Clueless Americans all asking same question after watching NRL in Las Vegas

The NRL had a trump card up its sleeve in Las Vegas and oblivious Americans could not believe what they saw.

The NRL was above the MLR in the pecking order. Photo: Twitter, @CapitalCityCody.

The NRL has made a big splash in the United States and all the locals are asking the same question.

The historic double header from Allegiant Stadium gave Aussie fans something they’d never seen before, but the jury on the campaign for the hearts, minds and wallets of Americans is still very much out.

Australian Rugby League Commission supremo Peter V’landys said on Sunday the push into the American sporting market has the potential to inject “hundreds of millions of dollars” into the league as part of a long-term investment.

The only place to watch both games of the Las Vegas opening double-header live is Fox League, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >

It was the smallest of baby steps, but the NRL has planted a flag and the rugby league evangelists have already made their first conversions in America.

The simple fact is the league had a trump card up its sleeve in this endevour — and it played out exactly how V’landys would have wanted — Americans could not believe the speed of the game.

Fox League commentator Andrew Voss, who watched from inside the Vegas stadium said every American he spoke to asked the same question.

“Straight away, within 15 minutes of the game, they could not believe how fast it was,” Voss said on SEN Breakfast on Monday morning.

“They’re saying, ‘Where’s the stoppages? When do you stop?

“I said, ‘We don’t’. That got them in. They couldn’t believe the blood. They loved the hits. They love the speed of the game. They’d never seen anything like it.”

While there were plenty of Americans taking to social media to share their new love for the foreign game — there was also a bitter blow for the NRL before the season even kicked off.

Fox Sports was broadcasting the double-header on its prominent main channel in the United States — but there was a hiccup nobody could have foreseen.

A college basketball game shown before the Rabbitohs and Sea Eagles ran onto the field ran overtime — and forced the network to shift the NRL to its second FS2 channel.

That forced the Major League Rugby to get shafted onto the FOX Sports App.

The NRL was above the MLR in the pecking order. Photo: Twitter, @CapitalCityCody.

Videos and photos of the NRL season launch in Vegas earlier this week showed a party atmosphere that exceeded even the wild scenes that Magic Round has produced in recent years.

However, reactions from Americans on social media on Sunday was a mixed bag.

Have reliably been sent what Fox Sports 1 in the US is covering right now as the NRL is set to kick off in a minute. Looks like it has bumped Major League Rugby on FS2. pic.twitter.com/FMSPVXk9lU

— Cody Atkinson (@CapitalCityCody) March 3, 2024

Alright it only took 10 minutes and I’m sold. @NRL is electric! #NRLVegas

— Vince Gil (@realVinceGil) March 3, 2024

Love that I can finally watch @NRL at a decent hour in the USA! In all seriousness I think the rugby exposure in USA is building an audience. Regardless of code, it’s awesome to have friends reaching out asking questions and getting interested in my favorite sport. #NRLVegas

— Bill Battistone (@BillBattistone) March 3, 2024

Watching the new rugby league in the US being played on FS1. I really do enjoy rugby but I don't watch it. I played one year and I still don't really understand the rules. It's an absolutely brutal sport to play and to watch

— F. S. Flip Fisher (@Flipsteeler) March 3, 2024

Aye, this #NRLVegas is hella fun to watch.. #Australia is wild. Almost everything that moves there can kill you, including rugby 🏉It's brutal. I'm all in, though! The one team scored, and I have no clue about the rules, but let's go‼️

— Jae (@ButterFlyBoiJae) March 3, 2024

Further to this, we’re now 25 minutes into the first half of Manly v South Sydney, and not one of Las Vegas’ biggest news outlets is anywhere near covering the NRL online.

In fact, the Las Vegas Sun is splashing a college football yarn.#NRLVegas#NRLhttps://t.co/IoGutR4XLGpic.twitter.com/9t2oCWVqGE

— Luke Cooper (@luke__cooper) March 3, 2024

Perhaps the best sign of where America’s sporting community sits on the NRL came from American sports writer David Lengel.

The New York-based reporter covered the Manly-South Sydney game live and admitted he knows “zero” about the sport.

“I do know that kick-off (is that what you call it?) is happening soon, so get your Foster’s and your Marmite or whatever the hell you eat and drink down there (shrimp?) and get ready for some Rugby League Football,” he wrote for The Guardian.

Lengel was quick to spot the fact Australian football fields — across all the major codes — are blighted by advertising signs.

“OK, I was told that the matchup today is Souths v Manly, but at least according to the field markings I saw earlier, it looks like KFC are the home team, since their logo is in both end zones,” he wrote.

Jacob Gagai of the Rabbitohs scores a try. Photo by EZRA SHAW / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP.

Tom Trbojevic works some magic. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.

“Which team is KFC? Assuming it’s the Sea Eagles since they’re closest to chickens.I’ve also learned that the distances are marked in meters, not yards, so already we have a problem. Luckily I have an app that can help with this.”

Lengel appeared stunned by the physicality of the contest.

“ANOTHER player is bleeding,” he wrote when Manly’s Lachlan Croker was cut.

“Is this normal? Croker Lachlan is really banged up. This is like human cockfighting. But they play on! Jesus.”

Last week it was NFL cult hero Rob Gronkowski who was blown away watching a highlights clip of the sport.

The four-time Super Bowl winner watched the action unfold as part of a promotional clip for the NRL — and his reactions did not disappoint.

Gronkowski introduced the segment as “the closest thing to football, but without pads”.

The first clip showed former Storm centre Justin Olam being crunched by Sea Eagles enforcer Haumole Olakau’atu.

“Oh he just got double trucked, I don’t think I would ever do that without pads,” Gronkowski said.

It’s going to be a long-term investment.