The Rugby World Cup was a "chastening experience for the USA Eagles, who were beaten in every match, but the 2016 Olympics could give renewed momentum to the United States' fastest growing sport," according to Alex Dobuzinskis of REUTERS. Ranked "a modest 16th in the traditional 15-strong format of the game," the USA Eagles have "come from nowhere to be an emerging force in Sevens rugby, a faster, simpler, TV-friendly version of the game" that will feature in the Olympics. Success in Rio de Janeiro could "drive rugby deeper into U.S. schools and colleges and help lay the foundations" for a professional era that players, coaches and officials say is key to the sport's "long-term viability in the globe's biggest sports market." USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville said, "Sevens is a really interesting thing and it's a brand of rugby that's taken off in the States in a big way, (both for) men and women." The "fast-flowing Sevens format is ideal" for the American sports market, "popular with spectators while its seven-minute halves make television bosses and advertisers happy." USA Men's Eagles Sevens Head Coach Mike Friday said, "The big thing in America is, if you can't be an NFL player, an NBA player or a baseball player, (but) you can be an Olympian, then that's the next best thing." There was a time when "rugby was a booming sport in America." In fact, the U.S. is the reigning Olympic champion, having won the rugby Gold Medal at the 1920 and 1924 Games, "the last time the sport featured at the summer Games." But without a professional league, many USA Eagles stars are "forced to ply their trade abroad -- 19 of the men's 15s squad play for clubs in Europe." Few players "can make a living from the game" in the U.S. Friday said that the "small number of players on USA Sevens contracts" earn around $38,000-$69,000 a year (REUTERS, 10/26).
