The huge business of USA baseball teams

The huge business of USA baseball teams in international tournaments has its echoes in minor leagues and the USA Sevens, for which the market in the Pacific Ocean is now blocked off in favour of the Miami Sevens.

The product in the world’s cities is a leading indicator for the product in the markets in the Americas. International events only make sense if there’s a large or a growing potential US market – think of San Diego as a key destination for the Rugby World Cup Sevens – so when the US Women’s World Cup Sevens comes around next August, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and Atlanta, should they be in the mix for men’s Sevens, are all logical additions.

Yet the number of quality sevens players in the US doesn’t compare with international players, with established stars like Perry Baker, Carlin Isles and Perry Baker leaving the US to take the competition to Australia.

“We’ve got a good but not-so-good competition,” Collier said. “We don’t have the depth, but that is always the thing that we work on. We want to be more competitive. We’ve got to find a way to match the international standard. It’s always a bit of a frustrating thing to work toward.”

Unlikely future

There is a solution: Tackling the marketing challenge in a smart and not-so-smart way.

Tournaments are synonymous with the World Cup Sevens. Most teams playing the World Cup Sevens will play in the USA Sevens. The number of events available to USA Rugby, even without events in Chicago and Miami, is only going to grow.

But the focus must be on the US markets, even if those markets are international. The US Men’s and Women’s Sevens teams need to be playing in front of a supportive, enthusiastic crowd, especially for the teams’ opening matches, before the TV audience and corporate sponsors.

The USA Women’s Sevens played in Paris in August, and the USA Men’s Sevens played in Las Vegas in November. The USA Sevens will be in Santa Clara, California, in March. The US Women’s Sevens will be in L.A. in April, and the USA Men’s Sevens will be in Miami in March.

Tournaments like this are enough of a brand builder to convince more teams and players to come.

“I think it’s going to make the selection process a lot more open and competitive,” Collier said. “To be in the mix for Olympic qualification, we’ve got to be in the conversation for a World Cup. This allows us to do that.”

Half the goal of the Rio Olympics would be getting there.

“I think if we are going to compete at the highest level, we need to be doing that on a regular basis,” Collier said.