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Super Rugby Research Paper

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Rugby Union is a sport that has been a key part of Australian culture for hundreds of years. It began as a modest competition between a few clubs but slowly went through many changes over the last century. In this paper, I will discuss the history and outcomes of the gradual commercialization of Rugby Union and relate it to my experience at a Super Rugby game. By the turn of the 20th century, Rugby Union was already undergoing a significant change. Popular clubs were being disbanded in favor of creating ‘district clubs’. Although it was met with criticism 100 years ago, I believe this was a step in the right direction, as we learned the importance of linking a club to its community in our studies of Rugby League. After a brief period of a …show more content…

Rugby Union has continued to grow in popularity on an international scale. This past year two new teams, from Japan and Argentina, were added to the roster of teams competing. While the rise of Super Rugby undoubtedly forced the decline of clubs, its increase in popularity and television broadcast deals have helped establish a new audience for the sport. Additionally, although the local youth development in clubs slowed down, there are likely far more young people who are enamored with Rugby Union than would have been possible if the sport did not become commercialized. If these kids choose to play the sport, they can even earn scholarships to tertiary schools and gain a free education while also honing their rugby skills. Lastly, the sport may have fallen apart altogether had it not gone professional, as Rugby League was flourishing while ARU clubs were struggling to …show more content…

First and foremost, a game that was once played and viewed for fun now requires fans to purchase tickets to enter. Also, they were playing in a stadium sponsored by the insurance company Allianz, and that was only the beginning of the advertisements I saw. All over the stadium were billboards advertising various companies. The jerseys that the players wore even had advertisements on them, as did the ones being sold to adoring fans. Furthermore, concession stands sold average food and beverages at relatively high prices. This certainly does not mean I did not enjoy my experience at the game—far from it, in fact. The matchup and game itself was a far more exciting experience than I had at the Rugby League game, and the blatant commercialization did not take away from the event. Nonetheless, it was quite obvious that the franchises try to nickel and dime the fans at every turn, but this is something I have come to expect after years of attending sporting events. All in all, it is easy to see how and why Rugby Union has become commercialized over the years. The sport had to make changes to survive, and it ended up working out well for the sport and its fans. Even if it now costs money to attend an event that was somewhat recently free to watch, I am happy to pay money to the cause if it means keeping these teams

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