Question of Eagle opportunity costs returns

Some 15 years after Midwesterners raised the question of the territorial 'cost per Eagle', youth advocates are worrying about the price per Eagle victory.

Having recently shelved plans for expensive 'high performance' academies, USARFU has inadvertently reopened the matter of the national team's opportunity cost. Instead of a 4-16 Eagle record since 2006, what good might have come from spending millions on seeding junior high and high school teams and leagues?

Grassroots advocates, as they were known when the dissatisfaction of Thunderbird administrators precipitated the (first) collapse of the Inter-Territorial Tournament, have historically contended that pyramids are built from the base up. Eagle enthusiasts countered that the national team is the game's 'shop window', the key to commercial success.

The 2006-08 IRB funding windfall, which bade the national union focus on improved test performances, appeared to have resolved the matter. But the team's unprecedented decline has prompted many (including Gainline.us) to think again.

To be sure, the shelving of the HP strategy would have a been a difficult decision for the board, which had made setting up four regional units first priority in the most important sector of its 2008 'scorecard'. But beyond simple budgetary considerations, the decision has the advantages of not trying to duplicate established school facilities, and not creating uncertain relationships between USARFU, its HP units, and the territories, which are vital to Boulder because they ensure national dues compliance as well as administer most of the competitions leading to national championships.

Of course, rugby's opportunity to tap into school sports also comes with tradeoffs. Any pursuit that would become mainstream must plug into conventions that kids, parents, and administrators understand.

For instance, the more gifted American high schoolers compete in multiple sports in order to maximize their chances of a scholarship. Since academies require Under-20 players to become year-round specialists, teenagers with a shot at a scholarship probably wouldn't try rugby, while the U20 World Cup falls during our school exams.

With its movement toward state-based organizations and high school championships, USARFU has identified the synergies of the varsity approach. But the recent move to fudge the definition of 'single school' is the kind of pitfall that lacrosse has sidestepped as it's zoomed past rugby.

Comments

[Frauds and Liars]

San Diego should pose an interesting dilemma, to the real rugby man and the regular Gailine reader. The quandry I speak of is how do you cross paths with Nigel, K-Rob or any of the Board members and not look at them like they crapped their pants.

In all honesty Im just not sure what tack serves us best. Do you give them the cold shoulder, the disgusting look, the full frontal assault or some combination of all three.

It would be seriously challenging to even a patient man to see these frauds in public and not want to openly mock them to their face.

What is the right play?

[can't wait]

Give them that smile where they know you know...that they had crapped the bed.

Life is too short to get into a shouting match and dilute a good weekend. They would just lie anyway. These are not honest brokers, why go to their level.

I think it would be great if they compared notes at the meeting only to share, people are laughing when they say hi, kind of a pitiful laugh at you kinda laugh.

[oops I crapped my pants]

Make brief eye contact, smile and as you pass - rip one loudly.

[Hmmmm]

I am all for HP academies, for U18s.
Get them playing at a high level while they are young, they will stay until they are 27 at least and get 10 years from them. They can then seed the knowledge as smart coaches while they are young.

Shop window? hardly, no one's looking, second, they arent regular american guys a U18 can relate to, third, they have zero hometown connections, they all seem to be itinerant ruggers and a basic element of sports marketing is the hometown hero. USAR posts 'belmont shore' or OMBAC or whatever as their team, the average guy has never heard of belmont shore or OMBAC, sounds like a country club or a military acronym. How 'bout Fred Smith, Podunk, IL, and send a release to the Podunk Herald whenever Freddie ties his shoe, makes the team, gets cut and back on the team, scores points, man of the match, won every scrum, whatever, just get it in the news media. Freddie is an amateur with no agent, so its up to the governing body to connect on behalf of the athlete, which a FT paid staff ought to do. Stop: talking to the rugby press, start talking to the regular press, give them free content that does not require editing and is intelligble to the average (non rugby) reader.