah in an attempt to provide a pathway for expanding professional rugby stateside.[9]

By February 2017, a total of nine amateur rugby union organizations including the Austin Huns, Dallas Griffins, Glendale Raptors, Houston Strikers, Kansas City Blues, Minneapolis, New Orleans RFC, Rugby Utah and the Seattle Saracens, announced their intentions to form a professional league to begin play the following year.[10][11]

On August 15, 2017, the Austin Huns announced that it would opt-out of MLR in favor of allowing a newly branded spinoff, the Austin Elite compete in the league.[12] The Houston Strikers rebranded themselves as the Houston SaberCats. Whereas the elite players of New Orleans, Utah, and Seattle became the New Orleans Gold, Utah Warriors, and Seattle Seawolves respectively, interests in Minneapolis were replaced by the San Diego Legion.[13] With Kansas City and Dallas still in planning stages, the league continued as seven members for its inaugural season.[14]

On November 6, 2017, Major League Rugby and CBS Sports Network announced a multi-year television partnership which marked MLR's first major television deal for broadcast rights.[15] It was the first time in American history that a new sporting league had a national television deal prior to launch.[16]

2018[edit]

Main article: 2018 Major League Rugby season

The first regular-season game in Major League Rugby history was held on April 21, 2018, when the Houston SaberCats hosted the New Orleans Gold.

--- format and matches ---

The 2018 final was played on July 7 at Torero Stadium, and was contested between the Seattle Seawolves and the Colorado Raptors, with the Seawolves winning 23-19 to become the inaugural champions. Vili Toluta'u of the Seawolves was named as Most Valuable Player.

2019[edit]

In addition to Rugby United New York, the Toronto Arrows joined the league ahead of 2019 season as the first Canadian team in MLR. Three further American clubs began play in 2020, with the New England Free Jacks, Old Glory DC, and Rugby ATL.[2] With the opening of Aveva Stadium as Houston's permanent stadium in April 2019, MLR gained its first stadium that was specifically built for league play.

Later in April, RUNY announced the signing of French international Mathieu Bastareaud on a loan deal from Toulon for the 2020 season.[17] In October 2019, another major signing was made when it was announced that All Blacks international and multiple World Cup winner Ma'a Nonu would join the San Diego Legion for the 2020 season.[18] The following December saw another World Cup winner sign with the league, namely South Africa prop Tendai Mtawarira with Old Glory DC.[19]

On March 12, 2020, MLR initially suspended its 2020 season for 30 days due to the coronavirus pandemic[20] but then cancelled the remainder of the entire season on March 18, after five rounds had been played.[21]

On April 9, 2020, the Colorado Raptors announced they were leaving the league.[22][23] On May 28, 2020, the LA Giltinis were added as an expansion team based in Los Angeles to begin competition in the 2021 season. The name is a combination of the word "martini" and the last name of owner Adam Gilchrist.[24] This was followed on June 4, 2020, with the addition of Dallas Jackals based in Dallas, Texas, for the 2021 season.[25] However, on January 19, 2021, Dallas announced that the team would postpone their inaugural season to 2022.[26]

On October 25, 2022, Major League Rugby announced that 12 teams would compete in the 2023 season, but that neither the Austin Gilgronis, nor the LA Giltinis will participate. With the uncertainties surrounding Austin and Los Angeles' team ownership, it was determined to suspend operations of the two teams to ensure a successful 2023 season, and protect the long-term strength of the league.[27] The MLR announced on November 17, 2022, that the latest expansion team would be the Chicago Hounds who will compete as 12th MLR team in the 2023 season in MLR's Western Conference.[28]

On February 8, 2023, Major League Rugby announced that the Miami Sharks will join the competition for the 2024 season.[29]

Competition format[edit]

Major League Rugby spans five months from Late February through to Early July. The 2019 regular season was a double round-robin with all clubs playing each other home and away.[2] Each team played sixteen games, half of them at home. This was followed by a postseason for the top four teams consisting of two semi-final matches and the Championship Game to determine the season's MLR champion team.[30]

From the 2020 season, MLR changed to a conference format.[31] Both conferences, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference, consist of six teams (seven teams took part in the 2022 Western Conference). Each team plays a double round-robin within their conference, home and away, in addition to playing six games against teams from the other conference, for a total of 16 regular-season games.[32] The postseason consists of the top three teams from each conference: a wildcard game between the second and third ranked teams, followed by a playoff game between the wildcard winner and the first ranked team in the conference. The resulting playoff winners from each conference then face off in the league championship.

The league is structured as a closed system and, similar to other American sports leagues, does not have promotion and relegation.[33] It operates as a single entity similar to Major League Soccer and other major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, with each team or "franchise" owned by the league and the franchise operators owning a share of the league.[34]

Teams[edit]

Map[edit]

class=notpageimage|
Locations of teams for the 2023 Major League Rugby season
          Western Conference
          Eastern Conference
          Announced/confirmed future expansion teams

2023 teams[edit]

The twelve teams competing in the 2023 Major League Rugby season are divided into two conferences. The twelfth team, Chicago Hounds, was announced to be joining the Western Conference on November 17, 2022.

Club Location Stadium Capacity Joined Coach Broadcasters
Eastern Conference
New England Free Jacks Quincy, Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Stadium 5,000 2020; 4 years ago (2020)[35] South Africa Scott Mathie WBZ-TV
NESNplus
New Orleans Gold Metairie, Louisiana Gold Mine [a] 10,000 2018; 6 years ago (2018) Samoa Kane Thompson Cox Sports TV
Telemundo Nuevo Orleans
Old Glory DC Leesburg, Virginia Segra Field 5,000 2020; 4 years ago (2020)[37] New Zealand Josh Syms Univision DC
NBC Sports Washington
Rugby ATL Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta Silverbacks Park 5,000 2020; 4 years ago (2020) New Zealand Stephen Brett WATL
Rugby New York Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon Memorial Stadium[38] 3,900 2019; 5 years ago (2019) New Zealand James Semple MSG Network
Univision Nueva York
Toronto Arrows Toronto, Ontario York Lions Stadium 4,000 2019; 5 years ago (2019) Australia Peter Smith TSN
Western Conference
Chicago Hounds Bridgeview, Illinois SeatGeek Stadium 20,000 2023; 1 year ago (2023) Australia Sam Harris TBA
Dallas Jackals Arlington, Texas Choctaw Stadium 48,000 2022; 2 years ago (2022) United States Agustin Cavalieri KTXA
Houston SaberCats Houston, Texas Aveva Stadium 4,000 2018; 6 years ago (2018) South Africa Pote Human AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Univision Houston
San Diego Legion San Diego, California Snapdragon Stadium[b] 35,000 2018; 6 years ago (2018) New Zealand Danny Lee[40] FOX 5 San Diego
Univision San Diego
Seattle Seawolves Tukwila, Washington Starfire Stadium [c] 4,500 2018; 6 years ago (2018) Ireland Allen Clarke Univision Seattle
Root Sports Northwest
Utah Warriors Herriman, Utah Zions Bank Stadium [d] 5,000 2018; 6 years ago (2018) New Zealand Greg Cooper Univision Utah
KSL-TV
  1. ^ The Gold Mine is in Metairie, Louisiana, a census-designated place in the New Orleans metropolitan area.[36]
  2. ^ Snapdragon Stadium is located on the campus of San Diego State University at SDSU Mission Valley.[39]
  3. ^ Starfire Stadium is in the Seattle suburb of Tukwila, Washington.[41]
  4. ^ Zions Bank Stadium is in Herriman, Utah, located within the Salt Lake City metropolitan area.[42]

Timeline[edit]

Chicago Hounds (rugby union)Dallas JackalsLA GiltinisRugby ATLOld Glory DCNew England Free JacksToronto ArrowsRugby New YorkRugby United NYNOLA GoldUtah WarriorsSeattle SeawolvesSan Diego LegionHouston SabercatsColorado RaptorsGlendale RaptorsAustin GilgronisAustin Elite

Expansion teams[edit]

The expansion franchise fee is US$4 million as of 2019.[43]

The Mexican Rugby Federation is exploring adding an MLR team.[44]

On February 8, 2023, it was announced that the Miami Sharks would be joining the league in 2024.[45]

Former teams[edit]

Team Location Stadium Joined Left
Colorado Raptors Glendale, Colorado Infinity Park 2018 2020
LA Giltinis Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 2021 2022
Austin Gilgronis Austin, Texas Bold Stadium 2018 2022

On April 9, 2020, the Colorado Raptors announced that they would withdraw from Major League Rugby after three seasons in the league, effective May 2, 2020,[46] the first team to do so. Their announcement explained their withdrawal by saying that "our greater responsibility lies in the development of American players who can win the World Cup for the United States."[46] Asked to explain how withdrawing from the league would help to develop American rugby players, the Raptors referred the question to Glendale City Manager Linda Cassaday, who said on April 10, 2020, that MLR had been founded with a core mission of developing American rugby players and originally had limited teams to three foreign players, although this expanded to five players before the first season began in 2018.[46] MLR had expanded from seven teams in 2018 to 12 in 2020 without having enough American players to fill out rosters and had raised the ceiling on foreign players to 10 per team.[46] The Raptors believed that both this overall number of foreign players and the higher proportion of foreign to American players no longer best served the goal of developing American players who could compete successfully in the Rugby World Cup, and therefore chose to withdraw from the league to better focus their efforts on the development of American players who could compete on an international stage.[46]

On October 25, 2022, Major League Rugby announced that 12 teams would compete in the 2023 season, but that neither the Austin Gilgronis, nor the LA Giltinis will participate. With the uncertainties surrounding Austin and Los Angeles' team ownership, it was determined to suspend operations of the two teams to ensure a successful 2023 season, and protect the long-term strength and continued growth of the league.[27]

Champions[edit]

By year[edit]

Year Teams Champion Score Runner-up
2018 7 Seattle Seawolves 23–19 Glendale Raptors
2019 9 Seattle Seawolves 26–23 San Diego Legion
2020 12 Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 12 LA Giltinis 31–17 Rugby ATL
2022 13 Rugby New York 30–15 Seattle Seawolves

By team[edit]

Club MLR Shields Year(s) Won Conf champs Year(s) Won Playoff apps Year(s) Total seasons
Seattle Seawolves 2 2018, 2019 1 2022 3 2018, 2019, 2022 5
Rugby New York 1 2022 1 2022 3 2019, 2021,2022 4
LA Giltinis† 1 2021 1 2021 1 2021 2
Rugby ATL 0 - 1 2021 2 2021, 2022 3
San Diego Legion 0 - 0 - 3 2018, 2019, 2022 5
Utah Warriors 0 - 0 - 2 2018, 2021 5
Houston SaberCats 0 - 0 - 1 2022 5
Toronto Arrows 0 - 0 - 1 2019 4
Colorado Raptors[A]† 0 - 0 - 1 2018 3
New England Free Jacks 0 - 0 - 1 2022 3
NOLA Gold 0 - 0 - 0 - 5
Austin Gilgronis[B]† 0 - 0 - 0 - 5
Old Glory DC 0 - 0 - 0 - 3
Dallas Jackals 0 - 0 - 0 - 1
† Franchise no longer competes in MLR

MLR rivalry cups[edit]

In Major League Rugby, several teams annually compete for secondary rivalry cups. Most cups are deliberately conceived as local derbies between teams in the same region.

Summary[edit]

Each win is counted as an official title. Only official MLR games are considered as official rivalry games unless an exhibition game is specifically marked as a Rivalry game. Several teams now participating in cups played matches before the creation of the cups.

Active[edit]

Rivalry name Most wins Titles Other club(s) Titles Recent winner
Cold War Rugby New York 2 New England Free Jacks 2 New England Free Jacks
Fire and Ice Cup Rugby ATL 2 Toronto Arrows 0 Rugby ATL
I-45 Feud Houston Sabercats 2 Dallas Jackals 0 Houston Sabercats

Inactive[edit]

These Cups are currently listed as inactive, due to teams withdrawing from Major League Rugby. Individual cups may return with new teams in the future.

Rivalry name Most wins Titles Other club(s) Titles Last winner
Texas Cup Austin Gilgronis 3 Houston SaberCats 0 Austin Gilgronis
Lone Star Champs Austin Gilgronis 1 Houston SaberCats
Dallas Jackals		 0
0		 Austin Gilgronis
Cali Cup LA Giltinis 2 San Diego Legion 1 San Diego Legion
Champagne Cup Rugby New York 1 LA Giltinis 1 LA Giltinis
Cuisine Solutions Cup Old Glory DC 2 Austin Gilgronis 1 Austin Gilgronis
Gillys Cup LA Giltinis 3 Austin Gilgronis 1 LA Giltinis

Players[edit]

Major League Rugby players include those drawn from North American clubs, as well as foreign signings. Although the original concept was to limit club to three foreign players, the limit grew to five before the start of the first season, before then being increased to ten. This increased allotment of foreign players led to some criticism that MLR was not providing enough opportunities for American players to develop.[47]

Awards[edit]

MLR season
Player of the Year Forward of the Year Back of the Year Coach of the Year Rookie of the Year
2019
  • No Award
2021
2022
MLR championship
MVP of the Championship Match MVP of the Championship Series
2018
  • –
2019
2021
  • –
2022
  • –

Television coverage[edit]

For the 2022 season, MLR and FOX Sports have partnered up once again to broadcast the matches. MLR Commissioner George Killebrew said, "Having FOX Sports involved as the national television broadcaster for Major League Rugby this season is an amazing opportunity for the league. FOX Sports' reach and audience will not only bring our fans the rugby coverage they expect but also introduce our sport to entirely new rugby fans."[48]

Major League Rugby programming runs in prime weekend time slots on Saturday afternoons and Sunday evenings.[49]

The CBS Sports Network televises 13 matches nationally over the course of the season. This includes a Game of the Week during each of the 10 rounds of the MLR regular season along with all three post-season matches.[30] Live streaming is also available through the CBS Sports Network streaming platforms.[30] Dan Power (Play By Play), Brian Hightower (Color Analyst) and Stacy Paetz (Sideline) were the CBS Sports commentators for the 2019 season.[50] The remaining games are available on ESPN properties and regional sports networks.[51]

ESPN has the national and international rights to an 18-game package covering regular season matches to audiences across its various platforms.[51]

AT&T Sports Networks have a 17-game package covering six of the seven MLR teams for games not broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.[49] Home-and-away matches for Austin, Houston and New Orleans are carried on AT&T SportsNet Southwest. Seattle's matches are carried on Root Sports Northwest and all Colorado and Utah games are hosted on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.[49]

San Diego has a separate local rights agreement for their market with all the Legion's home-and-away MLR games that are not on the CBS Sports Network being televised locally on Channel 4 YurView California.[52]

Austin Elite Rugby partnered with Facebook Watch for their Texas-based viewers during the 2019 season.[citation needed]

Rugby United New York announced regional television partnership with SNY, which will televise nine games of RUNY's inaugural season (2019), with the premiere game airing LIVE Sunday, January 27 at 5:00 PM EST.[53] Also, NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Philadelphia+ will join SNY in televising match coverage of eight remaining games, beginning Saturday February 16 at 3 PM EST when RUNY travels to face the NOLA Gold. The partnership with the NBC Sports Regional Networks expands RUNY's TV market into two key East Coast markets.[54]

Toronto Arrows Rugby announced a television partnership with GameTV for the 2019 season.

The 2019 Championship game was broadcast on CBS, the first MLR game to be televised on free-to-air TV. It gained a 0.32 Sports TV rating which equated to 510,000 two-plus-person households.[55]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MLR adjusted its 2020 season schedule and turned its attention to ensuring the league would rebound with a strong showing in 2021. League and team officials have been "diligently working to build strong rosters and enhance the fan experience" for the season. Matches were televised on CBS Sports Network and Fox Sports 2, among other national and local market platforms. The MLR Championship was broadcast on CBS on Sunday, August 1, 2021.[56]

For the 5th (2022) and 6th (2023) seasons of MLR competition, FOX Sports nationally broadcast select matches on FS1 and FS2.[57]

Finals TV ratings[edit]

Year TV Viewership Ratings Channel Stadium Attendance
2018 CBS Sports Network[58] 2,901[8]
2019 510,000[59] 0.32[59] CBS[60] 6,000[61]
2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 478,000[62] 0.28[62] CBS 7,389[63]
2022 281,000[64] 0.16[64] FOX Sports[65] 1,979

Streaming[edit]

On March 16, 2021, MLR launched The Rugby Network/RugbyPass,[66] a free streaming platform in conjunction with RugbyPass which will stream all MLR content, including matches and highlights. This digital network is the first of its kind in North America, providing rugby fans with a single destination for all their rugby needs. It includes live streaming of select MLR matches, international rugby matches, game highlights, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.[67]

MLR App[edit]

On March 17, 2021, MLR launched its official mobile app. This fan oriented app is where MLR fans come together for breaking MLR news, schedules, match scores, team profiles, statistics, and exclusive video content. The app is part of a multi-platform deal with digital sport innovators PT SportSuite who transforms all MLR's digital media capabilities. The MLR app is available to download on iPhone App Store and Android Google Play.[68]

Attendance[edit]

Top attendances for Major League Rugby games (all time, from 2018 onward):[citation needed]

Rank Attendance Game Date Season Venue Metro area
1 11,423 San Diego Legion vs Utah Warriors
Week 1		 February 18, 2023 2023 Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, CA[69]
2 9,186 Utah Warriors vs Glendale Raptors
Pre-season exhibition		 March 30, 2018 2018 Rio Tinto Stadium Sandy, UT[70][71]
3 7,389 Los Angeles Giltinis vs Rugby ATL
Championship Final		 August 1, 2021 2021 Los Angeles Coliseum Los Angeles, CA[63]
4 6,000 San Diego Legion vs Seattle Seawolves
Championship Final		 June 16, 2019 2019 Torero Stadium San Diego, CA
5 4,880 Los Angeles Giltinis vs Utah Warriors
Week 9		 May 15, 2021 2021 Sofi Stadium Los Angeles, CA[72]
6 4,500 San Diego Legion vs Rugby United New York
Semi-Final		 June 9, 2019 2019 Torero Stadium San Diego, CA
4,500 Utah Warriors vs Rugby Atlanta
Week 17		 July 11, 2021 2021 Zions Bank Stadium Herriman, UT[73]
4,500 Seattle Seawolves vs New York Ironworkers
Week 1		 February 18, 2023 2023 Starfire Stadium Tukwila, WA[74]
9 4,443 Chicago Hounds vs Utah Warriors
Week 3		 May 18, 2019 2023 SeatGeek Stadium Bridgeview, IL[75]
10 4,175 San Diego Legion vs New Orleans Gold
Week 19		 March 5, 2023 2019 Torero Stadium San Diego, CA

Attendance for the inaugural season was approximately 1,800 per match.[76] That average increased by about 300 per game in 2019 with an average of 2,133 per game and a total of 159,000 attendees.[76] George Killebrew reported that in 2022 an additional 70,000 tickets were sold compared to the 2021 season, with crowd averages remaining around 2,000 per game.[77]

Executives[edit]

Commissioner/CEO

Deputy Commissioner

  • Nic Benson (2016–2023)[80]

Sponsorship[edit]

The Gem Garden in San Marcos, California, makes all MLR Championship rings, as of 2018.[81]

On October 28, 2019, Major League Rugby announced that, starting for the 2020 season, Paladin Sports will be the new supplier of all uniforms/kit for the league.[82]

On January 2, 2020, MLR partnered with Rhino Rugby for the 2020 season. Rhino Rugby is the official ball and technical training equipment supplier for the 2020 MLR season. The Rhino Rugby "Vortex Elite" ball is the official MLR match ball for all 12 teams. The Vortex Elite is currently the official ball of Rugby Europe, and Asia Rugby, and has been used in the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) the past several years[83]

In March 2021, American Airlines became MLR's official airline and travel partner.[84][85]

On February 23, 2023, the MLR signed a partnership with OVAL3, the brand specializing in Web3 and fantasy rugby. OVAL3 will be the "Exclusive NFT Fantasy Game" of Major League Rugby. OVAL3 plans to provide "world-class immersive experiences" and Web 3.0 engagement to rugby's rapidly-growing North American fanbase.[86]

Jersey sponsorships
Team Sponsor Manufacturer
Dallas Jackals N/A
Houston Sabercats AVEVA Paladin Sports
Chicago Hounds N/A
New Orleans Gold N/A
Rugby New York Mainfreight
San Diego Legion Kings and Convicts Brewing
Seattle Seawolves WaFd Bank
Toronto Arrows Coolbet Canada
Utah Warriors InterMountain Healthcare
New England Free Jacks Alloy Therapeutics
Old Glory DC Cuisine Solutions
Rugby ATL Barbour Orthopedics and Spine

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Explanatory notes[edit]

  1. ^ Competed as Glendale Raptors in 2018 and 2019.
  2. ^ Competed as Austin Elite in 2018 and 2019.

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ "Major League Rugby Commissioner Killebrew Steps Down". Major League Rugby. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "MLR 2020: LEAGUE FORMAT". Major League Rugby. July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  3. ^ "2020 MLR Collegiate Draft Summary". June 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "MLR Draft Picks 2020". Major League Rugby.
  5. ^ "2020 Major League Rugby Draft Application and Useful Athlete Info". USA Rugby. May 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "Glendale Announces 2021 Colorado XO Team". January 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "Utah Warriors Co-Founder to build Liberty Boys Academy - djcoilrugby". December 2, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "'We learned a lot': Major League Rugby commissioner Dean Howes sees success where others failed". www.sportspromedia.com. April 30, 2019.
  9. ^ "Dean Howes, Former Real Salt Lake CEO, Joins Rugby Utah" (Press release). Utah Rugby. August 24, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  10. ^ "Major League Rugby Coming in 2018". Americas Rugby News. February 13, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  11. ^ "Nine Teams Confirmed for Major League Rugby". Americas Rugby News. May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  12. ^ "Austin Huns Opt Out of Inaugural MLR Season" (Press release). Austin Huns. August 15, 2017. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  13. ^ "San Diego Join as Major League Rugby Eyes Rapid Expansion". Americas Rugby News. September 21, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  14. ^ "Major League Rugby: All you need to know about U.S. rugby's newest competition". ESPN. April 30, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  15. ^ Bristol, Jason (November 13, 2017). "Houston, rugby has landed; to be broadcast on CBS Sports Network". KHOU-TV. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  16. ^ Hamilton, Tom (April 20, 2018). "Major League Rugby: Inside rugby's latest attempt to crack America". ESPN. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  17. ^ "France international Mathieu Bastareaud signs for Rugby United New York on loan deal". ESPN. April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  18. ^ "Rugby star Ma'a Nonu of New Zealand joins San Diego team". KSWB-TV. October 9, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  19. ^ "Rugby World Cup winner Beast Mtawarira joins Major League Rugby club Old Glory DC". ESPN.com. Reuters. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  20. ^ "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS". Major League Rugby. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  21. ^ "Major League Rugby cancels remainder of 2020 campaign". Yahoo! Sports. AFP. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  22. ^ "Updated: Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby". KUSA (TV). April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  23. ^ "Major League Rugby welcomes Nonu and Ranger – but could say goodbye to Colorado". the Guardian. November 25, 2019.
  24. ^ "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY OFFICIALLY WELCOMES THE LA GILTINIS". Major League Rugby. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  25. ^ "MLR Introduces the Dallas Jackals". Major League Rugby. June 5, 2020.
  26. ^ "Dallas Jackals move inaugural season to 2022". Major League Rugby. January 19, 2021.
  27. ^ a b "Major League Rugby Issues 2023 Competition Update". Major League Rugby.
  28. ^ "Major League Rugby Officially Announces Expansion into Chicago".
  29. ^ "Expansion Teams Headline Off-Season of Growth for Major League Rugby". Major League Rugby. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  30. ^ a b c "CBS Sports Network Partners with MLR". Major League Rugby (Press release). November 6, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  31. ^ "Major League Rugby to add three new teams in 2020". ESPN.com. April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  32. ^ Rowe, James (April 11, 2019). "Major League Rugby Announces New League Format For 2020". The Runner Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  33. ^ Parkes, Geoff (May 6, 2018). "Why Major League Rugby could finally be the USA's game changer". The Roar. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  34. ^ a b "Major League Rugby nears kick-off as next attempt to make US a union power". The Guardian. UK. November 17, 2017. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  35. ^ "Major League Rugby confirms Boston and Atlanta for 2020". Americas Rugby News. September 21, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  36. ^ Mackel, Travers (August 30, 2019). "When Baby Cakes leave, what happens to "Shrine On Airline?'". WDSU. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  37. ^ "Washington DC team to enter Major League Rugby 'no later' than 2020". Major League Rugby. May 15, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  38. ^ "2023 HOME STADIUM ANNOUNCED". rugbynewyork.com. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  39. ^ "San Diego Legion announces Snapdragon Stadium as permanent home starting in 2023". SD Legion. February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  40. ^ "Former All Black Danny Lee named new Legion head coach and Directory of Rugby". SD Legion. August 11, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  41. ^ "Contact". Starfire Sports. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  42. ^ "Utah Warriors Announce Home Venue for the Major League Rugby Season". Utah Warriors. January 25, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  43. ^ "Major League Rugby expanding to 12 teams in 2020". www.americasrugbynews.com. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  44. ^ "Mexico eyeing a Major League Rugby future". Americas Rugby News. December 18, 2020.
  45. ^ "Expansion Teams Headline Off-Season of Growth for Major League Rugby". Major League Rugby. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  46. ^ a b c d e Petersen, Will, "Updated: Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby," 9news.com, April 10, 2020 Accessed March 27, 2021
  47. ^ "Updated: Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby". KUSA.com. April 9, 2020.
  48. ^ "Major League Rugby and FOX Sports Announce National TV Schedule". February 4, 2022.
  49. ^ a b c "Major League Rugby Announce Telecast Agreement with AT&T Sports Networks". MLR. February 5, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  50. ^ "Major league rugby". eyeonskyandairsports.blogspot.com.
  51. ^ a b "Major League Rugby and ESPN Announce Rights Agreement". MLR. March 20, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  52. ^ "Media partners". San Diego Legion. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  53. ^ "SNY and RUNY Announce Television Partnership". Rugby United New York. December 20, 2018.
  54. ^ "Rugby United New York Announces Expanded Television Coverage on NBC Sports Regional Networks". Rugby United NY.
  55. ^ "SKEDBALL: Weekly Sports TV Ratings 6.10-6.16.2019y". www.showbuzzdaily.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019.
  56. ^ "Major League Rugby Releases 2021 Season Launch, Championship Date". Major League Rugby.
  57. ^ "Major League Rugby and FOX Sports Announce National TV Schedule".
  58. ^ "Major League Rugby Championship: How to watch Seattle Seawolves vs. Glendale Raptors". cbs sports. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
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