American dream: when Australian sport tries to crack the US market

The NRL could be on the verge of an American Dream, a season opener with the potential to make rugby league relevant in the United States. The competition has reportedly revived discussions about staging a historic premiership game between Manly and South Sydney in Los Angeles to open the 2023 campaign. Clubs will be banking on the Hollywood pull power of Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe and Sea Eagles supporter Hugh Jackman three years after plans in 2019 fell through.

But it is not the first time Australian sports have tried to gain exposure and relevance in the lucrative US market.

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Well, sort of. It was an exhibition match following the already-completed 1987 series, in Long Beach, California. Three weeks after Queensland retained the shield, New South Wales beat them 30-18 at Veterans Memorial Stadium. While the result did not count towards the series, it is included in the player appearance and records calculations. In terms of publicity, though, it barely made a squeak, with the crowd figure contested but reported to be around 12,000. To date it is the only Origin game taken to the US.

The NRL’s Magic Round, which features all eight games at the same venue, started in 2019 and has been played in Brisbane every year since. However it is seen by the game’s administrators as a concept easily transferred abroad, with a view to replicating the festival-like atmosphere of the UK Super League’s Magic Round, with Los Angeles and even Las Vegas floated as prospective venues.

In 2019 the NRL’s then chief executive Todd Greenberg signposted bold plans, calling Magic Round “a product that lends itself to emerging markets”. “We’d absolutely look at