On the scoreboard

Over the years I've taken many overseas journalists to baseball games, and last night I went with a pair of grade schoolers.

In entertaining the two groups, there are many similarities. As I fell into routine explanations, I remembered that scoreboards and programs are outstanding instructional tools. Who is at bat or on the mound trumps the meaning of a walk.

It seems to me that in America's heroic efforts to promote rugby, we have largely forgotten the scoreboard and the gameday program.

Scoreboards are quite rare on domestic rugby fields, and of the top-flight college and club games one might attend, only at Cal would you expect a printed starting lineup and an announcer to identify the scorers.

A handful of other teams afterward send useful match reports, featuring lineups (with replacements) and timed scoring. (Kudos to the Denver Barbarians, whose summaries extend to the second team.) By contrast, the Super League site is woefully behind, and most of programs spend far more time explaining how the game is played. They are really advertising vehicles, of little help come time for kickoff.

If you've been to the USA 7s, you know that lineups and scoring are readily visible around the ground, making it very easy to explain the game to newcomers, while press resources are deep and nearly instantaneous. With the consolidation of college teams and USA Rugby staff this weekend in Albuquerque, one expects (hopes?) information gathering will be streamlined, and therefore game lineups and scoring will begin to San Diego's standard.

Coda: Last night's breakthrough? The scoreboard display of pitch velocity. Far from an example of Americans sportsmen engrossed in statistics for their own sake, the radar gun satisfactorily explained why the batters couldn't hit the ball.

Comments

[Dan Ransom]

Printed programs can be very difficult to manage at non-enclosed grounds. I used to produce booklet programs for SFGG home games at Balboa Park, which were easy to distribute since attendees all came through the same gate and could pick them up from the ticket-taker. But since the club moved to its own pitch on Treasure Island, there is no easy mechanism for distribution.

The most difficult aspect to printing programs, however, is the changing nature of lineups. Even at the higher levels of US rugby, a lineup decided at a Thursday night practice is likely to change by Saturday afternoon. Plus, opposition teams rarely provide that information to the home club - and a printed lineup is much more worthwhile if it includes both squads.

I agree that having good printed programs -- or even just single pages with lineups, or a scoreboard that posts the lineup -- would make for a more polished experience for observers.

[ERT]

A scoreboard helps, this shouldn't be a surprise. What sucks is the clubs that can't pull it off.

Add to this, the lack of leadership the clubs receive from USA Rugby. Albuquerque will be a prime example, several fields, little or no bleachers, most fields with no score board, no match PA. Its like one of those story where abused people go on to abuse others. These same college kids will see the Albuquerque set up and believe this is how rugby is supposed to be. Almost believing we do it this poorly on purpose.

[Fred]

Regarding scoreboards, annoucing the starting 15, USA Rugby's failure to market and anything else.

1. Glendale RFC (Denver, CO) which is the club team for the new Infinity Park rugby stadium has a ScoreBoard, Jumbo-tron, tunnel for players to run from out onto the field while annoucing the starting 15 and plays the Star Spangled Banner when the players line up on the touch line. This appears to be how Infinity Park runs ALL games there...or at least the ones I have attended. Oh, and they charge $5 too, to get in. The City of Glendale which owns and operates the Stadium/Park will do more to promote our game then those who appear to have their heads up their arses in Boulder. Its a frickin' crying shame. Why can't they get the 16 or so city newspapers that have Super League clubs to put the frickin' box scores in the Sunday paper?!?! Pay the papers $ if it has to be done!!!

[SD Hitman]

Since OMBAC moved from Robb Field to the Little Q (1999-2000 season), all RSL matches and headline div 1 games have included singing/playing of anthem, player introduction, and scoreboard.

Box scores for each match are called into SD paper sports section immediately after match. This has gone on for as long as I can remember.

When you promote the game as a proper sport that people would be interested in following, it manifests itself in the attitude of the mgmt, staff, and players. I would venture to guess that in some small way these "extra effort" things might have contributed to OMBAC success over the years...

Sorry for being so OM-centric. I know there is a lot of OM-haters in the gainline underground,

[Steve]

ERT and Fred -

This chain of comments reveals why this game will never change. You spend your time crying about what Boulder isn't doing for you. You are paying them $25 per player, and you want them to show leadership and build you a scoreboard?

I have an idea - pay your dues and write it off as an investment in the national teams. And then get out there and find some sponsors who will donate money to build your club a proper scoreboard and cover the printing costs of your starting lineup.

If the commentors on this site spent half the time working to grow the game and their club as they did pissing and moaning, we would have already passed baseball in national popularity and won the World Cup by now.

[Amused Reader]

Why does it require USA Rugby assistance/leadership for clubs to have a scoreboard? Even if you are playing at a park go buy one of those portable flip scoreboards used by hundreds of middle and high schools in their gyms so that the fans and supporters can see the score. How about stop blaming USA Rugby for our own shortcomes and failures and start beocming our own change agents.

[ERT]

Steve, Amused,

You must work on your reading comprehension skills.

The USA Rugby college championships, are a USA Rugby event. This event doesn't belong to the teams. USA Rugby owns and controls their championships and in these Albuquerque championships there won't be a score board for the matches, or a program, or a match PA. It will be a poor example of how to run an event. I referred to this as poor leadership, which it is. The average club needs to pull off these event management elements for every home match, not easy, but we are all in agreement it should happen. USA Rugby has reduced their work to a one location, a one time affair and still can't pull it off. This is why, even with over a couple million dollars of college cipp dues money and another million of NG sponsorship money, this leadership and standard is unacceptable. Now go find somebody that can read this before you respond in support of these jokers.

[old beaver]

I coach a high school rugby team, a few years ago I purchased a 3ft by 4ft dry erase board to use as a scoreboard for our home games.
It works great, it's simple and parents and fans really ike having it.
Most have asked that I take it o away games, and people line up to be score keeper.
SO for $20 I have created te most advanced rugby scoring system in our region.

[FredR]

Beaver,

Can you loan your equipment to USARFU to take to Albuq?

[Fred]

to: Steve
re: my (Fred) defense

"..You spend your time crying about what Boulder isn't doing for you."

I don't expect Boulder to do anything for me, persay, but rather the game. I was not aware that in the SD papers, box scores were published, that is good and I can only imagine that it took grassroots effort to get such from local fellows; not Boulder.

I don't want or need them to build score boards, but if a mayor in the city of Glendale in colorado can have the vision and create the money (albeit tax base) why can't Boulder?

"...pay your dues..."

I do every year and as an old boy it doesn't benefit me one whit anymore

"...If the commentors on this site spent half the time working to grow the game and their club as they did pissing and moaning, we would have already passed baseball in national popularity and won the World Cup by now..."

I use to smoke that stuff too, dude!

As far as what I can give back to the game, I have committed to getting in the coaching program this year as all I seem to have left to offer of any quality anymore is a knowledge and a desire to grow the game. I had good coaches and poor coaches and I saw poor coaches lose good potential players because of a myriad reasons and I don't that to continue and to that end the buck has to stop with each one of us.

All said, I believe the future depends on local guys making a commitment to the game with a "build it and they will come" attitude. Kinda like our forebearer soccer became a national game here because of grass roots efforts.

It just irks me that here in USAR's own backyard (Denver) I don't see a heavier hand in the "going's on". But it could just be me.

[expectations]

Fred old pal, you are free to expect nothing from the national governing body of the sport. I expect plenty from us and plenty from them. USA Rugby and their $2m payroll have got to get something done. If not, make way for a group that can.

Better yet, why don't they just focus on the Eagles, NA4 and such. Let the HS and college people run their part of the game.